Ocean KO - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocean KO is a tournament format where every player begins at Level 1 (Egg). When a player eliminates an opponent, they trigger a bounty spin that awards a random prize payout based on a multiplier.

Note: Players may start at higher levels if a higher bounty portion. (“a non 50/50 split is used”) Generally, though, players will start at the lowest level.

Players can find Ocean KO tournaments in the Natural8 Tournament lobby by seaching Ocean KO in the search bar.

Like standard Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournaments, a fixed portion of the buy-in goes into the regular prize pool for the main payout structure, while the remaining portions form the starting bounty pool used for the Ocean KO bounty spin mechanics and the fee.

Examples:

When a player earns a random bounty prize, the reward is automatically split into two equal halves:

Evolution is tied directly to a player's bounty value. When a player's progressive bounty balance meets or exceeds the required threshold for the next level, their level updates in real time.

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Random Bounty Multiplier results may cause the total payout for a single tournament to exceed or fall short of the collected bounty pool. Over time, the multiplier distribution is designed so that total Bounty Prizes should closely match the total bounty value, but an exact match is not guaranteed.

A player's current bounty value determines their tier. The 14 levels are divided into buy-in scaled tiers and fixed-threshold legendary tiers:

Note: Levels are individual to each tournament. They do not carry from one Ocean KO tournament to another.

The size of the random bounty prize is determined by multiplying the eliminated opponent's bounty value by a random wheel outcome.

If the bounty spin lands on a multiplier lower than 1x, the total random prize calculated will be less than the eliminated opponent's displayed bounty value. The resulting lower amount is still split equally: 50% is credited directly to the player's cash balance, and 50% is added to their progressive bounty balance.

Any unawarded portion of a bounty (e.g., the remaining 60% when a 0.4x multiplier is hit) stays within the tournament's overall bounty pool. These retained funds are used to balance the prize pool mechanics and fund higher multiplier payouts (such as 100x or 400x) awarded to other players.

Because Legendary Levels have much higher bounty values, their multiplier ranges are narrower to reduce payout variance and maintain a balanced prize distribution. Multipliers below 1x are still possible, so a specific cash payout is not guaranteed.

To support larger prizes (such as 100x or 400x) while keeping the average multiplier mathematically anchored at 1x over time, the prize distribution is weighted so that lower multipliers occur more frequently. This balance ensures that top-tier prize wheel spins remain financially viable within the tournament's overall bounty pool.

No. Leveling up requires the player's cumulative bounty to cross the next tier threshold. If 50% of the calculated prize from a low multiplier hit or lower-tier knockout is insufficient to reach the next financial threshold, the player remains at their current tier.

Yes. If a player eliminates a high-value opponent or hits a high multiplier (such as 100x or 400x), 50% of the total prize may be large enough to push their total progressive bounty past multiple levels thresholds at once.

Every player starts at Level 1 (Egg) with a base bounty value (x0.5 of Buy-in). Even if a player is knocked out on hand one, the player who eliminates them still gets to spin the bounty spin for that base Egg bounty.

In the event of a split pot where an opponent is eliminated, the bounty prize generated by the bounty spin is split equally among the winning participants, with each receiving 50% of their share in cash and 50% added to their personal bounty balance.

No. Tiers are purely based on Bounty Value, not chip stacks. A short stack can be a high-level tier if they have accumulated a massive bounty, while a big stack might still be a lower tier if they haven't knocked out many opponents.

Each player's active tier icon is displayed next to their seat at the table. Clicking on any player's tier icon opens a pop-up window showing their Min Bounty, and Max Bounty.
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All bounty payouts are fully transparent. Whenever a player knocks out an opponent and spins the bounty spin, the winning prize amount is publicly displayed to all active players at the table.

No. For a knockout in Ocean KO, the Bounty Prize is calculated using only the knocked-out player’s current bounty and the Bounty Multiplier. The winning player’s own bounty, Level, and Tier do not affect the calculation.

Players can open the Field tab in the tournament lobby to view a real-time Live Status panel. This screen displays a full breakdown of how many active players currently remain in each of the 14 levels.

The bounty spin outcome is determined instantly on the server side as soon as the knockout occurs. If a player disconnects or closes the client, the spin completes automatically, the cash is credited to their account, and their bounty value is updated accordingly (which may also trigger a tier-up).

Yes. Staking (where permitted by local regulation), applies to the final tournament payout. Stakers receive their share of instant cash bounties earned during the tournament alongside the final prize pool payouts according to their backing percentage.

The tournament champion receives the standard first-place prize and two Bounty Spins.

First, the champion receives a Bounty Spin for knocking out the runner-up. This Bounty Prize is split 50:50, with half paid in cash and half added to the champion’s bounty.

The champion then receives a Final Bounty Spin based on their updated bounty. This Bounty Prize is paid 100% in cash.