PokerStars announced that it will experiment with a tournament payout structure where an unprecedented 50% of the field receive their buy-in back. They’re calling the idea “Double Bubble” tournaments and plan to roll them out at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in early 2015.

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Lee Jones, head of poker communications at the online gaming giant, announced the innovation on the PokerStarsBlog, and explained that traditionally, tournaments have paid about 10% of the field. Those events feature one bubble, with the top few places winning the lion share of the cash. In Stars’ newest creation, however, the top finishers will enjoy a smaller payout, while the extra money is used to reward half of the field with their original buy-in.

“So suppose it’s a $1,000+$100 event with 80 runners,” Jones explained. “When 40 players are left, we walk around and drop $1,100 in cash in front of each of the remaining 40 players. The money that’s left is distributed in an 8% payout structure (not too terribly different than how regular tournaments used to get paid out in the old days). So there are really two bubbles: [one] at 50% of the field and [another at] 8% of the field.”

To back up PokerStars’ reasoning behind the new structure, Jones cited player behavioral patterns which he and others have observed after running countless tournaments. He claims that while many talk about not wanting to “min-cash”, players’ actions near the bubble tell a different story.

“Look at the wave of ‘chip and a chair’ behavior as the bubble approaches. Those people are not making optimal decisions to maximize their chances for a final table; they’re doing whatever it takes to get to the money,” he said.

“Whatever people’s plans and dreams are at the beginning of a tournament, for most folks, there comes a point where locking up some money right now is preferable to the possibility of more money later,” he added.

The reaction of tournament pros was somewhat mixed, with some seeing it as a way to extract more rake from the poker community as a whole. “Terrible idea IMO. Players don’t play hours/days in the hope of getting their money back,” said raidalot on 2+2. “As far as I can see, the main effect of this is to spread prize pools which will maximize rake over time. I agree with the view that if the prize pool is to be spread this widely then rake should be chopped correspondingly.”

Sect7G agreed with Jones’ reasoning, but also suspected that PokerStars would be the one to gain the most from the new format. “I’m sure there will be another $1.1k buy-in tourney being offered the very next day,” he said. “If all players played it who min-cashed the day before, Pokerstars would be effectively charging $200 rake on a $1k tourney.”

He did concede, though, that the structure could attract more amateurs who would’ve otherwise avoided playing in a tournament. “Some players would like very much the experience of playing for a full day, feeling the rush, etc. and end up with their money back,” he continued. “Many on [the poker forums] wouldn’t, but some guy getting off a boat at the PCA might enjoy the experience. As long as these tourneys are used extremely sparingly I think they’re ok.”

According to Jones, PokerStars will “test drive” two “Double Bubble” tournaments at the 2015 PCA. He found the events’ “lighthearted and entertainment-centric” vibe to be the perfect spot to experiment with the structure.

“Do we expect ‘Double Bubbles’ to revolutionize the poker tournament scene? Not likely. But there’s no harm here; we’ll run a few and, as always, see what the players tell us,” he said.