420,084 Entries! GGPoker Ocean KO Sets the All-Time Poker Tournament Record

Last Updated on October 13, 2026 by Bala Kumar

Some records creep forward by a handful of players. This one was blown wide open. GGPoker‘s $5 Ocean KO Opener pulled in a staggering 420,084 entries, officially making it the biggest poker tournament ever played. The previous best of roughly 253,700 players, set back in 2015, has been beaten by more than 166,000 entries. That isn’t a nudge past the old mark. It’s a whole new ceiling for online poker.  

From a Single Penny to Poker History

For 11 years, the crown belonged to PokerStars. In October 2015, its “Common Cents” kick-off event charged just one cent to enter, and more than 250,000 players jumped at the chance. Austria’s Simon “DaDumon” Grabenschweiger outlasted them all and walked away with $10,000. Not a bad return on a single cent! That tale became poker folklore, but as of this week it officially belongs to the archives. Catch more stories like this in our latest poker tournament news.

The Numbers Behind the Record

GGPoker spread the action across dozens of starting flights, and the field just kept growing. By the time the dust settled, at least 24,134 players had survived to Day 2 on Monday, October 12. That’s enough people to pack a big sports arena, all fighting over a $5 tournament.

The $1 million guarantee never stood a chance. Roughly 217,000 entries were needed to cover it, and the field nearly doubled that. The final Ocean KO prize pool climbed past $1.9 million, with more than $1 million of it handed out through bounties.

Final Table Day: Everything to Play For

Today, the last nine survivors sit down to decide who claims the GGPoker Ocean KO record title. The winner pockets $43,938 in regular prize money, but with jackpot bounties in play, the real haul could be far bigger. Who takes it down? Keep this page open, as we’ll add the champion’s name the moment it’s official. Want to know more about the site behind the record? Read our full GGPoker review.

Bounties With a Jackpot Twist

So why did so many players pile in? The answer is the format. Ocean KO is a Progressive Knockout (PKO) event with a lucky-dip element. Half of every buy-in becomes a player’s bounty, so each entrant in the Opener started with $2.50 on their head. Bust someone, and a random multiplier lands on their bounty, ranging from 0.4x all the way up to 400x. You bank half the result as cash, and the other half gets added to your own bounty. A routine knockout can suddenly turn into a life-changing score. New to the format? Our PKO strategy guide covers the basics.

Big hits are rare. Based on the pay table published by Pokerfuse, a 400x jackpot lands about once in every 50,000 knockouts, while most eliminations actually pay a little under face value:

Real Poker or a Lottery Ticket?

Not everyone is cheering. Critics argue that jackpot multipliers tilt the game away from skill and towards luck. Picture grinding for hours with near-perfect decisions, only to watch a rival leapfrog you with a single 400x bounty. It’s easy to see why some regulars feel short-changed.

Supporters see it differently. Because the multipliers average out to 1x over time, a bounty’s long-term value doesn’t change. The jackpots just make the swings wilder, and that thrill is exactly what drew in hundreds of thousands of casual players. Skill still decides who reaches the final table; luck simply has a louder voice in how much they cash along the way. Dig deeper with our guide on how jackpot bounty tournaments work.

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