Stake Poker August Madness – $8 Buy-In, $80,000 GTD
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Stake Poker August Madness is the cheapest shot at $80,000 you will find this month. August is the 8th month, so Stake Poker built it around eights. An $8 buy-in. An $80,000 guaranteed prize pool. And a bounty on every single player in the tournament.
That is 10,000 times your buy-in sitting on the table, plus instant cash every time you knock someone out. It runs once, on Sunday 30 August 2026 at 17:00 UTC.
Stake Poker August Madness: The Key Details
Everything you need about this poker tournament in one place before you register.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Stake Poker August Madness |
| Date | Sunday 30 August 2026 |
| Start time | 17:00 UTC |
| Buy-in | $8 |
| Guaranteed prize pool | $80,000 |
| Format | Progressive Knockout (PKO) |
| Player capacity | 10,000 (first come, first served) |
| Where | Poker lobby at Stake.com |
| Promo code | SMPBONUS |
Register for August Madness now
$80,000 Guarantee
A full 10,000-entry field at $8 a seat is exactly $80,000 in buy-ins – before rake and before the bounty split.
So the guarantee only breaks even if every seat sells. Anything short of that and Stake tops up the difference. That is overlay, and overlay is free equity for everyone who registers.
You do not get $8 tournaments with $80K guarantees very often. Seats are capped at 10,000 and handed out on a first-come, first-served basis.
How the Progressive Knockout Format Works
A slice of every $8 buy-in goes into the bounty pool. That means every player at the table, including you, is carrying cash on their head.
Knock a player out, and the bounty splits two ways:
- Half is paid to you instantly. It lands in your balance the moment the hand is over. No waiting for the tournament to finish.
- Half is added to your own bounty. Your head gets more valuable with every elimination.
The longer you run, the bigger a target you become. That is the trade. Deep runs in a PKO are worth chasing because the player who has been collecting bounties all day is the one worth busting.
New to the site? Our Stake Poker review breaks down the full site.
How to Enter Stake Poker August Madness
- Sign up at Stake.com using promo code SMPBONUS.
- Deposit in any of 20+ supported cryptocurrencies. The minimum is $10.
- Open the Poker lobby and find Stake Poker August Madness, Sunday 30 August, 17:00 UTC.
- Buy in for $8 and confirm your seat.
- Outlast the field and take your share of the $80,000.
Registering with SMPBONUS also switches on 3.5% weekly rakeback on all your poker and casino action. It pays automatically, has no wagering requirement, and runs as long as you play. Full terms are on our Stake Poker promo code page .
Three Quick PKO Adjustments
- Widen your calls against short stacks. The bounty is extra equity in the pot. A marginal call becomes a good one when there is cash attached.
- Do not punt your stack chasing small bounties early. Bounties start small and grow. Your stack is worth more than an $8 head-on level three.
- Cover the big bounties. You can only collect from a player you have covered. Late in a PKO, chips and bounties are the same currency.
Should You Play Stake Poker August Madness?
It suits you if you play small-stakes MTTs and want one cheap swing at a life-changing score. It suits you less if you only play cash games or cannot commit to a Sunday evening that could run long. A 10,000-runner field is a marathon.
One thing worth repeating: seats are capped and handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a one-off on Sunday 30 August at 17:00 UTC. There is no second running, no late-reg safety net once the cap fills, and no version of this offer next month.
Register with promo code SMPBONUS and your 3.5% weekly rakeback starts running from your first hand.
Since early 2025, I've covered iGaming promotions, online poker platforms, and player stories for SoMuchPoker. I discovered poker at 14 during the poker boom, and I've played cash games, online tournaments, and live events ever since.























