Five of the Best 2026 WSOP Events to Play on a Budget
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For many, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is about big buy-ins, bigger prizes, and the all-important gold bracelet. But what if you don't have the bankroll required to enter the high-stakes events, nor the desire to play them even if you have the collateral? Is the WSOP off limits to you? Absolutely not because there are plenty of 2026 WSOP events you can play if you are on a tighter budget (21 events cost $1,000 or less) than the game's superstar grinders. Here are five of the best of them
Event #1: $550 Mini Mystery Millions
What better way to kick off five budget-friendly tournaments than the opening event of the 2026 WSOP? Event #1: the $550 Mini Mystery Millions is a brand-new event that starts on May 26, and we can already tell you the field will be massive, not least because someone will become an instant millionaire thanks to a $1 million mystery bounty up for grabs.
Mystery Bounty tournaments may not be everyone's favorite format, but there's no denying that the $550 Mini Mystery Millions will prove popular. There are six flights to choose from, each allowing two re-entries if your budget stretches that far.
Standard payout starts on Day 1, with the mystery bounties coming into play from the start of Day 2.
Sure, the large field combined with 30-minute levels on Day 1 (20 minutes on Day 1f) means you'll be at the mercy of Lady Luck to some degree. However, if you ride the storm and reach Day 2, you can open a mystery bounty envelope for each opponent you bust, with one of those envelopes guaranteed to contain a seven-figure sum.
Event #25: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout
The 25th bracelet-awarding event of the 2026 WSOP is perfect for budget-conscious players. The $500 No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout, as its name suggests, allows one bullet and one bullet only, meaning a level playing field for everyone.
Day 1 of the $500 NLHE Freezeout shuffles up and deals at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 7, meaning you'll have to rise and shine nice and early. You'll receive a 25,000 starting stack and play to a 30-minute clock, with blinds starting at 100/100 and a 100 big blind ante.
While 22 levels are scheduled for Day 1, they are broken up by 20-minute breaks every four levels and a 75-minute dinner break after Level 14, at around 6:00 p.m. local time.
Last year, 5,082 entrants created a $2,109,030 prize pool, with the top 763 finishers sharing it. A min-cash was worth $1,006, a final table appearance was $22,314, with the eventual champion, Craig Savage, taking home a cool $229,628. Not bad for two days' work and a $500 buy-in.
Event #34: $500 COLOSSUS
No list of budget-friendly WSOP events would be complete without including the $500 COLOSSUS. Never has a tournament's name been so fitting! The 34th event of the 2026 WSOP starts on June 10, and features four starting flights, each allowing for one re-entry before the end of the 12th 40-minute level. That quartet of flights, coupled with an affordable $500 buy-in, results in a gargantuan field.
In 2022, Paul Hizer outlasted 13,564 opponents to turn his $500 investment into $414,490. The following year, the COLOSSUS attracted 15,879 entrants. Moshe Refaelowitz left everyone in his wake and banked $501,120. The 2024 COLOSSUS saw Martin Alcaide turn $500 into $501,240 after topping a 19,337-strong field.
Courtenay Williams is the reigning champion, having triumphed over 16,300 opponents in 2025, earning a cool $542,540.
The potential for a huge payout aside, perhaps the best COLOSSUS feature is the 50,000 starting stack and 40-minute levels, which give entrants plenty of bang for their buck.
Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event
$1,000 is an amount that is starting to become quite substantial for most people, but if your bankroll can stretch to it, you should give some serious consideration to entering Event #72: $1,000 Mini Main Event. The first of three flights shuffle up and deal at 10:00 a.m. local time on June 28, with the champion crowned on July 2.
Entrants, of which there will be many, sit down with a 60,000 starting stack and play to 30-minute levels throughout. The addition of a third Day 1 should see the 2026 WSOP Mini Main Event attract a bumper crowd, which means even bigger prizes.
Georgios Skarparis won the 2024 WSOP Mini Main Event for $554,925. That tournament saw 6,076 entries processed. The polarizing but undoubtedly talented Martin Kabrhel is the reigning Mini Main Event champion. Kabrhel came out on top of a 10,794-strong field to win his fourth bracelet (he now has five) and an $843,140 first-place prize.
Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker
If you're still in Las Vegas toward the end of the 2026 WSOP, and you have $300 in your bankroll, you should think about investing it in a buy-in for Event #88: $300 Gladiators of Poker from July 8. This is the cheapest live bracelet-awarding event of the 2026 WSOP.
Four starting flights, each permitting two re-entries, will result in a massive crowd of players hoping to win a bracelet for only $300. A 30-minute clock and 30,000 starting stack on Day 1 means the action will be fast and furious, but make it to the end of Day 1, and you will be in the money.
The inaugural $300 Gladiators of Poker took place in 2023 and drew a whopping 23,088 entrants, creating a $5,679,648 prize pool. St. Louis' Jason Simon was the last player standing; he netted $499,852 and a coveted WSOP bracelet.
In 2024, Stephen Winters emerged victoriously from a 20,647-strong crowd and reeled in $401,210 and his first bracelet.
Ian Pelz is the reigning $300 Gladiators of Poker champion. A hungover Pelz emerged victoriously from a 24,629 field in 2025, turning his $300 investment into a colossal $420,680 and his first career bracelet.
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