Online Poker Tournaments
If you ever feel your poker play is becoming difficult to manage, visit our Responsible Gambling page for practical tools, tips, and links to trusted support organizations. That’s why we strongly recommend using only licensed and regulated poker operators, no matter where in the world you’re playing. Mix in freerolls, satellites and low-stakes games to help bolster your bankroll and stay in action without going broke.
With regular poker tournaments and promotions, the excitement never ends. The value rule – The single best expected value tournament for most solid players is the WSOP Main Event, specifically because the field is softer relative to the buy-in than almost any comparable $10k event. The bankroll rule – The standard guideline for tournament players is to have 50 to 100 buy-ins in your tournament bankroll before committing to an event. The tropical setting of Paradise Island in the Bahamas should make WSOP Paradise the perfect stop for poker players looking to play poker and have a winter vacation at the same time. Still, for such a low price, you will get a chance to play against thousands of poker players and compete for a multi-million dollar prize pool, giving you a real shot at making it big in poker overnight.
If you’re eager to play in live poker tournaments rather than just watching or checking results, numerous online qualification opportunities are available. Thanks to partnerships with leading online poker platforms, players can qualify for APPT events via online satellites, enhancing accessibility for newcomers and seasoned players alike. The World Poker Tour (WPT), launched in 2002, is a globally renowned series of televised poker tournaments, with a strong focus on events in the United States.
Initially offering only a few events, the WSOP now features dozens of tournaments in various formats, with No Limit Hold’em as its hallmark game. These events also contribute to the growth of poker as a global phenomenon, drawing millions of fans through live broadcasts and online streaming. Progressive Knockout (PKO) events pay bounties when you eliminate players—and your own bounty grows with each knockout. Most online poker sites, such as PokerStars, GGPoker, 888poker, and PartyPoker use advanced real-time monitoring tools to keep the playing field level and secure. While they all help, disciplined bankroll management is absolutely essential, and poor financial decisions in poker is often the downfall of even some of the best tournament players.
It attracts both recreational players and professional poker players from around the globe, making it a melting pot of talent and ambition. ACR Poker, also known as Americas Cardroom, is a popular online poker platform that offers extensive tournament opportunities. Bovada is another premier online poker site known for its diverse tournament offerings.
More Chips. More Chances
In December 2014, World Poker Tour announced an alliance with Ourgame, agreeing to license products and services on an exclusive basis in more than a dozen countries across Asia. While the champions of the first six seasons did not initially receive bracelets, they were awarded them at a special event at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on April 21, 2008. These quick tips come straight from our full tournament strategy guide.
New Events at the 2026 WSOP
Once you reach the final table, every chip and position counts. If you are the one with a huge stack, now’s your time to apply maximum pressure! Think about the playability of each hand on the latter streets. As blinds increase and stacks shrink relative to blinds, stealing becomes profitable. ”You can’t win the tournament in Level 1, but you can definitely lose it.”
The Player of the Year is determined by a points system, with the player who earns the most points each season being named the WPT Player of the Year. In 2014, the World Poker Tour launched a high roller tournament series, WPT Alpha8, broadcasting on Fox Sports 1. However, their specific comments about hole cards are recorded after the tournament takes place because gaming regulations prohibit them from observing a live feed of the “hole card cameras” while on the set. In July 2008, WPTE announced that the series would move to Fox Sports Regional Networks for its seventh season. The show made its network debut on February 1, 2004, on NBC with a special “Battle of Champions” tournament, which aired against CBS coverage of the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show.
On the flip side, I think poker tours consolidating media in house or to official contractors has really killed the rest of poker content. Interviewing them, I got to see a bit of personality that didn’t necessarily come out at the tables, but I don’t know if ‘concealed’ is the word I would use. Working directly for the WSOP did give me a great appreciation for the importance of logistics which were often lost on the larger poker community. When you later worked on the official WSOP side, how did your understanding of the event change? Even after being on camera in various capacities for years, when I worked as the WPT Live Update Hostess in Season X, the larger poker community still pushed back.
The winners of each tournament join the WSOP Circuit winners to play the WSOP Global Casino Championship. Although the 2010 event was part of the WSOP Circuit, winners did not earn a gold ring or standing for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, both of which were common for other circuit events. The event moved again in 2013, this time to the Paris suburb of Enghien-les-Bains. The next expansion of the WSOP that included bracelet events was ultimately to Australia. The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in London from September 6–17, 2007.
All top sites have mobile apps with full tournament support—buy-ins, re-entries, late reg, and more. The best poker sites don’t just protect your money, they help you stay in control. Regulated poker rooms support only trusted deposit and withdrawal methods, including PayPal, Visa, Skrill, Neteller, and even crypto on some international platforms. Legitimate poker sites are licensed by trusted regulatory bodies that enforce strict standards for fairness, security, and responsible gaming. To protect your bankroll, avoid risking more than 1–2% of it on any single tournament. It’s also worth analyzing how others are adjusting, to see if you can exploit their overly aggressive or passive play.
GGPoker’s comprehensive tournament schedule once again plays trumps in this case, as it offers a wide range of different turbo and hyper tournaments. There’s more action, since players must be more aggressive or face swift blind increases that fatally deteriorate their stacks. In this instance, cash games are the way to go and MTTs are out of the question, right? However, the guarantees on these daily tournaments tend to be lower than 888poker’s rivals. 888poker is one online poker site that has embraced the mystery bounty craze.
As mentioned, the $550 Mini Mystery Millions opens the series on May 26 and it could be one of the best curtain raisers for the series. How do you top perhaps the greatest summer in poker history? In any other year, Michael Mizrachi winning the PPC for an unprecedented fourth time might have been the story of the summer, but you might remember “The Grinder” went and added something else to his record as well.
The WPT Champions Cup is the trophy awarded to all winners of WPT Main Tour events, and champions have their names engraved on the Cup. The WPT Main Tour focuses on the buy-in range of $3,500–$25,000, and winners of official WPT Main Tour events are awarded a membership to the WPT Champions Club. The most prominent of World Poker Tour events belong to the WPT Main Tour. Each WPT final table is filmed and livestreamed or broadcast for television on Bally Sports.
The WSOP has a rich history, with notable moments like Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 Main Event win, which he qualified for through a $39 satellite tournament. The WSOP Main Event, with its $10,000 buy-in, is the highlight of the series, offering life-changing prize pools. In the late stages, aggressive play is necessary to build a stack for the final table. This method not only saves money but also provides valuable experience playing in a live setting. This series runs from January 21st through February 4th, offering buy-ins ranging from $11 to $215 and culminating in a Main Event with a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players at Bovada can enjoy a variety of formats, including Sit-and-Gos, MTTs, Turbo, and Super Turbo tournaments.
Deeb also captured his seventh bracelet in the $100,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller. Among them will be Jeff Platt, who last month announced a new role with the WSOP after a near decade-long association with previous series broadcaster PokerGO. Or, even better, there’s a chance you could capture both pieces of sought-after poker jewelry. In January 2026, the $1,700 WSOPC Las Vegas Main Event attracted 616 entrants, who created a $933,240 prize pool. Scheduled to run between July 14-25, during the final days of the WSOP bracelet series, the WSOP Circuit Las Vegas schedule features a $400 Mini Main Event, a $2,200 No-Limit High Roller, and a $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. A WSOP Circuit runs during the 2026 WSOP for the first time in the festival’s history.
Turbo tournaments are MTTs standard tournaments where the blind levels increase quickly. A Sit & Go tournament (SNG) is typically one or two tables and starts out right after every seat is filled. Examples of such series would be Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) by PokerStars or MILLIONS Online by partypoker.
Since then, it has expanded significantly beyond its roots in Minnesota, evolving into a prominent nationwide circuit that attracts players from all over the United States. Each year the popularity of the tournaments grows and new locations are added to the schedule to cater to the growing interest in poker in the region. Each LAPT event, especially the season’s Main Event, has a vibrant atmosphere, with fireworks, festivals and the Latin American culture that brings a special charm to the tournaments. From Prague to Budapest and other major cities, the EKA adds extra allure by immersing players in diverse and vibrant environments. The Eureka Poker Tour (EKA) is a renowned poker tournament series that has captivated the European poker scene since its inception in 2011.
In the end, McKeehen outlasted 673 entries in the $5,300 buy-in to score a top prize of $462,600, which was adjusted during heads-up play. The finale started with Greufe and Hui holding most of the chips, but McKeehen crawled back from third to beat both of them in three-handed play. McKeehen outlasted a wild final table that included Loni Hui, Darren Rabinowitz, Jose Nadal, Eddie Pak, and eventual runner-up David Greufe. Meanwhile, the PLO event features a $3M prize pool, with bounties that range from $5K to $250K. Last time on Venom, a trip of big stars were on the marquee for the two final tables.
Major events like the $100K Guaranteed and the May Mad Monday series, which offers over $1.2 million in guaranteed prizes, are just some of the highlights. 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. Or you can register for live events online or register at the venue itself.
Key Highlights Day 50 of the 2026 World Series of Poker delivered three new champions in Las Vegas. The key is to start where you’re comfortable, manage your bankroll wisely, and focus on steady improvement. The wide variety of formats means you can find a structure that fits your goals, experience level, and playing style. These tips will help you stay sharp, make smarter decisions, and get the most out of every tournament session.
We have a variety of the most popular poker games with a wide range of limits and you can enjoy your meal while you play. Reports on current tournaments, announcements about upcoming poker tournaments, and stories from the poker tournament circuit. No matter where on the globe its happening, this is where you will find stories about poker tournaments. The World Poker Tour Walk of Fame was designed to honor those poker players who have played the game well at the highest levels as well as those who have promoted the Poker News Daily spread of it through film, television, and literature. It is a subscription-based club where members can pay a monthly fee to play in tournaments that award over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month.
Editorial team curates and publishes in-depth reviews and ratings of online poker sites by using their extensive industry experience. A typical poker tournament pays anywhere from 10% to 30% of the field, meaning the vast majority of participants will walk out without a prize. To get started, just choose one of our poker rooms listed at the top of this page, create an account, make a deposit & register your first tournaments. Hence they’re naturally the most important day of the week for pro players, and anyone who wants to score big. The blind structure, the payout scale and other tournaments factors affect the strategy at the tables a lot. Determine what type of buy-in level you’re comfortable with, and register only tournaments within that level.
Hands are played, chips move around, and eventually, players will lose their entire stacks and be eliminated, until there’s only one person left standing. You can compete with thousands of other players at the same time. Better still, start playing tournaments now, and you can build your craft (and your bankroll) so that you’ll be ready to take on the biggest names in poker at the WSOP and other major festivals.
- As your own questions to me attest, being a tournament reporter was always considered this horrible grunt work.
- Still, for such a low price, you will get a chance to play against thousands of poker players and compete for a multi-million dollar prize pool, giving you a real shot at making it big in poker overnight.
- Commercial venues may also charge a separate fee, or withhold a small portion of the buy-in, as the cost of running the event.
- Once registered, players can quickly enter tournaments and begin competing.
- Forget progressive knockouts, where players’ bounties accumulate every time they knockout a player – mystery bounties do not accumulate.
Live satellite tournaments are held at poker venues and give players the chance to win seats to major live events. Daily Shootout tournaments are another highlight, providing players with multiple chances to win even if they didn’t cash in the main events. Guests can join daily No-Limit Hold ’Em tournaments, bounty events, and a wide range of cash games such as No limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha, Razz, Badugi and 2-7 Triple Draw With PlayWPT Poker, players can participate in ring games, tournaments, and sit-n-gos, and players can represent themselves at the table with avatars animated emojis. Mastering online poker tournaments takes time, but a few sharp fundamentals can immediately boost your results (and your Skill Score). Start playing the best online poker tournaments in the blink of an eye.
In 2009, ESPN announced they would again move the final table to November 2009. This idea presented greater sponsorship opportunities and notoriety, culminating in a recap of the Main Event and the conclusion of the 2008 Main Event final table. Maranz previously worked on ESPN’s football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC’s Olympic coverage. 2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a “Featured Table”.
POKER PROductions has filmed WSOP bracelet final tables and the WSOP Main Event for PokerGO, a subscription video on demand service. Former pro turned executive producer Mori Eskandani’s team pioneered the live broadcast format seen at the WSOP since 2011. The first day of the final table was aired on ESPN2 and the final day on ESPN, with both days also streamed on ESPN3 and WSOP.com. The Main Event final table was broadcast on a 15-minute delay with the same policy regarding hole cards.