It feels like in all of the go commentary videos I watch, “this is an exception where the ponnuki is not worth 30 points”. But I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen an example that was not an exception…
So this thread is for posting examples of ponnukis that really were worth 30 (ish) points. 
Maybe the first one here?
Edit: Note that there is also a ponnuki worth -1 in gote in that game
I played in an irl tourney where the winner played a game where he gave up a 15 stone group for a ponnuki and went on to win so I supposed he (~5d) judged it worth the 30 points (or more I guess) but I don’t have a record.
You probably don’t see them much because if they are that good the opponent won’t allow it.
Doesn’t it depend on what kind of ponnuki it is?
A open space ponnuki - somewhere in the middle of a moyo with not too many enemy stones nearby - seems to me big, where as a small space confined ponnuki - close to enemy stones in a ‘small’ space - can be tolerated.
Disclaimer: just a 6kyu observation. 
May as well link
Ponnuki is easy to underestimate right. My experience with it is several time when I decided to just let the opponent have one - thinking “ah it’s not that bad”, and some time later when a fight broke out and my opponent’s just casually either connect their group with the ponnuki to live, or pincer my group in between using that ponnuki.
Ponnuki in the air can do just about as much as a whole 3-3 joseki wall can do, while costing only 4-ish stones.
