2026 WSOP Paradise schedule: 20 bracelets, $120M guaranteed but Super Main drops

In 2024 that guarantee was a world record $50M, a figure that was almost-but-not-quite reached as the field fell short of the required 2,000 entries by just 22. China’s Yinan Zhou claimed the $6M top prize.

In 2025 the guarantee was raised to $60M, making 2,400 entries the magic number to reach to avoid a costly overlay. Organizers needn’t have worried as that figure was hit, and more, with 2,891 entries creating a final prizepool of over $72M. Austrian pro Bernhard Binder took that one down for $10M.

For the 2026 edition later this year, the Super Main Event guarantee has been dialled back to $50M — a figure which set a new world record just two years ago but represents a 16.7% reduction on last year's guarantee. It's also more than $22M below the prizepool actually generated in 2025.

Bernhard Binder is the reigning Super Main Event champ.

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2026 WSOP Paradise — full tournament schedule

$50M of the overall $120M may have been set aside for the headline Super Main Event, but the GGMillion$ NLH Championship will be one tournament likely to grab a lot of attention.

Compared with last year, the GG-branded tournament has been changed from a late single-day turbo to a more traditional multi-day event held earlier in the series, and has had its buy-in slashed (to $10K from $25K) while its guarantee has doubled (to $20M from $10M).

That combination should make for a big field, and together with the Super Main Event these guaranteed prizepools make up over half the full $120M series guarantee.

You’ll notice that there are several days in the schedule with no new events starting, giving those not already in tournaments the opportunity to get some sun and explore the luxurious setting of Paradise Island.

December 7, 11 and 13 are those days — here’s hoping you’re too busy playing to notice.

75% of events at $10K or more, but no more Triton

In its short history, WSOP Paradise has established a reputation as a destination for those with deep pockets. In comparison with the summer series in Las Vegas, where tournament buy-ins can be as low as $300, the majority of events in The Bahamas this December will cost $10K or more to play.

The lowest buy-ins on the schedule are $2.5K, with the highest being the $250K WSOP Invitational.

But while the cost may be too high for many recreationals, the number of events costing $10K or less has increased. While 2025 featured four of 15 events at or below the $10K mark, 2026 will offer nine of 20, and the number of $100K events has dropped from six to three.

Is WSOP Paradise aiming to reposition itself as a more affordable series? One clue may be the notable omission on the schedule of any mention of Triton Poker, the super high roller circuit with which WSOP Paradise has partnered over the past few years.

In 2025, the Triton Poker name appeared on six of the 15 bracelet events — 40% of the entire schedule — ranging from the $75K Triton PLO to the $250K Triton Invitational. The Invitational format — in which the field is initially split between pros and amateurs — returns for 2026 but without the Triton branding.

Mixed game players, get ready

Another notable change in the schedule is a greater emphasis on mixed games.

2025 featured four pot-limit Omaha (PLO) events and an 8-Game mix, with the remainder of the events focused on no-limit hold’em (NLH). This year’s edition will run five PLO events, a mixed PLO/NLH tourney, a dealer’s choice event, an 8-Game mix and a 9-game mix.

PLO players will also have more choice, with turbo and high-roller options alongside the $2.5K Double Board Bomb Pot event.

These additions should make WSOP Paradise feel more like an abridged version of the summer series and attract a greater number of mixed game specialists, though the fact that the Super Main Event and the 9-Game Mix both start on the same day (December 10) may lead to some tough decisions being made. Luckily the former will offer multiple starting flights.

Could the increase in mixed games give specialist Naoya Kihara a better chance at winning WSOP Player of the Year?

Hayley Hochstetler

WSOP Player of the Year will be settled in the winter sun

In addition to the winners of the 20 WSOP bracelets, the other champion to be crowned in The Bahamas will be the WSOP Player of the Year (PoY).

Each of the WSOP’s three major series — Europe, Las Vegas and Paradise — awards PoY points, and with the first two already in the books it will be performance in Paradise which will ultimately decide who wins the prestigious title.

L-R: Alex Foxen, Shaun Deeb and Naoya Kihara, the three frontrunners for WSOP Player of the Year.

Monique Marestein

Shaun Deeb currently tops the leaderboard but it's tightly packed, particularly in the top 3.

The WSOP is offering a number of early bird VIP packages for players that commit to paying $100K or $300K in tournament buy-ins. Visit the WSOP site to learn more.

Action from the series will be available at the WSOP YouTube channel, with all the biggest stories, results and features right here at PokerOrg.

^{Additional images courtesy of the WSOP.}