How December Became the Most Important Month for Live Poker

December arrives with all the usual signals. Trees go up. Menorahs glow. Families make plans. For years, this was the quiet corner of the poker calendar, the short stretch where the industry finally took a breath before the new year began. Not anymore.

Since the WPT World Championships burst onto the scene in 2022, the final month of the year has turned into poker’s busiest battleground, with three major festivals now fighting for attention in the space of three frantic weeks.

Those three giants are the reason December has become the most important month in live poker:

Together, they have reshaped what used to be one of the calmest periods of the year into a high-stakes fight for players, prize pools, and poker supremacy.

WPT World Championships Rewire December

The WPT World Championship was the first sign that December was about to change. The festival debuted in 2022 with a bold $15 million guarantee on the $10,400 Main Event, an unprecedented number at the time. The guarantee was crushed. Eliot Hudon topped a staggering field of 2,960 entries, winning $4,136,000 from a prize pool that swelled past $29 million.

Off the back of that success, the WPT reached even higher in 2023 with a headline-grabbing $40 million guarantee. It was an ambitious swing that came with a sting, as the tournament recorded a $2.4 million overlay. Many players suggested the rise of WSOP Paradise, launched the same year, played a role by offering a competing winter destination at the exact same time.

In 2024, the WPT posted a small but noticeable dip in its numbers for the first time, coinciding with WSOP Paradise’s aggressive push. It was enough for the WPT to adjust its approach. Beginning in 2024 and continuing in 2025, the World Championship now runs without a published guarantee, letting the event stand on the strength of its brand and returning player demand rather than a headline figure.

Even without a guarantee, it remains one of the most important tournaments of the year, stretching December 2–22 with the Main Event running December 13–21.

EPT Prague Remains a Winter Fortress Despite Competition

Long before the December turf war began, PokerStars EPT Prague held the winter slot almost uncontested. First run in 2007 and held annually outside the pandemic break, the festival has grown into one of the most reliable stops on the European circuit.

Unlike its rivals, EPT Prague has never needed guarantees on its Main Event to generate buzz. The brand’s consistency, the city’s holiday charm, and its long-standing place on the calendar have made it effectively insulated from the WPT and WSOP battle. That becomes clear in the numbers. Since returning from the COVID hiatus, the EPT Prague Main Event has broken attendance records every year since 2022.

Geography helps. Prague is perfectly positioned. Players can run deep in the December 8–14 Main Event and still make it to Las Vegas or the Bahamas in time to enter either of the other flagship tournaments. Despite being the smallest of the Big Three, its placement in the poker calendar is efficient in a way the other two are not, and that flexibility continues to pay off.

Power Play with WSOP Paradise

WSOP Paradise is the newest of the three and easily the most aggressive in its growth. The inaugural 2023 edition featured a $5,000 Main Event with a $15 million guarantee, which the series narrowly cleared by roughly $50,000.

Everything changed in 2024. Backed by GGPoker’s ownership and its deep ties to the Triton Poker, Paradise introduced the $25,000 Super Main Event with a towering $50 million guarantee. The tournament attracted 1,978 entries but still fell short by around $550,000. Even so, many believe the festival achieved its real objective. The WPT World Championship saw its first dip in attendance that year, suggesting WSOP Paradise successfully disrupted December’s balance of power.

The confidence from that push carried into this year. The 2025 Super Main Event now features a record-setting $60 million guarantee, the largest single promise in poker history. Paradise runs December 4–18, with the headline event playing December 10–18, and once again aims to stake its claim as the dominant winter series.

Despite the Bahamas’ reputation as an expensive and occasionally tricky destination, complete with the usual travel stories and customs complications, players continue to show up. Star power helps. Daniel Negreanu will be there in his role as a GGPoker ambassador, and Phil Hellmuth remains a central figure thanks to his 17 bracelets and long relationship with the brand.

It’s also worth noting that in 2026, GGPoker has moved WSOP Europe out of its traditional late-autumn slot and place it directly against the Irish Open, one of the most beloved and player-loyal festivals in the world.

The Irish Open has a uniquely strong following, built over decades, and remains a cornerstone of European poker culture. Going head to head with it is a bold move that sets up a real test for both GGPoker and PokerStars in the battle for European market dominance. How players respond to that scheduling conflict will say a lot about brand loyalty, accessibility, and the appetite for WSOP-branded events outside the summer.

The Battle for December

It matters that all three festivals perform well. When WSOP Paradise, the WPT World Championships, and EPT Prague each draw strong numbers, it shows the strength of the game. Three major stops running at the same time, across different continents, all pulling in thousands of players is not just good for operators. It is good for the entire poker ecosystem.

December no longer closes the season, it forecasts the next one. Strong fields and sustained demand, even with so much overlap, will offer a clear health check for a poker industry that now gives players more choices than ever all year round.

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).