World Poker Tour (WPT®): An Internationally Televised Poker Championship

The World Poker Tour (WPT®) is a series of high-stakes poker tournaments televised worldwide, featuring both live championships and online events with real money through WPT® Global. Since the WPT® launched in 2002, it has transformed the way the game is played and broadcast worldwide.

The WPT® is best known for:

The WPT®’s ability to blend the prestige of live poker with the easy access of online play is what sets them apart from the rest.

Through WPT® Global, you can join online poker tournaments and qualify for live televised championships. A chance to truly experience the excitement of the World Poker Tour from anywhere in the world!

The World Poker Tour (WPT®) has a full calendar of tournaments catered to every type of player. Each event carries the WPT®’s signature mix of prestige and global reach, with the chance to etch your name into poker history.

The WPT® Main Tour is the flagship of the series. These high-profile events attract poker’s biggest names and feature buy-ins ranging from $3,500 to $10,000, often ending with televised final tables broadcast worldwide. Each Main Tour stop is a week-long (or longer) poker festival, with side events and satellites, all building toward the prestigious Championship Event. Main Tour stops are where champions earn life-changing payouts and coveted WPT® titles that stand among poker’s most prestigious honors.

The WPT® Prime and WPT® DeepStacks events offer competitive action at buy-ins from $500 to $2,500. These tournaments combine strong local participation with WPT®’s professional standards, making them perfect if you’re building experience. They can also serve as stepping stones to the Main Tour, offering a similar atmosphere to global competitions at a more accessible level.

The WPT® World Championship in Las Vegas is the ultimate finale of the season and takes place in December. It brings together international players and elite professionals, and offers record-breaking prize pools. The WPT® World Championship has awarded prize pools of up to $40 million, cementing its place as one of the most prestigious poker tournaments on the planet.

Through WPT® Global, you can take part in WPT® online tournaments. Buy-ins can start from as little as $5 satellites, giving anyone a shot at qualifying for WPT® Main Events, and even the televised World Championship. Online-exclusive events run all year with many different formats, ranging from multi-table tournaments to fast-paced qualifiers. The WPT® experience is now more accessible than ever due to WPT® Global.

The WPT® also partners with casinos and venues worldwide to host regional events. These events give you the chance to compete on an international stage without leaving your region. Regional and partner events can often award direct seats into larger WPT® tournaments, creating a pathway from local poker rooms to global television exposure.

The WPT® event schedule is the most coveted Poker schedule on earth. That’s why the WPT® and WPT® Global joined forces to offer affordable WPT® Global online satellites to qualify for these prestigious tournaments.

One of the greatest aspects of the World Poker Tour is that you can earn a seat. This is what truly makes it a global tour; You don’t need to be a seasoned pro or have a huge bankroll to qualify. The WPT® offers clear paths for you, whether you’re a newcomer or an elite player, to compete in its biggest events.

There are multiple ways to enter a WPT® Event:

By securing your seat by simply paying the buy-in, with Championship Events often ranging between $3,500 and $10,000.

By winning your way into the WPT® through WPT® Global online qualifiers. These start from as little as $5.

By joining qualifying tournaments hosted by partner casinos around the world.

By taking part in our exclusive WPT® Global promotions and leaderboard competitions that can award bonus seats to major events!

The multiple qualification routes available to you today highlight how much the WPT® has evolved since its early years. The scale and legacy of the tour have grown dramatically from 2002 to now.

In 2002, Steven Lipscomb founded the WPT® and introduced the groundbreaking concept of broadcasting poker tournaments with hole-card cameras. For the very first time, audiences could see the players’ cards as the action unfolded, making televised poker both dramatic and accessible for the public.

Between 2003 and 2006, the WPT® was at the heart of the “Poker Boom.” Millions of new players were inspired to join the game after watching these broadcasts, and Texas Hold’em quickly became the most popular poker variant worldwide.

The brand expanded rapidly, adding stops in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and transforming poker into a truly global competition. Along the way, the WPT® helped create many stars of the game: Gus Hansen, the winner of the very first WPT® event, along with Carlos Mortensen, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey, all became household names through WPT® coverage.

Today, the World Poker Tour has more than 20 televised seasons, hundreds of events, and countless millions in prize money awarded. It remains one of the most prestigious and influential brands in global poker.

When you compete in your first World Poker Tour event, it can be both thrilling and sometimes overwhelming. However, with the right preparation, you will be able to enjoy the experience and maybe even win a tournament!

The following tips are fundamental to guide you through your first WPT® experience:

The partnership between the World Poker Tour and WPT® Global gives you direct access to everything WPT® represents, from affordable online satellites to seats at televised Main Events. Instead of just watching poker’s biggest moments, you now have the chance to take part, starting from as little as $5 and from your own device.