Best Live Poker Tournaments for 2026
In addition to the $10,000 buy-in tournament at each site, qualifying players became eligible for a revamped Tournament of Champions. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. Monthly leaderboards for players in the American, Asian, Oceanic and European regions are awarding even more bonus chips! Even more bonus chips can be won if your top 180 results of the calendar year are enough to get you into the top 50 of the annual leaderboards, available for different buy-in levels and featuring separate competitions for Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Royal Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo players. This made it possible to attract players from another continent to the tournament and expand the influence of the Poker Series.
It’s a game where I think that people have this completely backward. Sure, deep-stacked you can be adding some limps into your game. I never really worked on preflop in no-limit hold’em.
Since 2004, a Player of the Year (POY) award has been given to the player with the most points accumulated throughout the WSOP. In the 2023 Main Event, a new record was set for entries and a first-place prize for the first time since 2006. With the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users. The first $50,000 event, conducted as a H.O.R.S.E. tournament, was won by Chip Reese in 2006. In 2002, Daniel Negreanu argued that the Main Event should switch to pot-limit hold ’em, believing that pot-limit required a more complete set of poker skills than no-limit, although he admitted that such a change would likely never be made. Poker professional Antonio Esfandiari won the event, also receiving a special platinum WSOP bracelet.
Only two players in the final ten had never won a WSOP bracelet before. Japanese limit and mixed-game specialist Koji Fujimoto has cashed 17 times in WSOP events in these formats since 2023. Eelis Pärssinen became the third player at WSOP 2026 to win two events. One of the top players from Wisconsin, Josh Reichard has come close to winning a WSOP title multiple times.
All tournaments will get down to a heads up (or 1 on 1) battle at some stage but there are tournaments where players only play heads up in a knock-out format. These tournaments are run like a cash tournament but anyone who eliminates a player also receives the losing players ‘bounty’. In cash tournaments players buy-in for a nominated amount and play down to the last person. Texas Hold’em is the most common game played at tournaments, but other formats may also be featured, depending on the specific event. Every year there are multiple live poker tournaments worldwide hosting poker games such as Texas Hold’em, PL Omaha, Drawmaha, and many more.
Please play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Online gambling regulations vary by country and state — always verify that any platform is licensed and legal in your jurisdiction before playing. Lucas Jumalon leads with 194M chips, followed by Rami Hammoud (79M), Jamie Shaevel (56M), Greg Mueller (48.5M), and Michael Gagliano (46.5M).
Couden eliminated every opponent from 7-max play onward in less than an hour. This time, the field saw 3,937 registrations, and everything fell perfectly into place for Joey. The field was stacked with stars, but the tournament ended with an unexpected victory by Veerachai Vongxaiburana.
- The Scandinavian showdown lasted nearly three hours, with both players taking the lead multiple times.
- The first WSOP took place in 1970, and it continues to attract some of the best poker players in the world.
- Alexander entered heads-up play against Ali Eslami with nearly even stacks, but Kostritsyn managed to win almost all of the biggest pots.
- The long-awaited comeback marked the completion of Borgata’s full annual poker calendar, now covering all four seasons — Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.
- In 1977, the first ladies-only event was introduced in the form of $100 buy-in Stud Poker Tournament.
Today, we continue that tradition with fresh daily updates, breaking news, tournament coverage, player stories, and expert insights that keep you connected to the fast-moving poker world. Among other things, visitors will find a daily dose of articles with the latest poker news, live reporting from tournaments, exclusive videos, podcasts, reviews and bonuses and so much more. The best place to watch live poker tournaments is usually by tuning in to live streams. Or you can register for live events online or register at the venue itself. There are many ways to enter a live poker tournament, a lot of operators will let you qualify online via online satellites or live satellites. Most Casino’s that offer poker will also allow you to play either cash game poker and or tournament poker.
Prior to WSOP 2026, he had not recorded a win in any Omaha tournament with a prize higher than $8K. Best cash of $490,617 and his first two WSOP bracelets, Zachary Gruneberg won in Hold’em events. In the end, it was the record-breaking Nine Game Mix event that delivered the American his third WSOP bracelet and the largest payout of his career. Joey Couden spent many years as a professional No-Limit Hold’em player, while mixed games remained more of a hobby for him. In the final hand of the tournament, Anton made a straight on the turn against pocket tens and secured his first WSOP bracelet. Anton entered the Event #51 final table as the chip leader in the top 9, although his advantage over Josh Reichard was only 1 big blind.
Instead, he went the distance and claimed his fourth WSOP bracelet, defeating Aram Oganyan in a four-hour heads-up battle. Two years ago, he left his job at Hellman & Friedman to focus on poker and family. He had already won two bracelets, in Limit Hold’em and Dealer’s Choice, and famously finished 2nd in the WSOP Main Event fifteen years ago. A highly respected figure in the poker community, Racener is known for his consistency and well-rounded skill set. John Racener took down the first one-day tournament of this year’s WSOP — the $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty, which drew 2,244 entries. It was won by Jason Dong, a Canadian who picked up Limit Hold’em in his hometown and has been enjoying the game ever since.
Since 1970, it has grown from a small gathering into a global phenomenon, playing a key role in poker’s widespread popularity. Poker tournaments have become not just competitions but spectacles where every decision can turn the tide. Carrying the biggest stack forward into Thursday’s play is Yuxuan Deng, the only player to bag a seven-figure stack with 1,052,000. After just over eight hours of play, with the field three eliminations away from the money, it was time for what would be a lengthy two-and-a-half-hour session of hand-for-hand play to burst the bubble. The 2026 APT Incheon Main Event has become the largest international poker tournament ever held in the city, and the second-largest APT Main Event ever held in South Korea.
Unlike online games, where players play from home, in live tournaments the physical component is important, including interacting with other players and reading their behavior. Winning an online package offers amateurs and seasoned players an affordable way to experience the thrill and prestige of major live poker tournaments. Both wins came in championship-level events with $10,000 buy-ins, meaning the fields were stacked with the best mixed-game players in the world.
The next expansion of the WSOP that included bracelet events was ultimately to Australia. Stiner is a bit of a legend in the “Grand Canyon State” poker community thanks to winning their most prestigious event in back-to-back years. In the end, Cole Ferraro defeated Sandy Tran in heads-up play to win the tournament for $20,848.
As the name suggests you only have two moves in these types of tournaments. Each table continues play until there is one player left on the table. Some are just for fun, some will be satellite games to a higher buy-in tournament and some may even be for cash. Freeroll tournaments are tournaments that are free to enter. Make sure you understand the guidelines for the tournament you decide to enter before you play.
Wang’s victory becomes even more impressive considering that Robert Mizrachi and Erik Seidel also reached the final table. His trip to the WSOP marked a major breakthrough in his live poker career. This summer, however, he not only made the money near the end of the series but also captured his first bracelet.
An Illinois Man Missed a $10,000 Winner — Weeks Later, He Won $1 Million
For the latest reports and chip counts from PokerStars Live events visit the PokerStars Blog. The 2026 WSOP drew 251,899 total entries across 100 bracelet events, making it the largest WSOP in history. The Main Event final table airs live on ESPN from August 3-5, 2026. Several sites also run WSOP-branded events where you can compete for your own bracelet from home.
The $10,500 No Limit Hold’em 6-Max event starts an hour later at 1 p.m. The first $1,100 event is the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em ($250k GTD) which kicks off at midday. Nikki Limo, the “loose-cannon” on the first season of The Big Game on Tour, came third in the event, earning $25,420. This edition of the event went to Max Pinnola, who won $32,879 to go with his trophy.
Price moved up the leaderboard after eliminating James Murphey in seventh place and doubling through Craig Varnell in a preflop all-in with A♥J♣ against K♥Q♣. In the middle of Day 2, Price lost a massive pot after suffering a river bad beat and was left with a very short stack, but managed to stay alive. Thanks to his victory in the Summer Celebration, Toby Price immediately doubled his career tournament earnings. The turn and river did not help Bai, and Dzmitry won his first WSOP bracelet. In the $10,000 8-Game Mixed Championship, he finally closed that gap. However, his return turned out to be impressive — he won his fifth World Series bracelet.
Carlos Leiva pulled off a surprise victory in the $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event. He started playing Limit Hold’em at 18 and spent years learning and honing his skills. The High Roller event for seniors was only added to the WSOP schedule last year.
Its high-stakes tournaments attract top professionals while offering an exciting spectacle that appeals even to casual fans. Unlike the WSOP, which prioritizes player opportunities, the WPT is designed to captivate viewers. Over the years, the WSOP has evolved into a highly structured and competitive series, showcasing poker’s strategic depth and cultural significance.
Jeremy Schoenberg Claims NLH Title
Stay updated with real-time action, results, and highlights, all delivered straight from the tournament floor. All players making their first deposit qualify for the PokerStars 100% deposit bonus of up to $600. Chad Eveslage overcame one of the toughest final tables and claimed his 4th bracelet at the age of 33, while also denying Brian Rast his 8th.
EPT Paris – In 2023, the romantic city of Paris hosted an EPT for the first time, and no European Poker Tour (EPT) debut has ever made such a splash. The 2023 EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event attracted a record 1,098 entrants for a prize pool of €5,325,300. The European Poker Tour (EPT) is Europe’s largest and most popular poker circuit.
Qualify for the IPO Main Event via WPT Global Satellites
Most of my family is in China, especially my mom, and I want to have more time to spend with her. Tony ‘Ren’ Lin has expanded his high stakes prowess to his home continent of Asia as he looks to add APT accolades to his esteemed poker resume. But some people don’t have latest online poker news time for the stream. Some might only scroll chip counts, some might only read post headlines, some might only see the recap, so we intentionally crafted a product that could serve many needs. As your own questions to me attest, being a tournament reporter was always considered this horrible grunt work. The fact these episodes are lost to time guts me, as I would give a lot to be able to go back and listen.
Maranz previously worked on ESPN’s football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC’s Olympic coverage. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a “Featured Table”. In 1977, the first ladies-only event was introduced in the form of $100 buy-in Stud Poker Tournament. In 2025, Leo Margets of Spain became the first woman in 30 years, and second woman overall, to reach the Final Table; she would finish in seventh place, cashing for $1.5 million. Vanessa Selbst, Barbara Enright and Nani Dollison all have won three WSOP bracelets.
The World Series of Poker is gone but poker never stops in Las Vegas. There were a couple of spots where if he had called, the tournament would have been over. When we got down to heads-up, he had become handcuffed and in really bad shape because he had completely run out of time banks. What was the key to winning the match with Artur? Sure, there are times when you get coolered, and you’ve got to put it in.
If you manage a deep run in a sizable tournament you will get a great return on your original investment. Participants must also register and pay an entry fee, which may vary from tournament to tournament. Major tours like the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) offer online qualifiers through their platforms or partner sites. The first tournament was held in Málaga and since then the ESPT has covered many cities including Madrid, Valencia and San Sebastian. The Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) was founded in 2011 and has become an important part of the poker scene in Spain. The Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT) was founded in 2008 and its first tournament was held in May of the same year.
WSOP Online bracelet events run for players in regulated US states and internationally. Several other affordable events had buy-ins of $500-$600, making WSOP bracelets accessible to recreational players on modest bankrolls. It also gives ESPN time to promote the broadcast, produce profile packages on the final nine players, and build casual viewer interest — something the poker industry has long wanted.
It took just over three hours of play to knock out the first seven players, but McKeehen and Greufe were very deep, so finding a winner lasted even longer than that. The annual migration cycle of poker players to Las Vegas for the WSOP is now over, and runners are now returning to the other poker hot spots for more action. The PLO event will end on Day 2 and the NLH edition will play down to a final table on September 1.
You can also win your way in for free by placing in The Beast or Sit & Crush weekly rake races. Players will be able to play multiple Venom starting flights and combine their stacks for Day 2. One big chunk, $12 million, will be up for grabs in the NLH version, which has bounty prizes that range from $5K to $500K.
