The biggest poker tournaments in the world are the WSOP Main Event, the WPT World Championship, and the European Poker Tour (EPT) series: live events that attract tens of thousands of players and generate eight-figure prize pools every year.

Online, the PokerStars Sunday Million, WCOOP, and SCOOP are the closest equivalents in terms of field size and prestige. I have played and coached players through most of these events over the years, and the question I hear most often is not which tournament is the biggest. It is which one is actually worth your time and buy-in.

The answer depends heavily on your skill level, your bankroll, and what you are trying to get out of the experience. This guide covers all the major Texas Hold’em events and gives you a framework for deciding which ones belong on your calendar.

#1 – WSOP Main Event

The biggest poker festival in the world, the World Series of Poker (WSOP), is coming back to Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas this summer. 

I have played the WSOP Main Event multiple times, and the single biggest reason it belongs on your list, even ahead of some technically prestigious events, is the field composition.

The $10,000 buy-in keeps out a lot of recreational players from everyday games, but the Main Event draws an enormous number of casual players who make the trip to Las Vegas specifically for this one tournament. That creates an unusual dynamic: a $10k buy-in with a weaker-than-expected field.

Most $10k events you play will be dominated by regulars and professionals. The Main Event is one of the few exceptions where the average opponent is genuinely beatable, and I think that makes it one of the highest expected value tournaments on the calendar for any solid player.

For a $10k buyin, the Main Event is widely considered the best tournament in the world, as it features more amateur players and weaker fields than any other event in this buyin range. 

For that reason, poker pros worldwide look forward to the WSOP Main Event, and many make the trip to Nevada specifically to play in it. 

If you are looking for the best and biggest poker tournaments in 2024, you should not miss the 2024 WSOP Main Event, which kicks off on July 3 and features four starting days for your convenience. 

And don’t forget to brush up on your poker ICM to fully capitalize on your deep runs.

#2 – WPT World Championship

The WPT World Championship is the only $10k tournament that comes close to the WSOP Main Event in terms of size, but it falls significantly short. 

I would describe the WPT World Championship as the best alternative for players who cannot make it to Vegas in the summer or who want a second major $10k event on their schedule.

The field quality is noticeably tougher than the WSOP Main Event, since fewer casual players fly to Las Vegas in December compared to July, but the structure and venue at the Wynn are exceptional. If your goal is pure expected value, the Main Event is the better spot.

If your goal is playing a prestigious $10k in a world-class casino environment with solid competition, the WPT World Championship delivers that as well as anything on the tour.

Played in the spectacular environment of the Wynn Las Vegas, the WPT World Championship promises to be another fantastic poker event and one of the biggest poker tournaments of 2024. 

If you can’t quite make it to Las Vegas this summer for whatever reason, keep December in mind as another time when you can play a huge poker event in the same city but at a slightly different period. 

#3 – EPT Barcelona

Historically, EPT Barcelona has been the most attractive stop on the biggest poker tour in Europe, and we fully expect it to be so this year as well. 

In 2023, the €5,300 Main Event attracted 2,120 runners, with the eventual champion winning over €1.13 million and all players who made the final table receiving six-figure payouts. 

This year, the EPT Barcelona Main Event is scheduled for the early days of September, putting it at a perfect time slot between the WSOP and the various poker events played in the wintertime. 

If you are looking to play some poker this fall, EPT Barcelona is probably one of the best choices, as it is almost guaranteed to be one of the biggest poker tournaments of the year. 

#4 – EPT Prague

If you are not a fan of the summer heat and the seaside vibes of Barcelona and would rather play poker in a winter wonderland, EPT has you covered. 

As every year, EPT Prague will be held in the days leading up to Christmas, when the Czech capital is at its most festive. 

While the tournament itself is guaranteed to draw thousands of players and create a fantastic poker experience, there is just something about EPT Prague that makes it completely unique. 

Make it to Prague during the festival. You will also get to experience the city’s fabled Christmas markets, a variety of outdoor events, and certainly a snowball fight or two with your poker buddies along the way. 

#5 – WPT Australia

WPT Prime Gold Coast just ended a couple of weeks ago, and it was a resounding success. To the joy of players Down Under, the WPT will return before the year is out. 

This time around, the WPT Main Tour will be played at the same venue, with the Main Event featuring a buyin of AUD $8,000 and a variety of side events played in the lead-up. 

For players in this part of the world, WPT Australia will certainly be one of the biggest poker tournaments in 2024 that they can easily and affordably travel to. 

While we can’t tell you the exact numbers to expect from the WPT Australia Main Event, it is quite likely that the event will be one of the biggest ever played in Australia, making it well worth your time and effort to jump into. 

#6 – WPT Prime Paris

We have covered quite a few large $10k and $5k events thus far, but it’s only fair to include a few events for players looking to play at slightly lower stakes. 

The WPT Prime Paris comes to the City of Love in late October and will offer the full WPT experience for just €1,100. 

Like other WPT festivals, WPT Prime Paris will feature a number of side events and allow re-entries, making the trip to Paris worth your time. 

Like events in Barcelona or Prague, WPT Prime Paris will be an event that lets you have plenty of fun away from the tables, as it will be played in one of Europe’s most beautiful tourist destinations. 

The tournament itself will be one of the biggest poker tournaments in the mid-major buyin range this year, especially if we are only considering events on European soil. 

If EPT Barcelona happens to be slightly above your pay grade for fall poker fun, then WPT Prime Paris may be the exact event you were looking for. 

#7 – WSOP Colossus

The Main Event is certainly the most appealing event of the WSOP, but the $10k buyin is a bit too steep for many poker players out there. 

The Colossus is where I always direct players who want the WSOP experience but whose bankrolls are not ready for the Main Event. At $400, the Colossus requires a much smaller financial commitment: the standard bankroll rule for tournaments suggests having 50 to 100 buy-ins set aside, which means a $400 event is accessible to someone with a $20,000 to $40,000 tournament bankroll.

The Main Event requires $500,000 to $1,000,000 by the same standard, which is why I tell most students to start with the Colossus and use it to experience the WSOP atmosphere before committing to the $10k. Treat it as a practice ground, not a consolation prize.

WSOP Colossus will be one of the biggest poker tournaments of the year in terms of sheer size, although its significantly reduced $400 buyin will make the prize pool less mind-blowing. 

Still, for such a low price, you will get a chance to play against thousands of poker players and compete for a multi-million dollar prize pool, giving you a real shot at making it big in poker overnight. 

If you are coming to Vegas this summer, the Colossus is an event you should not miss out on, and firing at least one bullet in this monster tournament should be obligatory. 

#8 – WSOP Poker Players Championship

The WSOP is a poker festival for everyone. There are events like Colossus and the Main Event that are made for everyone, and then there are events like the WSOP Poker Players Championship for the top pros only. 

With a $50k buyin and a mix of poker games familiar only to the top players, the Poker Players Championship is a very exclusive event. 

In fact, this event usually gets very few entries, and what makes it one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world is its exclusivity. 

While the event is technically open to anyone, very few players dare come up against the best mixed games players in the world. 

Instead of thinking about playing this one, make sure to book the dates and remember to watch the live PokerGO streams of this one, as you may just learn quite a lot from watching a few hours of action from this particular poker tournament. 

I have spent time watching and studying the Players Championship specifically because the mixed games format exposes spots that rarely come up in No Limit Hold’em. Watching how Phil Galfond handles a tough spot in Razz, or how a top player approaches Pot Limit Omaha at $50k stakes, teaches you things about hand reading and aggression that transfer directly to your regular game.

Even if you never play a hand of Stud in your life, the strategic thinking these players demonstrate under pressure is worth the study time.

#9 – WSOP Europe Main Event

For many European players, the cost of traveling out to Las Vegas and staying there for a month simply doesn’t make sense. For that reason, the WSOP will be coming to Europe shortly after the festivities end in Sin City. 

Between October 4 and 10, European players and visitors from around the world will have the chance to play in the WSOP Main Event in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, the European poker capital. 

The luxurious Kings Casino Rozvadov will host another amazing WSOPE poker festival, featuring some of the top European and international players. 

Unlike the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, the WSOPE Main Event tends to feature a much tougher field stacked with many pros and few amateurs, so you will absolutely need to have a strong GTO poker foundation. 

This is not a tournament I recommend to players who are still developing their fundamentals. The WSOPE field is heavy with European regulars who put in serious study hours, and the recreational overlay that makes the Vegas Main Event so attractive simply does not exist here in the same way.

If you are an intermediate player looking for a prestigious $10k event in Europe, I would consider EPT Barcelona first: the field is larger, the setting is more recreational-friendly, and the value per chip is better. The WSOPE is a better fit for more experienced players who want maximum prestige and are comfortable in tough fields.

#10 – WSOP Paradise

At this time, the WSOP has not announced any dates for WSOP Paradise, but following the success of the inaugural edition last year, we expect to see it added back to the schedule in 2024 as well. 

Last year, the event was announced only after the Series in Las Vegas ended, and we expect a similar situation this year. 

The tropical setting of Paradise Island in the Bahamas should make WSOP Paradise the perfect stop for poker players looking to play poker and have a winter vacation at the same time. 

WSOP Paradise will likely be played in December or early 2025 and will probably feature about a dozen bracelet events, including a Main Event with a substantial guarantee. 

If you are looking for an alternative to the WPT World Championship and want to play a few poker hands in a retreat-like environment, WSOP Paradise might just be it. If you plan ahead and get your logistics in order, you will likely be able to attend both festivals.

The Biggest Online Poker Tournaments Worth Your Time

Not every poker player can travel to Las Vegas or Barcelona, but the biggest online series offer prize pools that rival or exceed many live events. Here are the ones worth knowing.

PokerStars Sunday Million

The Sunday Million has run every week since 2006. With a $215 buy-in and a standard $1 million guaranteed prize pool (which increases significantly for anniversary editions), it is the benchmark for online tournament poker. I point players toward the Sunday Million as a concrete target because it has a clear buy-in, a meaningful prize pool, and a field size large enough to be challenging without being unmanageable. If you can consistently final table Sunday Millions, you are ready for live major events.

World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)

PokerStars runs the WCOOP annually with prize pools that have exceeded $100 million. The series spans multiple disciplines and buy-in levels, making it accessible to players at various stages. The Main Event alone draws hundreds of entrants at the $5,200 buy-in level. For online tournament players, the WCOOP is the closest equivalent to the WSOP in terms of prestige and breadth of events.

Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP)

The SCOOP mirrors the WCOOP in structure but runs in the spring. A key feature is the three-tier buy-in system (Low, Medium, and High), which means every event is available at different price points. The 2024 SCOOP ran with a $75 million guarantee across all events. For players who want access to a major series at stakes that match their current bankroll, the SCOOP is the most flexible entry point into high-volume championship-level online poker.

GGPoker GGMillion$

GGPoker’s weekly GGMillion$ runs at a $10,300 buy-in with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. Final table broadcasts on YouTube and Twitch feature hole card coverage, which makes it one of the best study resources available. Even if you are not playing at this level yet, watching the final table broadcasts will teach you more about ICM-driven decision-making than almost any other free resource. PokerCoaching’s own solver tool, PeakGTO (peakgto.com), is the recommended tool for studying the exact spots that come up in these final tables.

Which Poker Tournament Should You Play?

Every player I coach eventually asks some version of this question. My answer is always the same: start with the math, then layer in the experience factor.

The bankroll rule – The standard guideline for tournament players is to have 50 to 100 buy-ins in your tournament bankroll before committing to an event. That means:

• $400 WSOP Colossus: requires a $20,000–$40,000 tournament bankroll
• $1,100 WPT Prime Paris: requires a $55,000–$110,000 tournament bankroll
• $5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event: requires $265,000–$530,000
• $10,000 WSOP or WPT Main Event: requires $500,000–$1,000,000

Most recreational players reading this are not playing with a $500,000 tournament bankroll, and that is perfectly fine. The Colossus, WPT Prime-level events, and online series like the SCOOP are the right starting points. You will get better strategic experience, better long-run expected value, and you will not be putting your financial stability at risk on a single bullet.

The experience rule – If you have never played a live tournament with more than 500 entrants, do not start with the WSOP Main Event. The structure, pace, and ICM pressure in a 10,000-player field is a completely different experience from smaller events. Play smaller WSOP events, regional WPT stops, or a WSOP Circuit Main Event first. Build up to the flagship events rather than treating them as a bucket list item before you have developed the skills to navigate the late stages.

The value rule – The single best expected value tournament for most solid players is the WSOP Main Event, specifically because the field is softer relative to the buy-in than almost any comparable $10k event. If your goal is maximizing your chances of a big score relative to entry cost, the Main Event is the answer. If your goal is playing the most prestigious field or the highest quality competition, the WSOP Poker Players Championship or the Triton Series is the answer. Know what you are optimizing for before you buy in.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Biggest Poker Tournaments