Best poker tournaments in 2024
Top 10 poker events in the world
Source: Betting Reporter
Have you ever wanted to play poker and win millions of dollars? Well, as it is in life, nothing is guaranteed in poker. However, there are plenty of opportunities to play for millions once you master the basics. From live events, such as the WSOP, to major online poker tournaments, you can ante up and compete against others for cash prizes. Poker is one of the most popular games in the world. Nothing beats the thrill of major poker tournaments and the big prizes that follow. Did you know the best poker tournaments have top prizes worth more than $1 million? Did you also know that you can qualify for the biggest tournaments via satellites that cost less than $1?
The comprehensive top 10 list of the biggest poker tournaments in the world:
1. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) – May to July
2. WSOP Big One for One Drop – (Usually June/July)
3. The World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship – December
4. The European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo – April to May
5. PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC) – January
6. Triton Super High Roller Series – Annual
7. PokerGO US Poker Open Final – April
8. WSOP Online Spring Circuit Main Event – March
9. PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) – November
10. PokerGO Super High Roller Bowl – October
1. The World Series of Poker (WSOP)
When it comes to high-profile poker tournaments, none of them sit higher on the totem pole than the WSOP. Otherwise known as the World Series of Poker, this summer festival lives up to its name and attracts an international audience. The first WSOP took place at Bally’s in 1970 with a handful of famous players, including Doyle Brunson. The winner was decided by a vote but, since then, the WSOP has evolved significantly.
A major reason for its growth is Chris Moneymaker. He won the 2003 WSOP Main Event as an amateur after qualifying online via a PokerStars satellite. His win resonated with the average person and, in turn, made the greatest poker tournament mainstream.
The WSOP as a whole features over 100 tournaments, covering all formats, including Pot Limit Omaha, Razz, Stud, Draw and HORSE. The star of the show is the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. The variant used is No Limit Texas Hold’em and the winner gets, on average, $10 million in prize money.
2. WSOP Big One for One Drop
The top poker tournaments don’t always attract thousands of players. Sometimes, the field can be less than 100 entrants. WSOP One Drop events fall into this category. The Big One for One drop was created by the WSOP and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.
The aim was to raise money for the One Drop charity and host a poker tournament the likes have which had never been seen before. As such, the entry fee was set at $1 million. Antonio Esfandiari won the inaugural WSOP Big One for One Drop in 2012. He banked $18.3 million, which still stands as one of the biggest ever tournament wins. Since then there have been other $1 million buy-in events, as well as spin-offs such as the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop.
3. The World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship
The WPT has always hosted some of the best poker tournaments out there. However, in 2022, it broke the mould with its inaugural $10,400 World Championship at the Wynn. The $15 million guarantee ensured pros like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey were among those who entered.
However, the reason it’s ranked among the best tournaments in poker is the number of qualifiers who anted up. The WPT hosted hundreds of satellites, which meant the field was filled with amateurs. A total of 2,960 entrants took part in the tournament. That turnout smashed the guarantee and meant the winner, Eliot Hudon, banked $4.1 million.
4. The European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo
The EPT travels to exotic locations around Europe, but none can match Monte Carlo in terms of luxury and class. The millionaire’s playground in Monaco has been an EPT stop since the tour’s inception in 2005.
EPT Monte Carlo was, for a long time, the tour’s grand finale. However, as the tour expanded, Monte Carlo became just another stop. However, as we’ve said, it’s not just another stop. Casino Monte Carlo offers a level of opulence that no other poker room can match. That’s why pros like Daniel Negreanu will still travel to play for stacks.
A number of notable players have won this €5,300 buy-in poker tournament over the years, including the first ever winner Rob Hollink and, latterly, Steve O’Dwyer. Another reason EPT Monte Carlo is ranked among the top poker tournaments is the fact it’s run by PokerStars. As such, there are hundreds of satellites costing less than $1.
5. PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC)
PokerStars has long had a love affair with the Caribbean. The PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) is a jewel in its Caribbean crown.
There are plenty of opportunities to qualify for this $25,000 tournament in the Bahamas. That’s why it routinely attracts thousands of entrants and generates prizepools topping $25 million. Aliaksandr Shylko won the PSPC in 2023 for $3.1million.
6. Triton Super High Roller Series
Triton Poker was founded by Paul Phua Richard Yong in 2015. They wanted to build an exclusive series of high-stakes events. Although everyone has the ability to enter Triton Super High Roller Series tournaments, the minimum entry fee is $10,000 and a lot of events cost $100,000+.
What’s more, there aren’t many opportunities to qualify via online satellites. Therefore, you tend to get a high concentration of pros in these tournaments. The first Triton Super High Roller Series tournament took place in 2016, and Pokercode founder Fedor Holz won it for $3 million.
7. PokerGO US Poker Open Final
The US Poker Open final marks the end of the US Poker Open series of tournaments. This tournament was founded in 2018 and, initially, cost $50,000 to enter. PokerGO now runs the event and, in 2019, the entry fee was increased to $100,000.
As it is with other top poker tournament series, there aren’t many satellites. Therefore, you tend to get a lot of famous poker pros making the final table. Stephen Chidwick won the first US Poker Open in 2018 for over $1 million. David Peters then went back-to-back in 2019 and 2021 (it didn’t run in 2020 due to COVID-19), before Sean Winter took the title in 2022.
8. WSOP Online Spring Circuit Main Event
The WSOP has branched out since its original Las Vegas event in 1970. As well as running Circuit events in locations across the US and internationally, it now offers online poker tournaments. This innovation was largely prompted by COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Through its partnership with GGPoker, the WSOP was able to keep players engaged with a series of online bracelet and Circuit ring events.
The WSOP Online Spring Circuit has remained popular ever since. Today, it offers a series-wide guarantee of more than $100 million, and its $525 main event has a $5 million prizepool. The reason it has become one of the top tournament poker offerings is the fact you can qualify for $1 and win a prestigious WSOP Circuit ring.
9. PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)
When it comes to the top poker tournaments online, WCOOP has long been up there. PokerStars’ prestigious online tournament series has been running since 2002 and, from an initial selection of nine events, there are now over 100 MTTs on the schedule.
The expansion of WCOOP has seen entry fees become more accessible to every type of player. At the lower end of the spectrum, you can buy in directly to Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, Razz, Stud, Draw and HORSE events from $109. At the top end, events such as the WCOOP main event cost $10,300 to enter.
Finally, as it always is with the best tournaments on PokerStars, there are satellites. Real-money customers have opportunities galore to win tickets for WCOOP events via freerolls, promotions and qualifiers costing less than $1.
10. PokerGO Super High Roller Bowl
There are plenty of contenders for the greatest poker tournament, and PokerGO’s Super High Roller Bowl is right up there with the best. It first played out in 2015 and cost $500,000. However, unlike a lot of top tournaments, it wasn’t open to everyone, but the invite-only format gave it a sense of occasion.
In subsequent years, the entry fee has been lowered to $300,000 and the number of entrants has been increased. What’s more, the popularity of this high roller means it’s now held in various locations around the world, and not just the US.
