'It's a Game Changer': Poker Players React to 2026 WSOP Schedule
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One of the most exciting days of the year for poker players took place yesterday with the much-anticipated release of the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) schedule.
The 2026 WSOP festival, running May 26-July 15, will feature 100 live bracelet events of all varieties, from the first-ever $550 Mini Mystery Millions to a $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. for mixed game lovers and the marquee $10,000 Main Event, which will see the return of the delayed final table format in the vein of the November Nine.
Monday's schedule release had the whole poker world talking, with many players voicing excitement about free daily livestreams and a focus on mixed games and mid-stakes events.
Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow discussed the schedule in a special episode of the PokerNews Podcast.
Livestream Excitement
One of the biggest changes to this year's WSOP will be free daily livestream coverage, a change from the largely paywalled coverage of previous years. That means more eyeballs on more events, and more casual viewers.
Several players expressed excitement about the livestream change, and that includes PokerNews Podcast co-hosts Ludlow and Holtz.
"It's a game changer," said Holtz, a two-time WSOP.com Player of the Year. "Having a thing every day where you can see, for free, what's going on, daily updates, that's huge. You're going to get more people going, s***, I've got to get out there."
"This is just going to allow more people to see things, and more people to kind of follow along with players," added co-host Ludlow.
Better Mid-Stakes Offerings
Another talking point among players was the better offerings for players in the mid-stakes range.
Some mid-stakes events on the schedule include the $3,000 No-Limit Holdem, $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better; Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better (8-Handed), $3,000 Nine Game Mix (7-Handed), and $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship No-Limit Hold'em, all which hit the sweet-spot buy-in level for many tournament pros.
"I like the 2k-5k NL price points they have put in place," four-time bracelet winner David "ODB" Baker wrote on X. "I think most of us would like more but I do like that there are several and most are 1 reentry which most of us feel is a nice compromise to freezeout vs unlimited."
Baker added that in future years he'd like to see a $5,000 Women's High Roller to "highlight the wonderful women in the game."
Ludlow also praised the attention to mid-stakes, saying "to see that's continuing to be a priority is huge."
"The World Series always does a great job of the really low buy-in stuff ... and they always do a good job at the big stuff ... but I think they've really focused on beefing up that mid-stakes (range)."
Mixed Game Focus
Similar to the attention to mid-stakes, several players noted the number of mixed game events on the schedule. That includes the return of the T.O.R.S.E. event, as well events like $1,500 Double Board Bomb Pot Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed), $1,500 Pick Your PLO (8-Handed) and $3,000 Nine Game Mix (7-Handed).
"Initial impression is that they did a great job overall with the PLO," poker player Steve Blenker wrote on X.
Ludlow was also excited to see a Pot-Limit Omaha focus. "To see that that's continuing to be a priority is huge and I'm pumped. Because if I could go play more PLO than no-limit every day, I'd be very happy."
Platt's Presence Felt Immediately
New WSOP hire and longtime poker voice Jeff Platt said he would take an active part in helping WSOP built its brand under GGPoker leadership.
Platt wasted no time delivering on his promise and solicited questions and reactions from players about the schedule. Platt received dozens of responses to a post on X asking for thoughts on the schedule, including from Spanish high-stakes crusher Adrian Mateos, and replied to them all.
Platt teased the new emphasis on streaming in a January interview with PokerNews, and also spoke at length about the WSOP in an upcoming episode of the PokerNews Podcast.
"I think we're in the midst of a new era that will really pop when it comes to the livestreams/broadcasts planned for the summer," Platt said. "Showcasing more tournaments, more players, more storylines. A drastic improvement in the viewing experience, both live and via broadcasts. I'm so excited for not only the poker community to see what we have in store, but for the more casual viewers who we welcome in to the game we know and love so much."
As could be expected, poker oracle Kevin Mathers also spent Monday responding to player's questions about the schedule.
Record-Breaking Fields and Dave Portnoy?
The schedule release got players talking, and the betting lines moving, about the potential for record-breaking fields this summer. The 2024 Main Event set the record with 10,112 entries, while there were 9,735 runners in last year's event.
According to PokerFuse's Anuj Arora, the odds that the WSOP Main Event will have over 10,000 increased 3.1% to 53% on the prediction market Kalshi after the release of the 2026 schedule.
British pro Patrick Leonard, meanwhile, predicted "record size fields all over" in what he called "a more 'expensive' series than ever with more starting days and reentries."
"Tournaments will be a lot tougher deep but for those who want to blast, there’s more opportunity than ever," the bracelet winner wrote on X.
There could be other surprises ahead at the WSOP. Sports blogger Eric "Barstool Nate" Nathan hinted that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who he played in a heads-up match in Las Vegas last year, may make a WSOP appearance.
