Upcoming Poker Tournaments October 2026: Full Calendar, Dates & Buy-ins

Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Bala Kumar

Note: Tournament dates, buy-ins and guarantees can change. Venues sometimes add flights, move start times or change guarantees. Always check the official schedule before you book travel. We update this page as each series finishes.

October is one of the busiest months of the year for live poker. This month there are high rollers in Las Vegas, WSOP Circuit rings in the US and Spain, mixed games in Estonia and festivals in South Korea, often on the same weekend.

This page is a week-by-week calendar of the notable tournament series running in October 2026, from £200 regional events to a $51,000 high roller. It covers the smaller series that the big tour guides often skip.

Looking for the biggest tour stops? The WPT, APT and Jeju festivals from October to December are covered in detail in our complete October–December 2026 poker tournament schedule.

Status key: ✅ Completed · 🔴 Running · 🗓️ Upcoming (status as of October 14, 2026)

October 2026 at a Glance

Running Now (as of October 14)

These series have already started. Most of them still have Day 1 flights or final days to come.

Key Dates in This Group

• Lions of the East: $500 of each $600 buy-in goes to the prize pool, so about 4,000 entries are needed to cover the $2M guarantee. Day 2 on October 18 will show whether there is an overlay. Read our Lions of the East guide.
• Poker Masters: the series runs six $10,500 events, then two at $15,700, one at $26,000 and a $51,000 finale on October 22–23. The Purple Jacket goes to the overall series champion. Myles Mullaly won Event #1 for $218,400.
• 888poker LIVE London: Main Event Day 1A is October 15, Day 1B and the 1C turbo are October 16, and the final day is October 18.

Starting October 15–18

Week of October 19–25

This is the busiest week of the month for mid-stakes players in the US and UK.

Highlights This Week

Three WSOP Circuit stops start within 24 hours. Lake Tahoe, Southern Indiana and Madrid all open between October 22 and 23.

Best value for small bankrolls. Grosvenor’s G200 and G300 give UK players a guaranteed prize pool for £200 to £300. At Live! Pokerfest, the $400 Event #1 has a $200,000 guarantee across seven flights (October 21–24), with Day 2 on October 25. The $1,100 Main Event runs flights October 29–31 and plays its final day on November 1.

Bay 101 Shooting Star. Well-known pros carry bounties on their heads, so knocking one out pays straight away. Last year’s Championship drew 672 entries and Kharlin Sued won $480,700.

Week of October 26–31

The end of the month is busy in Europe and Asia as well as the US.

Highlights This Week

Mixed games in Tallinn. The EMPC is one of the few European festivals built around games beyond Hold’em, with an €800 8-Game Main Event. See our European Mixed Poker Championship 2026 guide.

South Korea’s double week. Jeju, GOP Incheon and WPT Seoul all start within three days of each other, and INSPIRE is right next to Incheon Airport. That makes it easy to play two festivals on one trip.

GUKPT Blackpool. The festival opens with a £110 Warm Up on October 30 and a £220 Mini Main from November 1. Main Event Day 1A is November 5, and the final day is November 8.

WSOP Circuit Stops With October 2026 Dates

All 10 stops are listed here, so the count matches the table.

For the full fall Circuit calendar, see our WSOP Circuit 2026 fall schedule.

Series That Continue Into November

October Events by Buy-in

Buy-ins are shown in each event’s own currency.

Travel and hotel costs can double the real price of a trip. Use our free Poker Bankroll Calculator to check which buy-ins your bankroll can handle.

October Events by Region

Results Tracker

We’ll add the winner and prize after each Main Event finishes.

Tips Before You Travel

1. Confirm dates on the official page. Regional series sometimes add flights or move start times.
2. Know the entry rules. Most US casinos require players to be 21+. LES A in Jeju and INSPIRE in Incheon are foreigner-only casinos, so bring your passport.
3. Check how much of the buy-in goes to the prize pool. It varies by venue. At Lions of the East, $500 of the $600 goes into the prize pool.
4. Plan around overlapping series. At the end of October, Las Vegas and South Korea each have several festivals within a short trip.
5. Pace yourself. Choose a few target events instead of trying to play everything.

FAQs