Aaron Barone from 888poker reached the final table of the PNOC Main Event

888poker ambassador Aaron Barone confidently made it to the final of the PokerNews Online Championship Main Event and delivered an excellent result in the mini-event.

The battle for titles and major prizes is still raging in the online poker world as the PokerNews Online Championship (PNOC) continues on 888poker. The biggest story in recent days was the dramatic conclusion of the Mystery Main Event with its $250,000 guarantee, as well as the wrap-up of the Mystery Mini Main, which featured a $50,000 guarantee. Once again, 888poker ambassador Aaron "abarone68" Barone was in the spotlight—not only did he confidently reach the final table of the Main Event, but he also made a deep run in the mini version. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how the tournaments played out, the final table and payout results, and the significance of these events for PPPoker club players. Final Table of the Mystery Main Event ($250,000 GTD): Barone Among the Contenders The flagship event of the PNOC series—the Mystery Main Event—featured a buy-in that drew 1,091 entries, building a prize pool of $254,203 and surpassing the advertised guarantee. After two days of play, only the top eight remained to battle for the top prize of $21,098, plus additional payouts for knocking out opponents (bounties). The final table chip leader is "LookAround" with 2,214,940 chips. In second is Canadian "for_science" (2,063,154), while Aaron "abarone68" Barone sits in fourth with 1,460,290 chips, equal to 37 big blinds. The gap between the leader and Barone is just 18 big blinds, keeping things wide open and giving every finalist a real shot at the title. Right behind Barone is 888poker regular "IOwnU888" with 1,359,012 chips. The final table kicks off on October 27 at 19:00 GMT, with a cards-up broadcast starting one hour later on the official 888poker Twitch channel at 20:00 GMT. This will let viewers follow all the key hands and decisions as they happen. Final Table Chip Counts – Mystery Main Event ($250,000 GTD) LookAround — 2,214,940 for_science — 2,063,154 abarone68 (Aaron Barone) — 1,460,290 IOwnU888 — 1,359,012 It’s worth noting that the largest mystery bounties were already claimed before the final table. The top jackpot of $25,000 went to "d5t6y7", who busted in 12th place. Factoring in other bounties and deep run payouts, "d5t6y7" walked away with $35,020. Mystery Mini Main: Final Table and Heads-Up Deal Running alongside the Main Event was the Mystery Mini Main, with a $25 buy-in and a $50,000 guarantee. The tournament drew 2,118 entries—just four short of covering the guarantee. Day 2 brought 436 players back to the virtual felt, including three 888poker ambassadors. Ian "Simpioni" Simpson finished 158th, while Leo "KaizenStyle" Yokoyura made it to the final three tables, finishing 27th for $609. Aaron "abarone68" Barone also made a deep run, bowing out in 21st place for $334. The tournament was won by Finland’s "Uivelo88", who took home $4,812 after a heads-up deal with Denmark’s "Seberbad", who earned $3,396 for second place. Mystery Mini Main Final Table Results ($50,000 GTD) 1st — Uivelo88 (Finland): $4,812* 2nd — Seberbad (Denmark): $3,396* 3rd — Uivelo888 : amount not specified 4th — herandbear21 (Romania): $6,701 (including $5,000 mystery bounty) 5th-7th — names and amounts not specified 8th — deeman1823 (Canada): $430 (no bounty) * — payouts reflect the heads-up deal. Special mention goes to "herandbear21" from Romania, who finished fourth but, thanks to hitting the $5,000 golden envelope mystery bounty, walked away with the tournament’s biggest payout—$6,701. PokerNews Online Championship Series: Where Things Stand As of publication, 35 out of 40 PNOC events on 888poker have wrapped up. Each event crowned its own champion and distributed the prize pool among the top finishers. The table of winners and payouts for completed events is not included here, as it was not provided in the original. The series is nearing its conclusion, with just four tournaments left—giving players a final shot at the PNOC 2026 championship title. The final day features several events: $320 Closing Big Shot $55 Closing Mystery Bounty $25 Closing Mystery Bounty $109 Closing Big Shot (starts one hour later than the others) All these tournaments kick off on October 27 at 18:00 GMT, with the $109 Closing Big Shot starting at 19:00 GMT, coinciding with the Mystery Main Event final table. Biggest Mystery Bounty Wins: How It Works In Mystery Bounty tournaments, part of the prize pool is set aside as random (mystery) rewards for knocking out opponents. Once players reach a certain stage (usually ITM—in the money), each knockout lets a player open an envelope with a random cash prize. The top prize—the jackpot—can make up a significant portion of the total prize pool. In the PNOC Mystery Main Event, the $25,000 jackpot went to "d5t6y7", who finished 12th but took home $35,020 thanks to bounties and payouts. In the Mystery Mini Main, a similar $5,000 jackpot went to "herandbear21", giving him the biggest payout of the tournament despite finishing fourth overall. Ambassadors and Notable Players: Quick Bios Aaron "abarone68" Barone is an 888poker ambassador, multiple-time PNOC finalist and champion. His consistent deep runs and top finishes have made him one of the standout players of this series. Ian "Simpioni" Simpson, also an 888poker team member, played the Mystery Mini Main and finished 158th. Leo "KaizenStyle" Yokoyura, another 888poker ambassador, put in a strong showing, finishing 27th in the Mystery Mini Main. Other notable finalists and prize winners include "for_science" (Canada), "IOwnU888" (888poker regular), "LookAround" (chip leader at the Mystery Main Event final table), "Uivelo88" (Mystery Mini Main winner), "Seberbad" (runner-up in the Mystery Mini Main), "herandbear21" (winner of the largest mystery bounty in the mini event), and "deeman1823" (eighth place in the Mystery Mini Main). What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, the experience and results from the PNOC on 888poker offer several practical takeaways. First, Mystery Bounty tournaments are becoming increasingly popular and appealing—they add an element of surprise and give players a shot at big payouts even if they don’t make the final table. PPPoker clubs should consider adding these formats to their regular schedules to boost player engagement and variety. Second, the deep runs by ambassadors like Aaron Barone show that consistency and smart strategy pay off over the long run. PPPoker club players can benefit from studying the play of successful pros to improve their own tournament skills and stack management. Finally, paying attention to schedules and tournament selection is key to success. As the PNOC series has shown, even with small buy-ins (like the $25 Mystery Mini Main), players can compete for substantial prizes. Stay up to date with the latest news, check the schedules, and don’t miss your chance to play in major events—whether on 888poker or in PPPoker clubs.