888 Online Championship 2026: “IOwnU888” Beats Aaron Barone to Win the $250K Mystery Main Event
On this page
The 2026 PNOC online series on 888 ended on October 27, and an 888 regular came out on top. “IOwnU888” beat 888 ambassador Aaron “abarone68” Barone heads-up to win the $250,000 guaranteed Mystery Main Event, taking $25,522 including bounties.
The result also meant Barone just missed out on winning both the first and last events of the series. He had won Event #1 a week and a half earlier.
Main Event at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
| Event | 250MysteryBountyMainEvent(250,000 GTD) |
| Platform | 888 (888poker) |
| Series dates | October 18–27, 2026 |
| Entries | 1,091 |
| Prize pool | $254,203 (guarantee beaten by $4,203) |
| Winner | “IOwnU888”: 25,522(21,099 prize + $4,423 bounties) |
| Runner-up | Aaron “abarone68” Barone (Canada): $17,211 |
| Final table stream | 888 Twitch, cards-up, with commentary by Nick “eastyyy22” Eastwood |
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize | Bounties | Total |
| 1 | IOwnU888 | — | $21,099 | $4,423 | $25,522 |
| 2 | Aaron “abarone68” Barone | Canada | $15,375 | $1,836 | $17,211 |
| 3 | LookAround | Kazakhstan | $11,279 | $5,884 | $17,164 |
| 4 | for_science | Canada | $8,294 | $5,004 | $13,299 |
| 5 | sankovski | Lithuania | $6,137 | $7,548 | $13,685 |
| 6 | 01tdr | Romania | $4,547 | $1,586 | $6,134 |
| 7 | Iperenoei13 | Montenegro | $3,385 | $793 | $4,178 |
| 8 | UrExNewBF | United Kingdom | $2,519 | $168 | $2,687 |
How the Final Table Played Out
A fast start. Four of the eight finalists were knocked out in the first 35 minutes or so. The first hand was a big one: “IOwnU888” held pocket jacks against pocket tens and ace-king. A king on the flop put ace-king ahead, but a jack on the river eliminated two players at once.
A brutal river for Romania. “01tdr” went all-in with ace-king, flopped top pair and turned three of a kind, but lost to pocket eights when an eight on the river gave “for_science” a full house.
Barone survives the short stack. Barone was down to about seven big blinds in four-handed play after his ace-king lost to pocket tens. He then came back by winning two all-ins in three-handed play, including hitting three jacks on the river with ace-jack against ace-king.
The final hand. Barone started heads-up with about 19 big blinds against roughly 72 for “IOwnU888”, so he needed to win several all-ins. He got his money in as the favourite with ace-queen against jack-ten, but the turn and river completed a straight for jack-ten, and “IOwnU888” won the title.
How Mystery Bounties Changed the Payouts
This final table shows how much mystery bounties can affect a tournament’s payouts:
- 5th place earned more than 4th. Lithuania’s “sankovski” won $7,548 in bounties, the most at the final table, and finished with 13,685.That’smorethan”forscience”earnedfor4thplace(13,299).
- 3rd place was almost as good as 2nd. “LookAround” collected $5,884 in bounties, finishing just $47 behind Barone’s runner-up total.
- Bounties made up about 17% of the winner’s total. That’s a big boost on top of the place prize.
The lesson: In mystery bounty events, finishing position isn’t everything. Eliminating players once the bounties are in play can be worth as much as climbing one or two places on the payout ladder.
A storyline: “sankovski” also finished 2nd in the 2025 Main Event for $16,661. Back-to-back final tables in the series’ biggest event is a rare achievement.
How 2026 Compares With Previous Main Events
| Edition | Buy-in | Guarantee | Entries | Prize pool | Winner |
| 2024 (inaugural) | $215 | $300,000 | 1,627 | — | — |
| Late 2024 | $215 | $300,000 | 1,410 | — | “muchbetter07” ($29,232) |
| Feb 2025 | $215 | $300,000 | 1,530 | $306,000 | “nonoty” ($39,172 incl. bounties) |
| Oct 2026 | $250 | $250,000 | 1,091 | $254,203 | “IOwnU888” ($25,522) |
What changed: The 2026 Main Event had a higher buy-in ($250 instead of $215) but a smaller guarantee ($250K instead of $300K). Entries fell by about 29% compared with February 2025. The prize pool still beat the guarantee, but this was the smallest Main Event field in the series’ history so far.
The series also moved from February to October in 2026. That’s a likely reason for the lower turnout, since October is one of the busiest months on the online poker calendar.
About the 2026 Series
| Detail | Info |
| Dates | October 18–27, 2026 |
| Events | 40 |
| Formats | Mystery Bounty, Progressive KO, DeepStack, standard MTTs |
| Two Main Events | 250MysteryMain(250K GTD) and 25MysteryMiniMain(50K GTD) |
| Second-biggest guarantee | 109MysteryOpeningEvent(80,000 GTD, October 18) |
Early Event Winners
| Event | Entries | Prize pool | Winner | Prize |
| #01: $16.50 Mystery Bounty | 1,060 | $15,900 | Aaron “abarone68” Barone | $1,375 |
| #02: $33 Mystery Bounty Frenzy | 371 | $11,130 | Barth.S2 | $1,735 |
| #03: $55 Mystery Bounty | 400 | $20,000 | Linbabay | $3,577 |
| #04: $8.80 Mystery Bounty | 935 | $8,000 | satoschi_01 | $777 |
Barone’s series: The 888 ambassador won the first event and finished second in the last one. Together, his two results earned him $18,586.
Want to Play Next Time?
This is one of the most affordable online series with real guarantees. Buy-ins start at under $10, and 888 runs satellites and step qualifiers into the Main Event. If you play mystery bounty events, keep in mind that the bounties are drawn at random. That means you need a good stack late in the tournament to have a real chance at the biggest bounties.
You can also follow 888’s live series in our 888poker LIVE guide, or compare 888 with other rooms in our poker site reviews.
Online poker is for adults only. Play responsibly and only where it’s legal in your country.
FAQs
Who won the 2026 PNOC Main Event on 888?
888 regular “IOwnU888” won the $250,000 guaranteed Mystery Main Event on October 27, 2026, beating Aaron “abarone68” Barone heads-up for $25,522 including bounties.
How many players entered the 2026 PNOC Main Event?
The Main Event drew 1,091 entries across several Day 1 flights, creating a $254,203 prize pool that beat the $250,000 guarantee.
How much did Aaron Barone win?
Barone finished second in the Main Event for $17,211. He also won Event #1, the $16.50 Mystery Bounty, for $1,375, for a series total of $18,586.
When was the 2026 PNOC on 888?
The series ran on 888 from October 18 to 27, 2026, with 40 events, including a $250 Mystery Main Event and a $25 Mystery Mini Main.
What is a mystery bounty tournament?
In a mystery bounty tournament, part of each buy-in goes into a pool of bounties with hidden values. When you eliminate a player once the bounties are in play, you draw a random bounty prize, which can range from small amounts to the top bounty.
Disclosure: PokerClubGames may earn a commission when you use links to poker operators. This never changes the price you pay. 18+ (21+ where required). Gambling involves risk. How we make money
