WSOP 2026: Complete Schedule and Key Highlights of the Series

WSOP 2026 Highlights

The fifty-seventh World Series of Poker will be held in Las Vegas from May 26 to July 25, 2026.

• 📍 Venue: Horseshoe and Paris Casino. For the fifth year in a row.
• 💰 Buy-in range: $300 to $250,000.
• 🏆 Bracelet tournaments: 100.
• ♠️ Number of tables: 749.
• 🔥 Highest stakes tournament: #41: $250,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super High Roller.
• 🎯 Low stakes tournament: #88: $300 No-Limit Hold'em Gladiators of Poker.
• 👑 The Player of the Year rankings now have a $1,000,000 prize pool and a new scoring system.
• 📺 The official WSOP YouTube channel will broadcast the series for free from day one until the Main Event.

The Full 2026 World Series of Poker Schedule

Tournament changes

New tournaments (all 3-day events):

• #1 Mini Mystery Millions NLH: $550 buy-in with a $1 million guarantee.
• #11 GGMillion$ High Roller NLH: $10,000 buy-in.
• #16 U.S. Circuit Championship NLH: $1,700 buy-in.
• #53 Five Card Pot-Limit Omaha: PLO: $1,500 buy-in.
• #91 "Pick Your PLO": Dealer's Choice format (a mix of several Omaha variants) with a $1,500 buy-in.

Unexpected changes have been made to the Heads-Up Championship. The tournament will now be expanded from 64 to 128 players and divided into two flights, with re-entry allowed for losers of the first flight.

Some of the most popular tournaments, Monster Stack and Millionaire Maker, have had their structure changed: you can bust on Day 2 but still re-enter one of the following starting flights (similar to what was in place at WSOP Paradise).

Now, theoretically, a player can make up to eight entries and have the option to re-enter after busting in the 20th hour of the tournament.

Furthermore, the number of starting flights has been increased in popular tournaments to allow more players to participate in the series events.

The most interesting WSOP 2026 tournaments

In our opinion, the core of the WSOP schedule comprises the most prominent events that will attract the attention of poker fans worldwide, regardless of buy-in level. 

• Event #7: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads Up Championship
• Event #11: $10,000 GGMillion$ No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
• Event #18: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack
• Event #24: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller 6-Handed
• Event #41: $250,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super High Roller
• Event #50: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Millionaire Maker
• Event #60: $50,000 Poker Players Championship
• Event #70: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
• Event #72: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mini Main Event
• Event #82: $10,000 WSOP No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
• Event #88: $300 No-Limit Hold'em Gladiators of Poker
• Event #97: $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. High Roller

The most popular events (with buy-ins up to $1,000):

Of course, it is a chance to see the highest concentration of famous players at the WSOP High Roller tables. The series schedule includes 13 tournaments with buy-ins starting at $25,000:

New Player of the Year

In 2026, the WSOP Player of the Year race featured a $1,000,000 prize pool for the first time:

*One player will randomly receive an upgrade to a $30,000 package

**Six players will randomly receive a $5,000 package instead of a ticket

Player of the Year standings now include results from three series: WSOP Europe, the Summer WSOP in Las Vegas, and WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.

The POY point calculation formula now takes into account the buy-in size, the total number of entries, and the player's final placing. The additional multiplier depends on how deep a player advances in the tournament. 

• 🏆 Tournament Win: x6
• 🥇 Final Table: x4
• 💵 Cash in: x2
• 🎟️ Non-ITM Entry: x1

The standings also factor in the ratio between a player's finishing position and the total field size. Only a player's 15 best results for the season are counted toward the overall standings.

What will definitely happen at WSOP 2026

The 2026 WSOP is sure to see a major comeback from a poker legend. Someone from the old school will win another bracelet, the entire poker internet will start talking about "poker is still alive," and the broadcasts will suddenly attract record-breaking online attendance. And it's almost certain that this person won't be the one everyone expected at the start of the series.

A new hero may emerge. A not well-known online regular player is to win two bracelets in a couple of weeks, and the poker community will start scrambling for their charts, nicknames, and old hands. In a couple of days, they'll be sitting on the TV table next to Negreanu and Ivey.

The High Rollers are effectively becoming a standalone series within the WSOP. Players will jump from a $25,000 event straight into a $100,000 tournament, then casually sit down for interviews at the featured TV table an hour later. Meanwhile, viewers will once again keep track of how many hundreds of thousands of dollars the same player managed to lose over the course of a single week.

The most popular tournament of the series will almost certainly be the Gladiators of Poker and the Millionaire Maker. Thousands of entrants, nonstop all-ins, massive registration lines, and the atmosphere of a true poker carnival — this is exactly what draws so many players to Las Vegas every summer. And, inevitably, someone will hit the top Mystery Bounty prize to an explosion of cheers across the room, with the clip spreading across social media within minutes.

And the WSOP won't be without its share of strange stories. Someone is sure to forget to show up for the tournament start and lose half their stack before even playing a hand due to the new automatic chip entry rule.

And closer to the Main Event, the entire Vegas poker scene will once again be wondering whether the series can break its attendance record.

What aspects of WSOP 2026 are likely to frustrate players?

Every year, the WSOP promises to make the series more comfortable and modern, but series regular players have long had a list of persistent complaints. In recent years, players have complained en masse about huge registration lines, delayed starts, and overcrowded casino areas. Particularly sensitive issues have been the Monster Stack, Millionaire Maker, and Main Event flights, where hundreds of people could wait for hours to enter a tournament.

Another ongoing problem is the fight against stalling. In high-stakes tournaments and satellites, players regularly stall on the bubble, and new rules regarding time banks and penalties spark debate almost every year. Some believe the WSOP is too lenient with violators, while others think the organizers are turning poker into an endless war of stopwatches and penalties.

The organization of featured TV tables has also faced heavy criticism in recent years. Players have complained about forced table changes for broadcasts, long delays caused by technical issues, and special treatment for media professionals. With stricter sponsor regulations and tighter control over visible logos, many expect tensions between players, poker rooms, and WSOP organizers to escalate even further in 2026.

The structure of the schedule remains another major point of frustration. For years, players have debated the growing number of starting flights, rising rake in lower buy-in events, and the nonstop expansion of the series itself. For recreational players, the WSOP still feels like a poker festival. For professionals, however, it increasingly resembles an endurance test filled with overcrowded tournament areas, minimal rest, and constant organizational compromises.

WSOP 2026 rules changes

• 🚨 Rule 17(g) — New TV Partner.

The WSOP has changed broadcasters: CBS Sports is now broadcasting with ABC/ESPN. ABC employees are also allowed to play in select tournaments with the organizers' approval.

• 🚨 Rule 35 — Stacks come into play immediately. 

If a player registers before the start of a tournament, their stack automatically appears at the table and starts decreasing on the blinds, even if the player arrives late.

• 🚨 Rule 37 — The WSOP may change rules during the series.

The organizers have officially secured the right to change tournament rules at any time during the series.

• 🚨 Rule 38 — New Tournament Chip Owners

Tournament chips are now formally considered the property of the host casino, not the WSOP itself.

• 🚨 Rule 40(e) — Third-Party Performance Bonuses Prohibited

Players can no longer receive third-party prizes or bonuses for specific results at the WSOP. Violations can lead to the forfeiture of all prize money and may even require players to return funds that have already been paid out. 

• 🚨 Rule 52 — Pre-Approval of Logos

Any poker room or sponsor logo must now be approved by the WSOP at least 24 hours before a tournament. Some online poker rooms have been completely banned from placing their patches on players' clothing.

• 🚨 Rule 53 — Ban on Crypto Advertising Lifted

The WSOP has lifted last year's ban on cryptocurrency-related clothing and logos.

• 🚨 Rule 54(a) — New Restrictions on Sponsor Patches

The number of logos on player clothing has been reduced from three to two, but the permitted size of a sleeve patch has been doubled.

• 🚨 Rule 54(b) — Ban on Logos on Masks and Scarves

Players are allowed to wear masks and scarves, but advertising and logos are no longer permitted on them.

• 🚨 Rule 54(b.1) — Sponsor Limit at the TV Table

A maximum of two players from a single sponsor can sit at the TV table at a time. Previously, the limit was three.

• 🚨 Rule 80 — Tighter Anti-Stalling Measures

The WSOP has tightened penalties for time-wasters and time-bank abuse. Penalties can now be imposed on both players who intentionally stall and those who repeatedly request a timer without cause.