After 888’s live circuit wrapped up, Nick Eastwood dove back into the online streets, feeling reasonably optimistic despite some tough spots in recent big tournament hands. Although his live tournament runs were beginning to show progress, he hadn’t made a deep run in any of the 888 online series in quite some time. His big hope now was to finally open a mystery bounty envelope, something that had eluded him for the past two years.
The Mystery Bounty Struggle
Nick had been grinding every single 888poker tournament series since the introduction of mystery bounty events. He had reached many Day 2s and bounty phases, but despite his efforts, the elusive mystery bounty envelope had remained out of reach. The only bounty he’d ever pulled was a $0.49 prize in a community Home Game—hardly the glory he was aiming for.
Despite numerous close calls, the mystery bounty envelope just wouldn’t cooperate, and it became a running joke among his team that he might retire before ever opening one. But Nick wasn’t giving up. The most recent KO Games series presented another opportunity, with a potential $30,000 top bounty on the line. With a strong Day 2 stack, Nick was hoping this would be the event where his luck would turn.
The Disastrous Seat Draw
Unfortunately, the poker gods were not kind. Nick drew a terrible seat at the table, with only two players to his left and enormous stacks on his right. His card distribution didn’t help either, as he mucked offsuited 8-gappers for the first hour. Meanwhile, everyone else seemed to be opening bounties, and Nick could only watch in frustration.
He did find a small glimmer of hope in a short-stack player at the table, who had just 5 big blinds. This player was the only one Nick could cover, so he bided his time, waiting for the right moment. The short stack finally pushed all-in UTG, and although Nick held T-2 offsuit (a weak hand by any standard), he still hoped for a chance to pounce. However, the table was already crowded with players who had better hands, and the short-stack was eliminated in a 3-way all-in.
To add insult to injury, the player who had the middle pair and was in bad shape at the start of the hand hit a trip on the river, eliminating the short-stack and scooping up the $30,000 top bounty. Nick had been sitting at the same table as the top bounty all night, only to watch someone else walk away with it. His dream of opening his first mystery bounty envelope was dashed once again.
The Final Hand
With his dream bounty now out of reach, Nick still had a chance at the near-chip lead when he was dealt A-K offsuit in a 3-way pot against Leo Jokura and another player with K-Q offsuit. However, it wasn’t meant to be. The K-Q hand hit a running four-flush, and Nick was eliminated from the tournament in 45th place, pocketing a meager $465.
And so, the streak continued—Nick remained mystery bounty-less, his hope dashed once again. As he said, “Standard.” The quest for the elusive bounty continues, but Nick’s resilience and sense of humor remain intact as he continues to grind.
