The mystery bounty is a format that is ever-increasing in popularity, attracting players to both the live and online poker scene with the promise of huge top bounties too good to turn down. One poker tournament just put its own spin on the idea, rewarding players for their play whilst retaining the mystery element.
La Notte Degli Assi just came to a close at the world’s oldest casino in Venice, and the €1,000,000 guaranteed Main Event attracted a total of 2,630 entries across its 10 Day 1 flights (Day 1A-1I and Last Chance). However, that’s far from the most interesting part of the competition.
La Caccia al Tesoro
The event’s first curiosity was the fact that buy-ins varied in size, and players were offered a chance to re-buy, a rarity in poker nowadays. The first four flights required a buy-in of €400, and re-buys set players back €300. The six Day 1s that followed featured a buy-in of €600, and re-buys were priced at €400.
The event included a “Caccia al Tesoro,” or treasure hunt, giving players an additional chance to win big without necessarily having to score a deep run. There was €200,000 allocated to the bonus prize pool, which had prizes ranging from €900 to €50,000
50 tickets were reserved for the treasure hunt, with the top five stacks at the conclusion of each Day 1 flight punching their ticket to the random draw. Incredibly, players weren’t just limited to one entry and could theoretically end up with ten tickets, one from each Day 1.
Players were allowed unlimited entries into each Day 1 flight, and could enter a flight even if they had already qualified for Day 2, without surrendering their chips. Any stack left with chips at the conclusion of a Day 1 flight scored a minimum payout of €900, and players were only able to take their largest stack into the second day of competition.
Kassouf Scores Big Treasure Hunt Payday
On the penultimate day of competition, Sunday, October 18, the draw was made just before Day 2 started at 2:00 p.m.. The top prize of €50,000 is up for grabs for each player who has won a ticket in Day 1.
Caccia al Tesoro Prizes
| Prize | Quantity |
|---|---|
| €50,000 | 1 |
| €30,000 | 1 |
| €20,000 | 1 |
| €15,000 | 1 |
| €10,000 | 2 |
| €5,500 | 3 |
| €2,000 | 4 |
| €1,500 | 12 |
| €900 | 25 |
Known for his loud-mouth antics and deep runs at the World Series of Poker, British pro Will Kassouf was in attendance, and had bagged up a top-five stack in one of the Day 1s to secure a Treasure Hunt ticket.
He did so at the last possible opportunity, too, entering the Last Chance flight alongside 187 others, and ended up with 2,900,000 from a 200,000 starting stack, good for fourth on the flight’s leaderboard.
Unbelievably, he managed to return from his trip to Venice with an absolutely massive score, as he pulled the sole top prize of €50,000 from his ticket. He didn’t manage to make the final day of competition, but he surely won’t be bothered in the slightest as he picked up slightly less than third-placed money (€56,600) just for having a solid showing in Day 1. Well, that and picking the right envelope.
Other huge prizes of €30,000, €20,000, and €15,000 were handed out to the Day 1 chip leaders, making for a hugely interesting dynamic during the Day 1s. Only time will tell if this bonus payout structure catches on; its recipients in Venice undoubtedly will be hoping it does, so they can strike it lucky again.
Lorenzo Sabato Wins La Notte Degli Assi Main
Note: The €200,000 Treasure Hunt prize pool made up part of the full €1,000,000 guarantee.