PKO Poker Sites Best Progressive Knockout Sites

The PKO in poker sites stands for Progressive Knockout. A PKO is a special type of poker tournament, where a portion of the buy-in goes is used as a bounty on each player’s head, while the rest goes to the prize pool.

PKO Poker Sites

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Once you eliminate a player, you will receive half of the total bounty the player has accumulated until his elimination.

The other half of the bounty is added to your own head, as incentive for your opponents to bust you.

There are certain PKO Poker Sites such as Pokerstars, which offer special PKO tournaments, where a significant or even the full prize pool goes into bounties. However, this is not the norm.

The bounties require a special poker strategy and to greatly adapt your normal tournament strategy and we will therefore introduce the best PKO Poker strategy on this page

As a rule of thumb, Progressive Knockout tournaments create a lot of action, so if you like that, then those tournaments are for you.

In addition to strategy, we will also explain, which are the best and most profitable PKO Poker Sites to play online poker for real money.

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The best PKO Poker Sites

Choosing the best and most profitable PKO Poker Sites gives you an easy edge over your opponent.

The most important things to keep in mind, when selecting a poker site is that it offers high traffic, soft games and good rakeback.

Don’t worry we have done the work for you and present the best PKO Poker Sites:

$600 Bonus
$50 Free Play
60% RB | $30k Races | GG Chase
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Upon making your first deposit on GGpoker using bonus code ´VIPGRINDERS`, you can choose between a 100% up to $600 first deposit bonus OR $50 Free Play. You will also get up to 60% rakeback via the Fish Buffet, our private freerolls, races and various other GGPoker promotions.
$1000 Bonus
$100 Tickets
60% RB | Freerolls | $30k Races
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Upon making your first deposit on BetKings, you can choose between a 200% up to $1000 first deposit bonus OR $100 in instant bonuses. You will also get up to 60% rakeback via the Fish Buffet, our private freerolls, races and various other BetKings promotions.
$1,200 Bonus
$5,000 Multi Race
WPT Chase
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Use bonus code VIPGRINDERS when you sign up and you will receive free tournament tickets for the Sunday Slam satellites (no deposit required) and a 100% up to $1,200 bonus on your first deposit, including various other WPT Global promotions.
$600 Bonus
$30 Free
65% VIP | Freerolls
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Upon making your first deposit, you can choose between a $600 first deposit bonus and $30 in free tournament tickets. You will also get up to 65% rakeback via the Rewards scheme and participate in any other PokerStars promotion.
€40 Tickets
€250 Freerolls
35% Rakeback | €70k Races
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
By signing-up, you will receive €40 in free tickets, a 35% VIP Upgrade and further exclusive races and freerolls every month.
€1000 Bonus
30% Rakeback
Freerolls | Chase | $5k Race
New Customers Only | 18+ | T&C Apply
Upon making your first deposit you will receive a €1000 welcome bonus clearing at 20% and 30% rakeback, which is paid in points, so you can change anytime. Additionally, you get access to the €50,000 Twister Races as well as both our Exclusive $5,000 iPoker Race and Exclusive Guts Chase (10%). Note that our players are restricted from other Guts challenges and promos.

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What is a Progressive Knockout (PKO) Tournament?

Progressive Knockout tournaments combine the intensity of traditional poker tournaments with a twist.

PKO Poker Sites

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The twist are the bounties, which are placed on the head of each participant.

Your bounty grows with every opponent you eliminate during a PKO tournament. When you bust a player, then you receive half his bounty in cash, while the other half is added to your own bounty.

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PKO Poker Rules

Here are the five most important PKO Poker rules at a glance:

  • Starting Chips: PKO tournaments typically begin with each player receiving a certain number of chips. The blinds increase gradually and serve as an incentive to create action.
  • Bounties: As already explained above, every player has a bounty on his head. When you eliminate an opponent, you receive half of his bounty, while the other half is added to your own bounty.
  • Elimination: Unlike normal poker tournaments, where players are eliminated when they run out of chips, in PKO tournaments, a player is eliminated, when he loses his entire bounty.
  • Winning Poker Strategy: PKO tournaments require a unique blend of patience, aggression as well as to adapt your poker strategy. You need to know, in which spots it makes sense to hunt for a bounty and when to defend it, which results in a significant change of poker ranges.
  • Practise your Heads-Up skills: In Progressive Knockout tournaments, the heads-up is much more important. Since the winner of a PKO tournament gets all the remaining bounties on top of the normal prize pool it makes a huge difference in the amount you are winning.

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PKO Poker Sites Strategy

Winning in Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments requires a combination of skill, the right poker strategy, and adaptability.

PKO Poker Sites3

That being said, here are the best poker strategy tips for PKO tournaments:

1. Understand Bounty Dynamics: Understand that the value of bounties increases as the tournament progresses. Players with big bounties are attractive targets. Adjust your strategy accoridng to the changing bounty sizes.
2. Balance Aggression and Patience: PKO tournaments encourage aggressive play, but it’s essential to balance aggression with patience. Don’t go overboard with weak hands, especially in the early stages. Preserve your stack for the late stages, when bounties are large.
3. Choose your targets wisely: Focus on players with huge bounties, especially those who are playing loose-aggressive. Avoid unnecessary confrontations with opponents, who have smaller bounties.
4. Observe Opponents: Pay attention to your opponents’ playing styles. Identify aggressive players and adapt accordingly. Similarly, identify tight players and exploit their tendencies.
5. Adapt to Table Dynamics: Every table in a Progressive Knockout tournament is different. Adjust your poker strategy based on the playing styles of your opponents. Be flexible and adapt your game plan.
6. Protect Your Bounty: Always be aware of your own bounty size. While you want to accumulate bounties, you need to avoid taking unnecessary risks that could lead to your elimination. Protect your own bounty in a smart way.
7. Stay Informed: Check the bounty sizes of your opponents regularly. Stay informed about who has the biggest bounties and adjust the players you are targeting continously
8. Bankroll Management: Bankroll Management is the key to become a successful poker player in the long-term, so manage it wisely. Don’t invest all your chips in a single hand, even if there’s a large bounty at stake. Conservative bankroll management ensures that you can overcome big downswings and control the large variance in tournaments.
9. Continuous Studying: Study PKO poker strategies, watch videos, and learn from the pros. Stay updated with the latest trends and techniques in PKO tournaments to increase the edge over your opponents.

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FAQs

In poker, a Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournament is a bounty tournament, where you get cash for every single opponent that you knock out.

The main difference are the bounties as they add an exciting element and big reward to the game, which requires to adapt your poker strategy significantly.

In a PKO Tournament, every player has a bounty on their head, which grows with each elimiation they are responsible for. The bigger the bounty, the more lucrative for other players to try to knock you out, which requires you to chance your strategy.