PokerStars Championship

The PokerStars Championship is one of the most recognised names in competitive poker, representing PokerStars’ premier tournament programme with major series such as SCOOP, WCOOP, EPT, and PokerStars Open. After the original PSC tour was absorbed back into the European Poker Tour, the brand continued as a symbol of championship-level poker worldwide. In 2026, PokerStars Championship events attract players from across the globe with huge guaranteed prize pools, deep tournament structures, low-cost satellite routes, and opportunities for professionals, grinders, and recreational players to compete at every skill level and bankroll.

The series continues attracting record attention because of:

• Massive guaranteed prize pools (over $45M in SCOOP 2026 alone)
• Buy-ins ranging from $0.55 satellites to €100,000 Super High Rollers
• A worldwide live circuit covering 10+ cities in 2026
• The longest-running and most prestigious online series in poker (SCOOP since 2009, WCOOP since 2002)
• Deep, player-friendly tournament structures
• A growing live-online hybrid ecosystem powered by Power Path qualifiers

Tournament Rating

Prestige & Popularity: ★★★★★ PokerStars Championship events are among the most prestigious tournaments in the world. The SCOOP series passed $1.5 billion in lifetime prizes during the 2026 edition, and EPT Barcelona regularly ranks as the largest live poker festival in Europe.

Prize Pool Value: ★★★★★ The 2026 SCOOP guaranteed over $45 million across 400 tournaments, while EPT Paris 2026 produced a €7 million Main Event prize pool with a champion’s share of €1,148,600.

Competition Level: ★★★★★ Fields are deep and competitive at every level. The high buy-in events attract the elite, while the low-stakes online flagships are home to thousands of recreational players, creating strong EV opportunities for skilled grinders.

Accessibility (Buy-in/Entry): ★★★★★ Buy-ins start from as little as $0.55 via satellite. The Power Path qualifier system lets players climb from $0.50 freerolls all the way to €5,300 EPT Main Event seats.

Tournament Overview

Feature	Details
Tournament Name	PokerStars Championship Programme
Organiser	PokerStars (Flutter Entertainment)
Component Series	SCOOP, WCOOP, EPT, PokerStars Open
Original PSC Tour Year	2017 (rebranded back to EPT)
Format	Online MTT + Live Tournament Festivals
Frequency	Year-round series and live stops
Main Game Types	No-Limit Hold’em, PLO, Mixed Games
Accessibility	Desktop, Mobile (iOS / Android), Live Venues
Tournament Category	Premier Global Poker Event Programme

The combination of online championship series and a global live tour makes PokerStars’ offering unique in the modern poker landscape.

Buy-in & Entry Details

One of the biggest strengths of the PokerStars Championship programme is its layered buy-in structure across both online and live events.

Buy-in Levels

• Micro Stakes (Online): $0.55 – $11 (Power Path & SCOOP Low tier)
• Low Stakes (Online): $22 – $109 (SCOOP Low Mains)
• Mid Stakes (Online + Live): $215 – $1,050 (SCOOP Med, PokerStars Open Mains)
• High Stakes: $1,050 – $5,200 (SCOOP High, EPT Main Events)
• Super High Roller: €25,000 – €100,000 (EPT Super High Rollers)

Re-Entry Format

Most events allow re-entries to build prize pools. Common formats include:

• Single re-entry (most SCOOP and PokerStars Open Mains)
• Unlimited re-entries during late registration (high rollers)
• Freezeout finales (selected championship finals)

Satellite Qualification Options

Players can qualify through:

• Power Path: A 6-step ladder starting from $0.50 freerolls
• Direct satellites: Daily qualifiers starting from $0.55
• Mega satellites: Weekly multi-seat satellites with overlay potential
• Live on-site satellites: Running daily during EPT and PokerStars Open festivals

Freeroll Opportunities

PokerStars regularly runs freeroll qualifiers tied to seasonal series. The Power Path Step 1 is itself a freeroll, allowing players to start their qualification journey at zero cost.

Prize Pool & Payout Structure

PokerStars Championship events are defined by their headline guarantees and player-friendly payout structures.

Guaranteed Prize Pools (2026 verified)

• SCOOP 2026 (full series): $45,000,000+ guaranteed
• SCOOP $5,200 Main Event High: $2,000,000 guaranteed
• SCOOP $1,050 Main Event Med: $2,000,000 guaranteed
• SCOOP $109 Main Event Low: $1,500,000 guaranteed
• PokerStars Open Malaga 2026 Main: €1,000,000 guaranteed
• EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event: Expected €8M–€10M+ total pool

Payout Structure

Most events pay:

• Top 12–15% of the field
• 20–25% of pool to the champion
• Significant six-figure payouts for top-three finishes
• Deep-runner ladders rewarding patience and ICM discipline

Example Payout Distribution (SCOOP 2026 $5,200 Main Event)

Placement	Player	Approximate Prize
1st	Christian “eisenhower1” Jeppsson (Sweden)	$397,025
2nd	“NY17PATS14” (Canada)	$295,097
3rd	“ShipitFTW911”	Six-figure payout
8th	Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle	$49,756

A 443-entry field generated the largest single payout of the entire 2026 SCOOP series.

Tournament Format & Structure

The PokerStars Championship programme is anchored by No-Limit Hold’em but spans multiple variants across its series.

Structure Details

• Starting Stack: 50,000 chips (SCOOP) / 75,000–100,000 (EPT Mains)
• Blind Levels: 12 minutes (online SCOOP) / 60–90 minutes (EPT live)
• Tournament Speed: Regular, Turbo, Hyper-Turbo, and PKO formats
• Late Registration: Typically 2–5 hours online, several Day 1s for live events

EPT Main Events feature 60-minute levels through Day 2 and extend to 90-minute levels deeper into the tournament — among the most player-friendly structures of any live tour.

Special Features

The PokerStars Championship programme is known for embracing modern tournament innovations.

Progressive Knockout (PKO) Events — A long-standing SCOOP staple, where players collect bounties for each elimination, half added to their own bounty.

Mystery Bounty Tournaments — The €3,250 EPT Mystery Bounty at Barcelona and the €400 PokerStars Open Mystery Bounty Cup at Malaga are major 2026 highlights. Eliminations unlock randomised bounties, with top prizes that can dwarf the champion’s share.

Turbo and Hyper-Turbo Events — Fast-paced formats run during all major series for players seeking shorter sessions.

Multi-Day Live Championship Events — EPT Barcelona’s Main Event runs across roughly 6 days, with multiple Day 1 flights followed by combined Day 2 onwards.

Mobile Poker Optimisation — PokerStars Mobile fully supports satellites, MTTs, and Spin & Gos on iOS, Android, and tablet.

Player Field & Competition Level

The PokerStars Championship programme attracts the deepest player pool in the industry.

Average Field Size (2026 verified)

• SCOOP $109 Main Low: 16,883 entries
• SCOOP $1,050 Main Med: 2,673 entries
• SCOOP $5,200 Main High: 443 entries
• EPT Paris 2026 Main: 1,474 entries (€7M+ pool)
• PokerStars Open Malaga 2025 Main: 1,636 entries
• EPT Barcelona Main (historical peak): 2,294 entries (2023)

Is the Tournament Soft or Tough?

Fields scale with buy-in. The $109 SCOOP Lows are accessible and recreational-heavy, while the €5,300 EPT Mains and the €100K Super High Rollers are battlegrounds for elite professionals. The mid-stakes range ($1K–$5K) sits in the sweet spot for serious tournament players.

Best Strategy Approach

• Play tight-aggressive in the early stages of long-form events
• Identify and exploit recreational players in mid-stakes
• Avoid unnecessary flips through the middle phase
• Increase aggression on bubble and pay-jump phases
• Master ICM at final tables — significant pay-jumps demand it

Past Winners & Results (2026 So Far)

The 2026 PokerStars Championship calendar has already produced some of the year’s most memorable poker stories.

2026 Championship Highlights

• Christian “eisenhower1” Jeppsson won SCOOP $5,200 Main Event High for $397,025 — the largest single payout of the entire SCOOP 2026 series.
• Jorge Abreu (Portugal) captured the EPT Paris 2026 Main Event for €1,148,600 from a 1,474-entry field.
• Patrick “pads1161” Leonard became the all-time COOP leader with 28 total titles (15 SCOOP + 13 WCOOP) after a double victory during SCOOP 2026.
• Albania’s “king153246” topped the SCOOP 2026 leaderboard with 7 titles, 191 cashes, and 19 final tables — the most titles by any player in either series.
• Elvir Nuhiu won the PokerStars Open Campione 2026 Main Event for €200,640.
• Adrian Mateos captured the PokerStars Titans Event in January 2026 for $82,611.
• Juan Pardo won the $1,050 SCOOP Warm-Up Main Event in February.

Schedule & Key Dates (2026)

The PokerStars Championship programme runs nearly year-round.

Confirmed 2026 Live Schedule

Event	Dates	Venue
PokerStars Open Campione	Jan 23 – Feb 1	Casinò di Campione, Italy ✅ Completed
EPT Paris	Feb 18 – Mar 1	Le Palais des Congrès ✅ Completed
SCOOP 2026 (Online)	Mar 1 – 25	PokerStars Client ✅ Completed
Irish Open	Mar 26 – Apr 6	Dublin ✅ Completed
EPT Monte Carlo	Apr 30 – May 10	Monte Carlo ✅ Completed
PokerStars Open Namur	May 27 – Jun 7	Belgium ✅ Completed
PokerStars Open Malaga	Jun 22 – 28	Gran Madrid Casino Torrequebrada ⭐ NOW
EPT Barcelona	Aug 16 – 29	Casino Barcelona ⭐ UPCOMING
WCOOP 2026 (Online)	Expected September	PokerStars Client (TBA)
PokerStars Open Aix-en-Provence	Nov 2 – 8	France
EPT Prague	Dec 2 – 13	Hilton Prague

Standard Live Tournament Flow

• Day 1A/1B/1C: Multiple starting flights with re-entry
• Day 2: Combined field plays down toward the money
• Day 3–4: Money bubble and deep stages
• Day 5–6: Final table and championship conclusion

Upcoming Tournament Details (June – December 2026)

Five major PokerStars Championship events remain on the 2026 calendar. Here’s everything verified so far about each.

1. PokerStars Open Malaga 2026 — STARTS JUNE 22

Detail	Information
Dates	June 22 – 28, 2026
Venue	Gran Madrid Casino Torrequebrada, Costa del Sol, Spain
Main Event Buy-in	€1,100
Main Event Guarantee	€1,000,000
Status	Starting in 3 days

Full Event Schedule:

• June 22: $200 NLHE Knockout + $200 NLHE Deepstack (opening events)
• June 23–24: €2,200 NLHE High Roller (Day 1A starts 6:00 PM local)
• June 24–28: €1,100 Main Event (€1M GTD, multiple Day 1 flights)
• June 26–27: €550 Second Chance
• June 27: €5,000 Super High Roller
• June 27–28: €400 Mystery Bounty Cup

2025 Reference: The 2025 Malaga Main attracted 1,636 entries from 944 unique players, generating a €1,570,560 prize pool. Manuel Ferrari won after a heads-up deal with Ermanno Di Nicola, banking €206,300. PokerStars has confirmed growth in both total entries and unique players year over year.

Off-the-Felt: PokerStars is operating a Players’ Lounge at Tulum Beach Bar near the casino, featuring live FIFA World Cup screenings, happy hours, foosball, beer pong, and evening drinks throughout the festival.

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2. EPT Barcelona 2026 — THE FLAGSHIP

Detail	Information
Dates	August 16 – 29, 2026
Venue	Casino Barcelona, Spain
Main Event Buy-in	€5,300
Festival Format	Twin festival with PokerStars Open Barcelona
Status	Confirmed

Full Event Schedule (verified highlights):

• August 16 – 22: PokerStars Open Barcelona twin festival
  • €1,650 PokerStars Open Main Event
  • €2,700 PokerStars Open High Roller
• August 22 onwards: EPT Barcelona Main Festival begins
  • €5,300 EPT Main Event (with multiple Day 1 flights)
  • €100,000 Super High Roller
  • €10,300 High Roller
  • €3,250 EPT Mystery Bounty
  • €825 PokerStars Cup

Why It Matters: EPT Barcelona is the oldest stop on the European Poker Tour (debuted 2004) and consistently the largest live poker festival in Europe. In 2023, the Main Event set a European record with 2,294 entries. The 2025 edition’s Main Event prize pool approached €10 million with first place exceeding €1.4 million (won by Thomas Eychenne).

2026 Projection: The 2026 EPT Barcelona Main Event winner is projected to take home between €1.2 million and €1.8 million depending on final field size.

Structure Advantage: EPT Barcelona features 60-minute blind levels through Day 2 and 90-minute levels deeper into the tournament — among the most player-friendly structures in live poker globally.

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3. WCOOP 2026 — EXPECTED SEPTEMBER

Detail	Information
Edition	25th Annual (since 2002)
Expected Dates	September 2026 (TBA)
Venue	PokerStars Online Client
Status	Awaiting official schedule release

What to Expect (based on 2025 reference data):

• Series Guarantee: $65 million+ (2025 had $65M across 378 tournaments and 123 numbered events)
• Buy-in Range: $5.50 to $25,000
• Main Event: $10,300 buy-in with $4 million+ guaranteed
• Variety: Approximately one-third of events feature rare poker variants (HORSE, 8-Game, 2-7 Triple Draw, 6+ Hold’em, Stud, Razz, Badugi, PLO)
• Leaderboards: $100,000 across Low ($5K), Medium ($10K), High ($15K), and Player of the Series ($25K) tiers
• Power Path: Silver Pass and Gold Pass qualification routes
• Spin & Go WCOOP: Fast satellites from $0.75
• Lucky Dip Promotion: $500,000 in random entry tickets

Reigning WCOOP Main Event Champion (2025): Samuel “€urop€an” Vousden won the 502-entry $10,300 Main Event for $1,007,058.

Player to Watch: Patrick “pads1161” Leonard enters WCOOP 2026 chasing his 14th WCOOP title to extend his all-time COOP leadership beyond 28. Benny “RunGodlike” Glaser holds the WCOOP record at 16 titles.

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4. PokerStars Open Aix-en-Provence — NEW STOP

Detail	Information
Dates	November 2 – 8, 2026
Venue	Pasino GRAND Partouche Aix-en-Provence, Southern France
Partner	Texapoker
Main Event Guarantee	€1,000,000
Status	Newly confirmed (announced April 22, 2026)

Key Details:

• First-ever PokerStars Open stop in Aix-en-Provence
• Week-long tournament schedule with mixed accessible and high-roller buy-ins
• Closest train station: Aix-en-Provence TGV (15-minute drive from the casino)
• Eligible for 2026 PokerStars Live League points
• Off-the-felt social calendar planned around the South of France’s culture and gastronomy
• Full event-by-event schedule will be released closer to the festival

This is one of the most anticipated additions to the 2026 calendar — the South of France is a poker-friendly tourism destination, and the partnership with Texapoker (which has run successful French festivals for over a decade) signals strong field expectations.

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5. EPT Prague 2026 — SEASON CLOSER

Detail	Information
Dates	December 2 – 13, 2026 (11 days)
Venue	Hilton Prague, Czech Republic
Main Event Buy-in	€5,300 (expected)
Status	Confirmed

Headline Events Confirmed:

• EPT Main Event (multi-day flagship)
• High Roller event
• Full slate of side events across multiple variants

2025 Reference Data:

• 2025 EPT Prague Main Event drew more than 1,200 entries
• Total prize pool exceeded €5.9 million (~$6.9 million)
• 2025 Winner: Matan Krakow, a 44-year-old former journalist from Israel, banked over €770,000 for first place

Why It Closes the Year: EPT Prague has long been the unofficial season-ender for PokerStars’ live calendar. The Hilton Prague venue is among the most player-praised stops on the EPT for hotel quality and walkability. Live League points awarded at Prague are often decisive for year-end leaderboard standings.

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Bonus: 2026 PokerStars Live League Final Push

All five upcoming events award PokerStars Live League points across High, Medium, and Low tiers. Year-end rewards:

• €150,000+ in PokerStars LIVE credit distributed to the top three finishers in each tier
• €100,000 freeroll prize pool at the first EPT of 2027 for the top 30 finishers in each tier

For grinders chasing the leaderboard, EPT Barcelona, Aix-en-Provence, and EPT Prague are the three highest-impact remaining opportunities.

How to Play PokerStars Championship Events

Step 1 – Create a PokerStars Account

Register through the PokerStars client (where legal), complete verification, and deposit.

Step 2 – Choose Your Path

• Direct buy-in (full price)
• Power Path qualifier (from $0.50)
• Satellite tournament (from $0.55)
• Freeroll qualifier

Step 3 – Manage Your Bankroll

Use 2% bankroll allocation per entry for online MTTs; package qualification recommended for live events.

Step 4 – Register & Play

Enter before late registration closes. SCOOP and WCOOP events typically allow 2–5 hours of late reg.

Step 5 – Apply Tournament Strategy

Position, stack management, blind pressure, bubble play, and ICM final-table adjustments are all critical.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Largest guaranteed prize pools in poker
• Power Path makes $5,300 seats accessible to micro-stakes players
• Player-friendly deep-stack structures (especially live EPT)
• Year-round calendar across both online and live formats
• Mobile support across all major series
• 2026 brings cross-platform integration via PokerStars on FanDuel in the US

Cons

• High variance in massive-field online events
• WSOP and Triton events overlap during summer, splitting top pro attention
• Some jurisdictions (including parts of India and certain US states) restrict access
• Live festival travel costs add up for international satellite winners
• Late registration windows can be intense for newcomers

PokerStars Championship Strategy Tips

Beginner Tips

• Stick to lower buy-ins until you have 50+ MTT cashes
• Use Power Path for cheap shots at major series
• Play fewer hands and focus on position
• Avoid hero calls in the early levels

Mid-Stage Strategy

• Open up your stealing range as antes kick in
• Pressure medium stacks who are trying to ladder
• Don’t burn chips on speculative hands when 25–40 BB deep

Final Table Strategy

• Master ICM — pay-jumps in PokerStars finales are huge
• Avoid coin-flips with smaller stacks behind
• Exploit short stacks who are pay-laddering

Bankroll Advice

• MTT players: 100+ buy-ins for the level you regularly play
• Satellite specialists: 50+ buy-ins of your typical qualifier
• Live festival players: Budget travel, accommodation, AND the buy-in

Devices & Accessibility

The PokerStars Championship programme is accessible across:

• Windows & macOS desktop clients
• Android mobile app
• iPhone and iPad (iOS) app
• Mobile browser entry for low-stakes events
• PokerStars Live venues for EPT and PokerStars Open

In April 2026, PokerStars launched exclusively on FanDuel in the US, expanding player pool access in regulated American markets.

Who Is the PokerStars Championship Best For?

Beginners

Power Path and $0.55 satellites make the largest tournaments in poker genuinely accessible to anyone willing to learn.

Recreational Players

The mid-stakes PokerStars Open festivals and SCOOP Low events offer a fun, lifestyle-oriented poker experience without crushing variance.

Professional Grinders

SCOOP, WCOOP, and EPT remain the most prestigious resume-builders in the game, with year-end leaderboards and the €250,000 PokerStars Live League 2026 in play.

Trending PokerStars Championship News (2026)

SCOOP Crosses $1.5 Billion Milestone The SCOOP series passed $1.5 billion in total lifetime prizes during March 2026.

Patrick Leonard Becomes All-Time COOP Leader Leonard’s two SCOOP 2026 victories pushed him to 28 total COOP titles (15 SCOOP + 13 WCOOP), surpassing Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson.

PokerStars Open Expansion The PokerStars Open completed its first full year and expanded to 10 stops in 2026, including a new addition in Aix-en-Provence.

PokerStars x FanDuel Goes Live in US The April 2026 launch brought larger player pools and shared liquidity across regulated US states.

EPT Barcelona Hype Building With 2025 producing a near-€10M Main Event prize pool and a €1.4M+ winner, the August 2026 edition is on track to be one of the largest in EPT history.

Mystery Bounty Format Continues to Grow Both SCOOP and EPT continue to expand their Mystery Bounty offerings in response to player demand.

Final Verdict

The PokerStars Championship programme remains the gold standard of championship poker in 2026. From the $0.55 satellite that turns into a six-figure SCOOP score, to the €100,000 Super High Roller at EPT Barcelona where the world’s best fight for seven-figure first prizes, the programme offers something at every level of the game.

With a confirmed live calendar spanning 10+ cities, $45 million+ in SCOOP guarantees already distributed, EPT Barcelona ahead in August, WCOOP coming in September, and EPT Prague closing the year in December, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years in the brand’s history.

For tournament news, strategy, and ongoing 2026 coverage, follow PokerClubGames — your year-round destination for the game.

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