Canadian “Reggie_Degen” Takes Down 888poker’s $100K Rake-Free Mystery Bounty

By Samantha Doyle

09 Apr 2026

Samantha Doyle 09 Apr 2026

Share this article

888poker's $100K RakeLESS event drew 836 entries.
Canada's 'Reggie_Degen' won, earning $11,041.
No tournament fees sparked substantial player interest.

Over the Easter weekend, 888poker’s $100,000 RakeLESS Mystery Bounty Main Event attracted 836 entries, with Canada’s “Reggie_Degen” coming out on top. The win was worth $8,140 from the regular prize pool, plus another $2,901 in bounty payouts, for a total score of $11,041.

836 Entries Turn Out for 888poker’s Fee-Free Sunday Major

The event formed part of 888poker’s April RakeLESS Sundays campaign, which removed tournament fees from its weekly $100K Mystery Main Event. Instead of splitting the $109 buy-in between the prize pool and rake, the full amount from every entry went straight into the tournament pool.

That setup gave the first April edition a simple selling point, and the turnout suggests players noticed. A field of 836 for the April 5 running gave 888poker a solid opening number for the month-long series.

JOIN RAKELESS SUNDAYSUse Code: NEWBONUSPLAY NOW

Canadian Winner Climbs From Third in Chips

“Reggie_Degen” did not start the final table with the lead. When the last eight players sat down, the Canadian was third in chips on 1,913,875, trailing Austria’s “alucilveks” and Britain’s “blufingbaldy.”

By the end of the session, though, the Canadian had done the job. “Reggie_Degen” worked through the final table, then beat Brazil’s “TheHeuyLewis” heads-up to lock up the title.

It was a strong finish from a mid-stack position rather than a wire-to-wire run, which made the result a bit more hard-earned than routine.

Mystery Bounty Remains a Reliable Draw

Mystery bounty events are hardly new by this point, but they have not gone out of fashion. The format still works because it combines two things players already understand: standard tournament prize money and knockout rewards that stay hidden until an elimination is made.

On 888poker, the mystery stage begins in the later phase of the tournament, when remaining players carry concealed bounty prizes. Once a player is knocked out, the envelope tied to that elimination is revealed. In general, around half of the guaranteed prize pool in a mystery bounty event goes toward bounty payouts, with the rest reserved for the regular finishers.

That formula is familiar, but it still gives tournaments an extra layer of tension once the bounty phase kicks in.

Rake-Free Tournaments as a Competitive Tool

888poker framed the April offer as a player-value promotion, stressing that every cent of the buy-in would go to the prize pool and scheduling four rake-free editions on April 5, 12, 19 and 26. The first of those dates has now produced a field of 836.

For the wider market, the point is that pricing has become a bigger part of the competitive story in online poker. Operators can no longer rely solely on legacy brand recognition or routine Sunday traffic.

888poker Tests Whether No-Rake Alone Can Move the Needle

For 888poker, the bigger story may be the pricing rather than the format itself. The operator has positioned the April series around a very direct message: every cent of every buy-in goes into the prize pool. Four rake-free editions were scheduled for April 5, 12, 19 and 26, and the first one brought in 836 entries.

That does not prove anything on its own, but it does point to something operators across the market already know. Players pay attention when the value is easy to understand, and “no rake” is about as clear as tournament messaging gets.

The Bigger Takeaway From the First April Edition

One event does not establish a trend for the rest of the year, but it does give 888poker a decent starting point. The format already had a track record. Removing the fee gave it another reason to stand out.

With three more RakeLESS Sundays still to come this month, the next question is whether that turnout can hold up across the rest of April. For now, the first result gave 888poker a healthy field, and it gave Canada’s “Reggie_Degen” the weekend’s biggest headline.

The First RakeLESS Sunday: Key Facts

Feature	Detail
Tournament	888poker $100,000 RakeLESS Mystery Bounty Main Event
Date reported	7 April 2026
Entries	836
Buy-in	$109
Rake	None
Winner	Reggie_Degen
Winner country	Canada
Winner total payout	$11,041