Your Q1 2026 WPT® Live Calendar: Where To Play And How To Qualify

How This Q1 Calendar is Organised

Three pillars hold the quarter together.

For players, keep in mind this split as you plan Q1. 

• WPT® Global and Passport Dollars matter for Winter Classic, Cambodia, Cyprus, Dublin, Bratislava, Bogotá.
• ClubWPT and land-based satellites matter for Lucky Hearts, Venetian, Rolling Thunder, because WPT® Global does not operate in the United States.
   

QUICK Q1 SNAPSHOT

MID-JANUARY: WPT® GLOBAL WINTER CLASSIC AT PLAYGROUND

Headline events:

The series carries over $1.5M in total guarantees, with a deep side schedule including a $2,200 High Roller and multiple $300–$600 events.

How WPT® Global fits in:

• Step satellites inside WPT® Global start from around $5.
• You can qualify into OnLive Day 1s for both the Main Event and the Mystery Bounty.
• If you bag online, your stack moves into the corresponding live Day at Playground.

There is also a Golden Ticket promotion, in which if you win a $220 Golden Ticket satellite on WPT® Global and you receive a Golden Ticket. If a Golden Ticket holder then wins the live Winter Classic Main Event, WPT® Global adds $120,000 CAD to the winner’s payout. For many, this is the “start of year” live trip fed directly from WPT® Global.

16–21 JANUARY: WPT® SEMINOLE LUCKY HEARTS POKER OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

The full festival runs roughly 6–21 January with big side events and heavy streaming coverage for the Championship. You can qualify online through ClubWPT and ClubWPT Gold routes for eligible US players, or live by doing Direct buy-in and on-site satellites at Seminole Hard Rock.
WPT® Global does not serve the US market. For most non-US players Lucky Hearts is either a self-funded trip or a stream to watch, not a WPT® Global satellite goal.

30 JANUARY – 3 FEBRUARY: WPT® PRIME CAMBODIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

2025 proved that Prime Cambodia now sits in the same weight class as the biggest Prime stops worldwide.

WPT® Global and packages

WPT® Global runs direct package satellites into Cambodia, ranging from Micro steps from $0.55 or $1.10 feed into $110 Sunday qualifiers. Each $110 qualifier awards at least one $4,000 package.

A typical package includes:

• $3,500 seat for the WPT® Cambodia Championship
• $500 travel expenses
• Hotel offers or festival perks based on the promo

Prime Cambodia and the $3,500 Championship are part of the same festival.
If you win a package for the Championship you can still buy into the $1,100 Prime event from your own bankroll.

4–9 FEBRUARY: WPT® CAMBODIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

You get a mid-sized Main Tour event with serious money and a strong mix of Asian, European, and international regulars.

WPT® Global angle

The $4,000 packages mentioned above are built around this Championship. A common path would be to:

• Win a package on WPT® Global.
• Arrive in Phnom Penh, fire side events and the Prime Championship.
• Take your main shot in the $3,500 Championship.
   

Passport Dollars can also be assigned to Cambodia, which gives extra flexibility if you already hold a Passport balance.

LATE JANUARY TO EARLY MARCH: PARTNER FESTIVALS IN THE SAME WINDOW

Several non-WPT® series sit in the same Q1 window and are reachable through WPT® Global.

They give European and Latin American players extra live options around the Cambodia and Cyprus trips.

WPS Bogotá Main Event

WPT® Global offers:

• $8 step satellites that feed into $80 winner-take-all qualifiers.
• Each $80 qualifier awards a COP $3,000,000 Main Event seat.
• Packages are seat-only. Travel is on you.
   

Dublin Poker Festival

Anchors include ACOP with €100,000 guarantee and European Deepstack with €200,000 guarantee.

WPT® Global runs low-buy-in ladders and OnLive Day 1s into selected events. There is also a Live Champion bonus: if a WPT® Global qualifier wins their event, they receive an extra €100,000 on top of the normal first prize. 

Check the Passport Dollars page and the client lobby for exact eligible events and dates, since WPT® Global focuses on the later part of the festival.

The Festival Bratislava

On WPT® Global:

• Qualifiers start from about $3.30.
• Ladders lead into €550 seats or €1,600 packages that include a hotel.
• Main Event winners who qualified through WPT® Global can hit a €100,000 Golden Ticket style bonus if they take the title.

19–24 FEBRUARY: WPT® VENETIAN LAS VEGAS SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

The Championship sits in the middle of a DeepStack festival with a busy schedule of side events. You can qualify through taking part in live satellites at Venetian, or online routes through ClubWPT or ClubWPT Gold for US players, depending on the promos running. Non-US players can travel and buy in directly. 

WPT® Global is not part of the official online path here.

5–9 MARCH: WPT® PRIME CYPRUS CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

Prime Cyprus has become one of the main early-year European hubs. Fields are large, structures are slow, and travel works well from much of Europe and the Middle East.

WPT® Global and Passport Dollars

WPT® Global and partners push Cyprus hard as a Passport destination.

Under current Passport rules, you can assign your Passport Dollars to WPT® Prime Cyprus seats, and you also have the option put part of your Passport balance toward up to $2,000 in travel.

Satellite trees and package details change often. Check the WPT® Global lobby and the Passport Dollars page for the current ladder when you start planning.

29 MARCH – 1 APRIL: WPT® ROLLING THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP

Last year’s numbers:

Rolling Thunder has a strong local player base and a loyal group of travelling regulars.
The room is smaller than Seminole or Venetian but has a reputation for good structures and a friendly atmosphere. You can qualify by taking part in the live satellites at Thunder Valley, or ClubWPT and ClubWPT Gold routes for eligible US players when promos are running.

USING WPT® GLOBAL AND PASSPORT DOLLARS ACROSS Q1

If you play on WPT® Global and hold Passport Dollars, your realistic Q1 map looks like this:

• January: Winter Classic at Playground, WPS Bogotá, and the online grind toward Cambodia packages.
• Late January to early February: WPT® Prime Cambodia, then the WPT® Cambodia Championship.
• Late February to early March: Dublin Poker Festival, The Festival Bratislava, and WPT® Prime Cyprus.

US Main Tour stops like Lucky Hearts, Venetian, and Rolling Thunder sit in the same quarter. You can always travel to them, watch the streams, and follow the results. You just qualify through ClubWPT or live satellites instead of WPT® Global.

Passport Dollars give you flexibility under current terms:

• You choose which WPT® or WPT® Prime festival to attend.
• You can apply balances to buy-ins and part of your travel.
• Passport Dollars are earmarked for live use through the end of 2026. After that, remaining balances convert to online tickets inside WPT® Global.

The practical approach:

• Pick one or two Q1 stops that fit your budget and time.
• Check whether WPT® Global satellites or Passport Dollars cover them.
• Lock travel once qualifiers are live and you know your target.

FINAL NOTES ON RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY

Every event in this calendar involves real money and real travel costs. Treat satellites and live trips as entertainment, not as a financial plan.

Before you chase any of these stops:

• Make sure online poker is legal where you live.
• Confirm you are eligible to play on WPT® Global and at the live venue.
• Set a clear budget for satellites, flights, and hotels.
• Stick to that budget even if results run cold.

Q1 2026 offers plenty of chances to qualify, and plenty of stops to choose from. 

If anything is certain, it sure is shaping up to be an exciting year.