WPT® Ladies Championship 2025: Schedule, Structure, and Women’s Poker Week

The 2022 final table was filmed and became a four-episode WPT® broadcast. WPT® CEO Adam Pliska called the event “a staple” after 2023, which is the kind of quote that signals this event isn't going anywhere.

Every year so far, the prize pools have easily cleared the guarantee, even as some other festival guarantees adjusted. Based on that track record, expecting a field somewhere in the 450–550 range for 2025 is realistic. Don't take it as a promise, but it gives you context.

For all the recaps and final table videos, just search for the WPT® Ladies Championship coverage on WPT.com and their YouTube channel.

Satellites: You Don't Need to Drop $1,100 Up Front

You have a few ways to get a seat without hitting your bank account for a full grand all at once.

Live Satellites at Wynn

The main live route is the $200 Milestone Satellite on Friday, December 12 at 5:00 PM in the Encore ballroom. It's a Milestone format, meaning you qualify once you hit a target stack, and they guarantee at least 10 seats. Beyond that one, the festival schedule lists dozens of other satellites starting at $200 that often feed into flagship events like the Ladies Championship.

Online Paths

If you're in an eligible market, ClubWPT® Gold can get you in. The “Road to WPT” prize list includes an $1,100 Ladies Championship ticket among its live seat prizes. 

There are also Golden Passport and Mystery Quest promotions that award bigger packages, which may include the Ladies entry. These are perfect if you want a lower-risk route to a Vegas trip. Check the ClubWPT® Gold pages for current promotions.

Alternatively, WPT® Global also ran many satellites leading to the main event.

Community Routes

Don't forget the women’s poker groups. WPA fundraisers and online home-game series often award a seat or a full festival package. 

Partner organizations like Poker League of Nations, Poker Power, and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are frequently involved in seat giveaways. If you’re already part of those communities, keep your eyes open in the months leading up to December.

Women's Poker Week: Build a Full Trip

The WPT® Ladies Championship has become the anchor for a whole cluster of women-focused events around the same dates in Vegas. Globetrotting Poker's calendar has highlighted a de facto "women’s poker week" built around:

• The Women in Poker Winter Festival at Resorts World (Dec 8–12)
• The WPT® Ladies Championship at Wynn (Dec 13–14)
• Extra women’s events and Meet-Up Games (MUGs) at rooms like Orleans, Aria, and Bellagio in the same window.

Inside the WPT® festival itself, expect the usual events, like a Ladies Meet-Up Game hosted by Jamie Kerstetter, a Ladies Mimosa MUG that drew 150+ people in recent years, and an all-female streamed cash game.

Fly in early and you can easily build a full week of women-only tournaments, social events, and MUGs around the Championship itself.

The Field: Competitive, But Open

Based on the first three years, the field is a good mix. 

It’s not a pure pro shark tank, nor is it a casual social game. The field is competitive, but it’s not closed off. If you’re a prepared recreational player or a mid-stakes grinder, you can sit down and feel like you belong.

You will see:

• Established Pros and Regulars: The previous champions – Lina Niu, Lisa Costello, Tirza Sanders, plus names like Kathy Liebert and Jamie Kerstetter have all gone deep here. Some women treat this as a must-play side event alongside the main $10,400 World Championship.
• Serious Recreational Players: Lots of seats come from the $200 satellites and online routes. These are players who study and care about their results, but are also building a full holiday around the trip.
• Media and Ambassadors: Expect vloggers, streamers, and WPT® ambassadors filming their runs.
• First-Timers: Every year brings a healthy group for whom this is a first major live event, coming from home games or online qualifiers. The MUGs and social schedule give them a softer landing, so the vibe stays friendly, even when the poker is tough.

Coverage and Final-Table Experience

The WPT® Ladies Championships have always been well-covered. The 2022 final table was on a TV set. The 2023 and 2024 finals streamed live from the Encore Ballroom stage.

As of now, the full 2025 streaming schedule isn't out. The Ladies Championship sits in a prime weekend spot just before the big $10,400 Championship flights, which makes it a very strong candidate for a featured stream or heavy live updates. If a final table stream is something you or your rail at home care about, keep an eye on WPT.com once the 2025 broadcast plan goes live.

Practical Guide: Getting Around the Wynn

If you’re a first-timer, making the logistics easy matters.

• Eligibility: You must be 21+ to play live poker in Nevada. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• Registration: Registration opens several hours before the start time at the Encore ballroom area. You can buy in with cash or Wynn casino chips. Payouts are in Wynn chips, which you cash out at the main cage.
• Player Card: You need a Wynn Rewards card linked to your player profile. If you don't have one, sign up at the Wynn Rewards counter in the Encore casino area.
• Getting There: Tell your cab or rideshare to drop you at Encore, not Wynn. It’s the shortest walk to the ballroom. If you drive, the Encore self-parking is closest.
• On the Day: Aim to arrive at least an hour before "cards in the air" if you want a relaxed seat draw. The ballroom can get cold, so bring a light jacket. Allow time for security, registration lines, and the walk across the property.

Is the WPT® Ladies Championship 2025 Worth the Trip?

If you're a woman planning a December poker trip and you want at least one serious, well-structured tournament with a great community built around it, then yes, this should be your main goal.

You get:

• A $1,100 buy-in with a $250,000 guarantee and a deep, televised structure.
• A three-year history of crushing the guarantee, with fields consistently in the 450–580 range.
• The entire WPT® World Championship festival around you, including the $10,400 Main Event and dozens of side events.
• A full women’s poker week in Vegas, complete with side festivals, MUGs, and social events.

For a lot of players, a smart plan looks something like this: Arrive in Vegas by December 11–12, play the $200 milestone satellite or a MUG, and then fire the WPT® Ladies Championship with a clear head for two long days.

If your budget and schedule stretch that far, you can roll a deep run into the rest of the Wynn festival, or use a min-cash for a second shot at something else. Either way, the 2025 WPT® Ladies Championship gives you a clear target, a competitive field, and a main-stage spot on the women’s poker calendar.

More to come.