The 57th World Series of Poker is coming. Here's what's new, what's changed, and what to watch for this summer in Las Vegas.
The 57th annual World Series of Poker is just five weeks away. 100 bracelet events. Two months in Las Vegas. A Main Event final table pushed back three weeks to play out in August. A brand-new $550 Mini Mystery Millions opener. The first-ever summer WSOP Circuit. A revamped Player of the Year with $1M in prizes. If you're planning on making the trip — or even just watching the stream — here's everything you need to know.
May 26 – July 15, 2026 at Horseshoe Las Vegas & Paris Las Vegas. Fourth straight year at this dual-venue setup on the Strip. Reigning champion: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who won the 2025 Main Event for $10,000,000.
The biggest schedule shake-up is all about the Main Event final table. Play begins Thursday, July 2 with four Day 1 starting flights, and late registration runs through Day 2D on July 7. The tournament runs every day until the final table forms on July 13. Then everything pauses.
The final nine players will reconvene three weeks later and play it out August 3–5. If that sounds familiar, it should — this is a return to the "November Nine" format the WSOP used from 2008-2016. The delay is the result of a new multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN that gives the network time to market the final table as appointment viewing.
First bracelet of the summer. Six starting flights. A $1 million top bounty — matching the headline prize of its bigger $1K sibling despite the lower buy-in. Expect a massive field.
New event. Two starting flights. Brings the GGPoker brand into a prominent early-series slot.
The most expensive event on the schedule. 833× more than the cheapest. A field of the world's top pros chasing a generational payday.
Four Day 1 flights. Late reg through July 7. Play continues daily until the final table forms on July 13.
The last bracelet event of the summer.
The final nine return to crown a new champion. ESPN broadcast deal. Three weeks of hype built in. The first "delayed" final table since 2016.
The 2026 schedule spans every bankroll level. The average buy-in is $11,020 — up slightly from $10,960 in 2025, a modest 0.5% bump concentrated in the high-roller events.
Series opener. Six Day 1 flights. $1 million top bounty prize. The $1,000 version remains on the schedule later in the series — this is an accessible entry point for the recreational crowd.
GGPoker-branded NLH event, two starting flights on May 31. The online giant gets a prestige bracelet slot.
Debuts on the main schedule June 2 after gaining traction at WSOP Paradise. Same buy-in as the Bahamas edition.
Two additions for Omaha players. Five-Card PLO runs June 18. "Pick Your PLO" on July 9 rotates between PLO, PLO8, 5-Card PLO, and Big O across levels.
The schedule remains at 100 bracelets, but several familiar events were removed to make room for the new ones:
This is genuinely new. For the first time, a WSOP Circuit series will run alongside the final days of the bracelet schedule. The WSOP Circuit Las Vegas runs July 14-25 with 18 ring events at Horseshoe.
$400 Mini Main Event · $600 Monster Stack Flight · $300 Ladies · $2,200 No-Limit High Roller · $1,700 Main Event
The January 2026 Las Vegas Circuit Main Event drew 616 entries for a $933,240 prize pool. Summer numbers will almost certainly be bigger with thousands of grinders still in town.
The Player of the Year race gets a significant overhaul. The 2026 POY competition awards $1 million in total prizes across the top finishers. The overall winner receives a $100,000 WSOP Paradise 2026 package — the Bahamas series held at Atlantis each December.
The WSOP Online Bracelet schedule runs parallel to the live series from May 30 through July 14, with 30 gold bracelet events and $7 million in guarantees. Players in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania can compete online. Two special "25-Seat Scramble" tournaments on June 28 and June 30 each guarantee 25 seats to the live Main Event.
Every 2026 WSOP participant needs the WSOP+ app (also called WSOP Live) to register for bracelet events, manage seating, and check chip counts. Returning 2025 players don't need to re-verify unless their info changed. Download it before arriving in Vegas to skip the cage lines.
Even if Vegas isn't in your summer plans, the WSOP affects the Florida poker scene:
The 2026 WSOP is May 26 through July 15 at Horseshoe/Paris with 100 bracelets. The Main Event starts July 2 — but the final table pauses for three weeks and crowns its champion August 5.