2026 WPT World Championship Festival

The 2026 WPT World Championship Festival returns to Wynn Las Vegas from November 27 through December 21, bringing one of the largest year-end poker series on the live tournament calendar back to the Encore side of the property.

The festival schedule lists 61 tournaments, 25 satellites, 86 total scheduled events, and more than $20.9 million in combined guaranteed prize pools and satellite seats. The headline event is the $10,400 WPT World Championship, which begins December 13 and plays to its televised final table on December 20.

Players planning a trip should use this guide as a practical overview of the series, then confirm event-by-event details through the official schedule before registering.

⠀

2026 WPT World Championship Festival Overview

The 2026 WPT World Championship Festival is scheduled for November 27 through December 21 at Wynn Las Vegas.

The full festival includes no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, mixed games, bounty events, seniors events, ladies events, high rollers, milestone satellites, and televised WPT final tables. Wynn’s official festival schedule lists events ranging from $400 to $25,800, giving players options across a wide range of bankrolls and formats.

For the complete event-by-event listing, starting times, buy-ins, guarantees, stack sizes, and level lengths, view the official 2026 WPT World Championship schedule.

⠀

Venue and Poker Room Location

The festival is hosted by Wynn Las Vegas, with poker activity centered on the Encore side of the resort. Wynn’s poker room information page states that both tournament and ring game play are held in the poker room located at Encore.

Players looking for a broader venue overview can also review the Angry Aces Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room Guide.

⠀

Key Festival Dates

The 2026 WPT World Championship Festival runs November 27 through December 21.

Important dates include:

• November 27: Opening day of the festival

• December 1: WPT Meet-Up Game at the Wynn Poker Room

• December 5-12: WPT Prime Championship

• December 10-14: Super Gold Million

• December 13-20: WPT World Championship

• December 20: WPT World Championship final table

• December 21: Final scheduled day of the festival

Players should check the official schedule directly before booking travel or entering an event, because tournament schedules can be updated by the organizer.

⠀

WPT World Championship Main Event

The $10,400 WPT World Championship is the main event of the festival. The 2026 schedule lists three starting flights:

• Day 1A: Sunday, December 13 at 11 a.m.

• Day 1B: Monday, December 14 at 11 a.m.

• Day 1C: Tuesday, December 15 at 11 a.m.

• Day 2: Wednesday, December 16 at noon, with registration open until Day 2

• Day 3: Thursday, December 17 at noon

• Day 4: Friday, December 18 at noon

• Day 5: Saturday, December 19 at noon

• Final Table: Sunday, December 20 at 2 p.m.

The schedule lists 100,000 starting chips for each Day 1 flight, with 60-minute levels on Day 1. Later stages are shown as 90-minute levels in the official WPT event details.

The Main Event does not list a traditional guaranteed prize pool on the Wynn schedule. Instead, the schedule states that $1,000,000 is added to first place.

⠀

Major Events to Watch

The WPT World Championship is the headline event, but the festival is much larger than one tournament.

The $1,100 WPT Prime Championship runs December 5-12 and carries a $5 million guarantee. It has four starting flights and continues through a final table scheduled for December 12.

The $400 Super Gold Million is scheduled for December 10-14 and carries a $3 million guarantee. WPT describes the event as a ClubWPT Gold-sponsored mystery bounty tournament with four starting flights and unlimited re-entry.

Other notable events on the schedule include:

• $1,600 PLO Mystery Bounty with a $1 million guarantee

• $1,100 Ladies NLH Championship with a $250,000 guarantee

• $1,600 PLO with a $1 million guarantee

• $1,100 Seniors NLH Championship with a $500,000 guarantee

• $3,000 No Limit Hold’em with a $2 million guarantee

• $1,600 NLH Mystery Bounty with a $1 million guarantee

• Multiple $10,500 and $25,800 high roller events

• Mixed-game events including HORSE, TORSE, Big O, Limit Omaha 8, and Mixed Triple Draw

⠀

Satellites and Ways to Qualify

The official festival schedule lists 25 satellites with 570 seats guaranteed across the series. These include milestone satellites into the WPT World Championship, WPT Prime Championship, Ladies Championship, Mystery Bounty events, seniors high roller events, and other major tournaments.

Players targeting the $10,400 WPT World Championship should pay close attention to the satellite schedule from December 8 through December 16, when multiple milestone satellites award seats into specific starting flights and Day 2 registration.

Because satellites often have specific target events, seat restrictions, and structure notes, players should read the official structure sheet and schedule carefully before entering.

⠀

Registration and Re-Entry Notes

The WPT World Championship schedule states that Main Event registration is open until Day 2. The official WPT event page lists the $10,400 Main Event as a no-limit hold’em tournament with 100,000 starting chips.

For other events, re-entry rules vary by tournament. WPT specifically announced that the $400 Super Gold Million will feature unlimited re-entry, but players should not assume the same rule applies to every event on the schedule.

Before registering, confirm:

• Whether the event is a freezeout, re-entry, or unlimited re-entry format

• The late-registration cutoff

• Whether a multi-flight event allows players to enter additional flights after bagging chips

• Whether the structure includes bounties, mystery bounties, progressive bounties, or milestone payouts

• Whether the event is scheduled as a one-day or multi-day tournament

⠀

Structures and Playing Conditions

Wynn’s official schedule lists starting stacks and level lengths for each event. Many side events use 30- or 40-minute levels, while turbo events use shorter levels. The WPT World Championship Main Event begins with 100,000 chips and 60-minute levels on Day 1.

Wynn also provides an official structures link from its poker page. Players should use the structure sheet for final details on levels, breaks, registration windows, payouts, and tournament-specific rules.

⠀

Parking and Arrival Tips

Wynn’s poker room information states that the poker room is easily accessed from the Wynn Self Park garage. The pedestrian bridge from the northwest corner of level 2 leads toward Encore and the poker room area.

Wynn’s current poker room information also states that non-registered guests have three complimentary hours of self-parking, followed by a daily parking fee, and that guests of the Wynn Poker Room receive complimentary same-day parking. Players should confirm the current parking policy with Wynn Poker Room staff when they arrive, because resort parking policies can change.

For major WPT days, give yourself extra time for parking, walking to Encore, registering, finding your table, and handling any player-release or app requirements.

⠀

Practical Advice for Players

This is a long festival with overlapping championship events, satellites, mixed games, and ring game demand. Players should plan their schedule before arriving rather than deciding entirely day by day.

A few practical points can help:

• Check the official schedule before traveling and again before registering.

• Build extra time into arrival plans for major starting flights.

• Review structure sheets before entering any satellite or multi-flight event.

• Do not assume re-entry rules are the same across events.

• Keep the WPT Live App and Wynn Poker updates available for event information.

• Plan for long tournament days, especially in the Main Event and major multi-day events.

• Use satellites strategically if the $10,400 Main Event or $1,100 WPT Prime Championship is outside your direct buy-in plan.

⠀

Why This Festival Matters

The WPT World Championship Festival has become the World Poker Tour’s season-ending showcase at Wynn Las Vegas. The series combines a televised WPT championship, a major WPT Prime event, large guaranteed side events, satellites, mixed games, and high rollers in one December festival.

For tournament players, the schedule offers a rare combination: a marquee $10,400 championship, accessible lower buy-ins, substantial guarantees, and multiple paths to qualify through satellites. For poker fans, the final stretch of the festival provides several major storylines as the WPT World Championship plays down to a televised champion.