San Diego Poker Classic Main Event Starts Today
The fifth annual San Diego Poker Classic (SDPC) Main Event is here as players will convene at Jamul Casino Resort to participate in the 2026 SDPC $600 Main Event to get a piece of the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and the SDPC trophy.
Last year it was Sebastian Acevedo who won took down the SDPC Main Event outlasting a total of 375 entries to score what was his second SDPS title in the same week. Acevedo earned $33,216 for his first-place finish after agreeing to an ICM chop with James Kozono and David Fernandez Sanchez. It remains to be seen if Acevedo can become the first two-time main event champion in SDPC history.
The tournament will feature four starting flights with the Day1a flight set to begin today at 11 a.m. local time. Day 1b will take place later this evening at 6 p.m. local time. Day 1c is slotted to begin at 11 a.m. on Sat. Aug. 8, with the last flight taking place at 6 p.m. later on Aug. 8.
Players will begin the tournament with a starting stack of 30,000 in chips. Blind levels are scheduled for 30 minutes on Day 1, with them bumping up to 40 minutes on Day 2. A 15-minute break is scheduled every four levels on Day 1, with a 10-minute break after Level 14. The breaks will then happen after every three levels on Day 2.
Registration will close at the start of Level 9. Players are entitled to unlimited re-entries and participants are allowed to play in all Day 1 flights. Should a player qualify for Day 2 more than once, they will advance with the higher chip stack and forfeit the lower stack(s) and receive the lowest Day 2 payout for each stack they remove.
The top 12.5% of each field rounded down will advance to Day 2 from each starting flight. The Day 2 blind level will begin at the lowest level of play during the Day 1 flights.
2026 SDPC Main Event Schedule
Never Miss a Moment with MyPlayers on PokerNews
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned here at Pokernews for continued coverage of the SDPC $600 Main Event here at Jamul Casino Resort.