GGPoker Launches Ocean KO With Bounties Up to $1.5M

GGPoker is preparing for a busy October, with $18 million worth of promotions scheduled throughout the month and a brand-new PKO format called Ocean KO set to join the tournament lobby. The operator will also rename Cash Game Dollars from October 2, while the WSOP Super Circuit gets underway in Rozvadov at the end of the month.

One of the first changes arrives on October 2, although it is essentially a technical rebranding rather than a change to how the currency works.

GGPoker will rename C$ (Cash Game Dollars) to P$ (Poker Dollars).

Existing C$ balances will automatically be converted into P$, with no change to their value or how players can use them. The T$ (Tournament Dollars) system will also remain unaffected.

Going forward, GGPoker will use the P$ name in its promotions and other communications.

GGPoker has announced a combined $18 million promotional budget for October. Rather than representing a single giveaway, the figure covers several promotions running either simultaneously or at different points during the month.

The largest is the $13M October Cash Game Giveaway, which will run throughout October.

Bounty Hunters players will also have additional promotions available. A $2 million Cash Drop will run from October 2 to 23, while the Bounty Hunters Series will feature a $1 million daily leaderboard promotion from October 4 to 27.

APT Online players will have another $400,000 leaderboard available between October 11 and November 2.

GGPoker will then close out the month with a Halloween-themed promotion. The $1M Halloween Party, running from October 24 to 31, will allow players at eligible cash game tables to collect virtual Candies whenever the Jack of Spades appears.

After collecting at least ten Candies, players can open a Mystery Pumpkin containing prizes worth up to $1,000.

For tournament players, the most interesting development could be the arrival of Ocean KO, a new progressive knockout format.

The key feature is the potential size of individual knockout rewards, with bounties worth as much as 400 times the tournament buy-in.

According to GGPoker, the largest possible bounty will reach $1.5 million.

Ocean KO appears set to combine elements of traditional PKO tournaments with mystery bounty mechanics. As a result, the actual value of eliminating an opponent could be significantly different from what a player might expect based purely on the bounty displayed at the table.

Further details about the exact structure and the Ocean KO tournament schedule are expected closer to launch.

GGPoker's October calendar also extends beyond online poker.

From October 28 to November 11, King's Resort in Rozvadov will host the WSOP Super Circuit, bringing another major live tournament festival to Central Europe.

The series is also set to feature qualification opportunities through GGPoker, giving online players a route into the live events via satellites.

October will therefore bring a mixture of promotional campaigns, product changes and a completely new tournament format to GGPoker.

The switch from C$ to P$ takes effect on October 2, while promotions with a combined value of $18 million will run throughout the month.

The development most worth watching, however, is Ocean KO. With knockout rewards potentially reaching 400 times the buy-in and a maximum bounty of $1.5 million, the new format could add another high-variance twist to GGPoker's already extensive knockout tournament offering.