2026 World Series of Poker Begins with Exciting Changes and Events

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) starts today, May 26, 2026, marking the beginning of the 57th annual edition. This year's festival features 100 live gold bracelet events and 30 online bracelet events, running through July 15. The main event begins on July 2 and concludes with the final table broadcast live on ESPN from August 3-5.

The first gold bracelet event is a $500 mini Mystery Millions, with six starting flights across five days. The action kicks off at 12 p.m. local time on the first day, with subsequent flights at 10 a.m. each day, and a final flight at 6 p.m. on May 30.

Last year's WSOP saw significant achievements. Benny Glaser won his third bracelet of 2025, Michael Mizrachi claimed his eighth career bracelet and the $10 million first-place prize in the main event, and Shaun Deeb secured his second career WSOP Player of the Year award. Phil Hellmuth maintains the all-time record for most gold bracelets with 17, followed by Phil Ivey with 11.