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The countdown is officially on! In just five days, the 2026 Live! Poker Classic gets underway at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, bringing nearly two weeks of tournament action and more than $600,000 in guarantees to one of the East Coast’s busiest poker rooms.
Running March 18–30, the festival features 21 events inside the popular Live! Poker Room, highlighted by a $1,100 Main Event with a $300,000 guarantee.
There’s plenty of variety on the schedule as well, with low buy-in events featuring attractive guarantees, mixed-game tournaments, bounties, and multi-flighters that give players plenty of options throughout the series.
Live! Poker Classic Full Schedule
Date
Time
Event
Tournament
Buy-in
Guarantee
Wed, March 18
11:15 a.m.
1A
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Wed, March 18
2:15 p.m.
2
5-card PLO Black Chip Bounty
$400
$10,000
Wed, March 18
6:15 p.m.
1B
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Thu, March 19
10:15 a.m.
3
T.O.R.S.E.
$300
$10,000
Thu, March 19
11:15 a.m.
1C
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Thu, March 19
6:15 p.m.
1D
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Fri, March 20
11:15 a.m.
1E
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Fri, March 20
2:15 p.m.
4
Mixed Omaha (5-card PLO, PLO8, Big O)
$400
$10,000
Fri, March 20
6:15 p.m.
1F
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Sat, March 21
10:15 a.m.
5
R.O.S.E.
$400
$10,000
Sat, March 21
11:15 a.m.
1G
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Sat, March 21
4:15 p.m.
1H
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
$400
$200,000
Sun, March 22
11:15 a.m.
6
6-Max No Limit Hold’em
$400
$20,000
Sun, March 22
12:15 p.m.
1
The Player’s Championship Multi-flight
—
$200,000
Sun, March 22
3:15 p.m.
7
Quadstack Bounty
$200
$15,000
Mon, March 23
10:15 a.m.
8
Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold’em
$400
$20,000
Mon, March 23
2:15 p.m.
9
Deepstack Turbo No Limit Hold’em
$200
—
Mon, March 23
6:15 p.m.
10
Mystery Bounty No Limit Hold’em
$300
$10,000
Tue, March 24
10:15 a.m.
11
Super Seniors (60+) No Limit Hold’em
$400
$10,000
Tue, March 24
2:15 p.m.
12
4-card PLO8
$400
—
Tue, March 24
6:15 p.m.
13
Tag Team Switch No Limit Hold’em
$220
$10,000
Wed, March 25
10:15 a.m.
14
OE (Omaha 8 / Stud 8)
$400
—
Wed, March 25
11:15 a.m.
15
Deepstack No Limit Hold’em
$400
$15,000
Wed, March 25
6:15 p.m.
—
Main Event Milestone Satellite
$200
—
Thu, March 26
11:15 a.m.
16A
The Main Event
$1,100
$300,000
Thu, March 26
2:15 p.m.
17
Big O
$400
$10,000
Fri, March 27
11:15 a.m.
16B
The Main Event
$1,100
$300,000
Fri, March 27
6:15 p.m.
—
The Main Event Milestone Satellite
$200
—
Sat, March 28
11:15 a.m.
16C
The Main Event
$1,100
$300,000
Sat, March 28
3:15 p.m.
18
Women’s No Limit Hold’em
$400
$10,000
Sat, March 28
5:15 p.m.
19
Freezeout No Limit Hold’em
$400
$10,000
Sun, March 29
11:15 a.m.
16
The Main Event Day 2 Restart
—
$300,000
Sun, March 29
12:15 p.m.
20
Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em
$400
$20,000
Sun, March 29
5:15 p.m.
21
The Classic Closer Turbo No Limit Hold’em
$200
—
$300K Main Event Headlines the Schedule
The showstopper of the festival is the $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, which comes with a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Players will have three starting flights to build a stack:
Day 1A: Thursday, March 26
Day 1B: Friday, March 27
Day 1C: Saturday, March 28
All surviving players return for Day 2 on Sunday, March 29, where the remaining field will battle for the title and the largest payday of the series.
WSOP Main Event Champ Wins Last Year’s Main Event
Joe McKeehen
Last year’s Main Event attracted 360 entries, generating a $349,200 prize pool and comfortably clearing the $300,000 guarantee.
And after the last card was dealt, it was Joe McKeehen who stood tall. The 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event champion added another title to his résumé by navigating the large field and claiming the $71,100 top prize.
McKeehen closed things out by defeating Andrew Hung heads-up to secure the trophy.
Place
Player
Prize
1
Joe McKeehen
$71,100
2
Andrew Hung
$47,525
3
Jeremy Rodriguez
$34,800
4
Bruce Sattler
$25,775
5
Zachary Spergel
$19,400
6
Sara Stohler
$14,780
7
Daniel Cosner
$11,420
8
Dao Lin
$8,940
9
William Lawson
$7,110
Stay and Play at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
Players traveling for the series can stay on property at the AAA Four Diamond-rated hotel located inside Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland.
The property offers upscale accommodations, restaurants, and entertainment, making it an easy base for players planning to fire multiple events during the series. Special Live! Poker Classic room rates are available, though players are encouraged to book early to secure festival pricing.
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.
Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
