The World Series of Poker returns to the Las Vegas Strip this week, bringing 100 bracelet events and a jammed schedule to Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. The series opens with a low-buy-in $550 Mini Mystery Millions that carries a $1 million bounty guarantee and builds toward the $10,000 Main Event in July and a prime-time live finale in August. Away from the tables, a new federal tax wrinkle and a slate of high-stakes cash games moving onto the WSOP floor give this summer extra financial sweat for pros and grinders alike.
When and where it plays
As laid out by WSOP.com, the 57th annual WSOP opens on May 26 at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. The bracelet schedule runs into mid-July, then the festival shifts into a new Summer Circuit that stretches into the final week of July. Organizers are rolling out 100 bracelet events, along with daily live streams on WSOP channels throughout the series.
Opener, new events and a retooled schedule
The action starts with Event #1, the $550 Mini Mystery Millions, a mystery-bounty format that guarantees a $1 million top prize and sets the tone early, and adds several new marquee events including a $10,000 GGMillion$ High Roller, according to PokerNews. Those low-buy-in and high-roller bookends are designed to pull in both weekend warriors and tour regulars. Players can look for extra starting flights and more ways to qualify online this year.
How to watch: ESPN and daily streams
ESPN will handle extensive Main Event coverage, starting with Day 1A on July 2 and wrapping with a three-night live final table broadcast from Aug. 3 through 5, per an ESPN press release. The multi-year deal brings the Main Event back to prime time and lines up more than 100 hours of multiplatform programming around the festival. Leading into the Main Event, fans can also follow free daily streams across WSOP channels.
Player Of The Year adds cash and bragging rights
WSOP has overhauled the Player Of The Year race, putting $1 million in prizes on the table and a $100,000 WSOP Paradise package reserved for the champion, according to WSOP.com. The leaderboard is already tight going into the summer, with Marius Kudzmanas holding a slim edge over Shaun Deeb, which makes the early bracelet events especially high leverage for POY points. For a growing crop of professionals, a big POY finish is creeping into the same conversation as a deep Main Event run.
Tax change could affect big winners
Tax strategy will be part of the sweat too. A 2025 federal law known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" limits the deduction for gambling losses to 90% for tax years after 2025, changing how much of their losses professional players can offset against winnings, according to guidance from the IRS. The change has already stirred pushback from poker players and lawmakers, with industry reactions outlined in reporting by the AP. The new math could leave high-volume grinders staring at so-called phantom taxable income even in years they roughly break even at the felt.
Last year's champion and storylines to follow
Michael Mizrachi's historic 2025 Main Event win and subsequent Hall of Fame nod have handed this year’s WSOP a ready-made story arc, from comeback attempts to serial bracelet hunts, as detailed by PokerNews. Mizrachi’s $10 million score set the tone for 2025 and looms over this summer’s fields as the benchmark everyone will be chasing. Expect ESPN features and booth chatter to lean heavily on past champions as narrative anchors during the broadcast build up.
The Milly Game and high-stakes side shows
For fans of nosebleed cash action, Hustler Casino Live’s Million Dollar Game, a $1 million minimum buy-in cash session traditionally hosted in Los Angeles, will be livestreamed from the Horseshoe on June 12 as part of a new "WSOP High Stakes Live" partnership, according to DeucesCracked. The Milly Game is expected to draw a lineup of high-profile cash-game regulars and provide a theatrical, televised counterpoint to the bracelet grind. Producers are lining up a handful of feature-table streams across back-to-back June weekends to tap into the live audience on the Strip.
How to follow and final takeaways
Between the free daily WSOP streams, ESPN’s Main Event coverage and Hustler’s high-stakes broadcasts, there will be more ways than ever to sweat the WSOP live and on demand. For locals and visitors heading to the Strip, Horseshoe and Paris will be the hubs to watch bracelets awarded and the Hustler Milly table play out in person. For anyone tracking tour points or thinking ahead to tax season, this summer’s WSOP carries real implications that stretch well beyond any single hand. Check official tournament channels for registration details, seat updates and daily results as the series plays out.
