16th Anniversary Series 2026: Playground Celebrates 16 Years With $650,000 GTD and a $225,000 PG1000 Main Event

Playground Poker Club opened in 2010 in Kahnawake, just outside Montreal, and quickly became one of the best-known poker rooms in Canada. In December 2026, the club celebrates its 16th birthday with the “16 Year Anniversary Series 2026.”

The festival runs from December 10 to 21 and features 16 trophy events with a total of $650,000 guaranteed. The headline event is the PG1000 Main Event, guaranteeing $225,000.

Over twelve days, players can choose from Mystery Bounty, Progressive Knockout, Monster Stack, Mega Stack and Pot-Limit Omaha events. Buy-ins range from $200 to $1,000, so the series suits recreational players and regulars alike.

Quick facts

• Dates: December 10 – 21, 2026
• Venue: Playground Poker Club, Kahnawake, Quebec (near Montreal)
• Trophy events: 16
• Total guarantees: $650,000
• Buy-ins: $200 – $1,000
• Main Event: PG1000, $1,000 buy-in, $225,000 GTD, Days 1A–1C December 17–19, Day 2 December 20

Opening Weekend: $75,000 Mystery Bounty Kicks Things Off

The series starts on December 10 with the $250 BET99 Mystery Bounty, which guarantees $75,000. It has six starting flights through December 12, and the final day is December 13.

Also on December 12, the $200 Monster Stack Bounty carries a $20,000 guarantee. It’s the cheapest trophy event of the series and a good way to start without spending much.

Mid-Series Highlights

Over the following days, the schedule moves through a mix of formats:

• $500 Monster Stack – $30,000 GTD
• $300 Progressive Knockout – $20,000 GTD
• $300 Mystery Bounty – $20,000 GTD
• $500 Mega Stack – $50,000 GTD
• Mixed PLO/NLH event with three lives
• Several turbo and bounty tournaments

The three-life mixed event is a nice touch for players who enjoy Omaha but don’t want to risk being knocked out after a single bad beat.

The PG1000 Main Event: $225,000 Guaranteed

The centrepiece is the PG1000 Main Event, with a $1,000 buy-in and a $225,000 guarantee. Starting days 1A, 1B and 1C run from December 17 to 19, and Day 2 is December 20.

The PG1000 alone accounts for about 35% of the series’ total guarantee. Even if no fees were taken, it would need at least 225 entries to cover the guarantee on its own. That should be well within reach: the CA$1,100 Playground1000 at the 2017 World Cup of Cards drew 867 entries over eight days.

The final weekend also includes an $800 Mystery Bounty ($35,000 GTD) and a $500 Progressive Knockout ($20,000 GTD).

Closing Day: 16 Special Bounties for 16 Years

The series ends on December 21 with two events:

• $250 Monster Stack – $15,000 GTD
• $300 “For Players, By Players” Mega Stack – $25,000 GTD

To mark the anniversary, the “For Players, By Players” event features 16 special bounties, one for each year of the club’s history.

16th Anniversary Series 2026 – Key Events

Dates	Event	Buy-in	Guarantee
Dec 10 – 13	BET99 Mystery Bounty (6 flights)	$250	$75,000
Dec 12	Monster Stack Bounty	$200	$20,000
Following days	Monster Stack	$500	$30,000
Following days	Progressive Knockout	$300	$20,000
Following days	Mystery Bounty	$300	$20,000
Following days	Mega Stack	$500	$50,000
Following days	Mixed PLO/NLH (three lives)	–	–
Dec 17 – 20	PG1000 Main Event	$1,000	$225,000
Final weekend	Mystery Bounty	$800	$35,000
Final weekend	Progressive Knockout	$500	$20,000
Dec 21	Monster Stack	$250	$15,000
Dec 21	“For Players, By Players” Mega Stack (16 special bounties)	$300	$25,000

Playground usually lists buy-ins in Canadian dollars. Check exact dates, start times and currency on the official Playground website before you travel.

Before December: WSOP Circuit Playground Starts November 2

Before the anniversary celebrations, another big festival comes to Kahnawake. The WSOP Circuit Playground November Series starts on November 2, 2026, with 18 ring events and buy-ins from CA400toCA5,000. Its CA$2,500 Main Event has three starting flights from November 12 to 14.

It will be Playground’s fourth WSOP Circuit festival of 2026. The club hosted Circuit stops in March–April and May, and then the first-ever WSOP Super Circuit Canada from August 26 to September 12. That festival had more than CA14millioninguaranteesandaCA5,000 Main Event with a CA10millionguarantee,thelargesteverattachedtoaCanadianpokertournament.ItsCA500 Mini Main Event set a Playground record with 3,484 entries.

How big can the November Main Event get?

Playground is one of the strongest WSOP Circuit venues anywhere:

Edition	Buy-in	Entries	Prize Pool
WSOP-C Playground, August 2025	CA$2,500	1,978	CA$4,450,500 (record WSOP Circuit prize pool)
Another recent CA$2,500 Main Event	CA$2,500	1,781	CA$4,144,323
WSOP-C Playground, January 2026	CA$2,200	1,321	CA$2,575,796
WSOP-C Playground, 2026	CA$1,700	1,414	CA$2,121,000

The August 2025 winner, Toronto’s Jacob Hobday, turned a CA$75 satellite seat into a CA$620,000 first prize. In January 2026, Senthuran Vijayaratnam won the Main Event for CA$396,556.

WSOP Circuit Playground November 2026 – Schedule

Dates	Event	Buy-in
November 2–7	CA$400 NLH Mini Main Event – Flights A–F	CA$400
November 2	CA$400 NLH Progressive Bounty	CA$400
November 3	CA$400 NLH Mystery Bounty	CA$400
November 4	CA$400 NLH Bounty	CA$400
November 5	CA$400 NLH Mega Stack	CA$400
November 6–8	CA$400 NLH Mystery Bounty – Flights A–C	CA$400
November 8	CA$1,000 NLH Progressive Bounty	CA$1,000
November 9–11	CA$1,000 NLH The Colossus – Flights A–C	CA$1,000
November 9	CA$400 NLH Seniors Event (50+)	CA$400
November 9	CA$400 NLH Mega Stack Turbo	CA$400
November 12–14	CA$2,500 NLH Main Event – Flights A–C	CA$2,500
November 12	Pot-Limit Omaha	$600
November 12	NLH Ladies Event	$400
November 13	NLH Progressive Bounty	$600
November 15	NLH Mega Stack High Roller	$5,000
November 15	NLH Mystery Bounty	$400
November 16	NLH Mystery Bounty	$1,000
November 16	Mixed PLO/NLH	$400

Practical Tips If You’re Planning to Play

• Budget players should target the opening events. The $200 Monster Stack Bounty and the $250 Mystery Bounty flights offer trophy chances at the lowest prices of the series.
• Use the six Mystery Bounty flights wisely. Multiple flights mean more chances to qualify, but decide in advance how many re-entries you can afford.
• The PG1000 guarantee is modest for Playground. With past CA$1,000-level events drawing several hundred players, the $225,000 guarantee is likely to be beaten, so the prize pool could end up much bigger.
• Combine trips if you can. The WSOP Circuit (November 2–17) and the Anniversary Series (December 10–21) are about three weeks apart, so players near Montreal can plan around both.
• Check the currency. Playground usually prices events in Canadian dollars, which makes buy-ins cheaper for visitors paying in US dollars or euros.

Full details on the “16 Year Anniversary Series 2026” and the upcoming WSOP Circuit are on the official Playground website.

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