The 2026 WSOP Predictions – What to Expect as the Series Kicks Off

The 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is finally here, and we are in for six action-packed weeks of tournament poker at the highest level. 

Las Vegas will play host to the crème de la crème of the poker world, with tournament pros, cash game specialists, and poker content creators all coming together for what’s often referred to as the poker players’ summer camp. 

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be paid out, 100 new WSOP bracelets will be given away, and new storylines will unfold, as established pros look to reassert their dominance and newcomers look to build up their names and enter the poker history books. 

Under the new ownership and management, the WSOP will be introducing some changes this year, although much of what makes the Series what it is will remain the same. 

That said, we took a close look at what’s coming and made a few predictions for the 2026 WSOP based on the information and evidence that’s currently available. 

The Best WSOP Coverage of All Time

The WSOP media coverage has changed over the years, transitioning from one model to the next, and moving from one TV network to another. 

In recent years, PokerGO was solely responsible for bringing us the action, and they’ve done a great job, but the majority of all content was hidden behind a paywall, and the WSOP wasn’t aimed at mainstream viewers.

This year, the WSOP returns to ESPN for the first time since 2021, and we expect the production value to go up even further, with the world’s premier sports TV station bringing unmatched expertise and experience to the table. 

To make the coverage even more epic, ESPN and WSOP’s new owners at GGPoker have put together the perfect lineup of hosts and commentators, which will include Joe Stapelton, Jeff Platt, David Williams, Maria Ho, Lon McEachren, Norman Chad, Nick Schulman, and Ali Nejad. 

This incredible group of poker commentators will take us through the 100 bracelet events (not counting the online poker events), leading up to the Main Event, which will feature a special production of its own, including a delayed final table to build the suspense and ensure optimal coverage. 

Add to that all the free coverage we are expecting to see on the various WSOP-related YouTube channels, and we are likely looking at the best WSOP coverage since the Series first kicked off in 1970. 

An Epic Player of the Year Race

For the first time in a long time, the WSOP has extended the Player of the Year (POY) race past the Las Vegas series, and will count points from all WSOPE and WSOP Paradise events as well. 

On top of that, the Series is also finally rewarding the top finishers, with the 100 players with the most WSOP POY points receiving prizes, and the top three winning valuable $100k WSOP Paradise packages for next year. 

For many tournament grinders, this added value will mean chasing the POY title makes sense from a financial aspect as well, and not just as a vanity project. 

The likes of Shaun Deeb and Jeremy Ausmus will be among the favorites to win the prestigious title, while high-volume grinders like Texas Mike may have a chance if luck is on their side. 

Last year’s POY, Shaun Deeb, has already returned to the ring with an impressive showing at WSOPE and has been taking bets on him or Texas Mike winning the POY vs any ten players you can think of. 

Whether these bets will prove to be profitable or not for Deeb remains to be seen, but it will be extremely fun tracking the results throughout the summer and keeping an eye on the frontrunners from week to week. 

Of course, the final WSOP POY decision won’t be made until the WSOP Paradise festival in December this year, but a few players are likely to build up an advantage that will put them in a prime position to win the title in the winter. 

Drama Surrounding Sponsorships and Patches

In recent weeks, we have seen a lot of drama surrounding the WSOP’s relationship with other poker operators, with ClubWPT Gold and CoinPoker among the affected competitors. 

The WSOP has changed its official policy regarding sponsorships at its events, banning players from wearing patches and merchandise that promote certain businesses. 

While some players have received approvals to wear certain patches, mostly those promoting businesses that don’t directly compete with the WSOP, pros looking to wear ClubWPT Gold or CoinPoker merch have been denied. 

While many supported WSOP and GGPoker in protecting their brand, others argued that this kind of approach may reduce the number of players across WSOP events, as many sponsored pros won’t have a chance to play in WSOP events. 

While this directly affects only a small portion of the overall player pool, many of the ones who are affected are among poker’s most prominent personalities. 

How exactly WSOP’s new policy on competitor patches will play out and affect the Series as a whole remains to be seen, but one thing that’s for sure is that it will be an ongoing storyline throughout the summer. 

“Old School” Players Proving Their Worth

For many years now, the narrative that older poker players simply can’t compete with the “GTO wizards” has been propagated. Yet, many of the world’s best poker players still come from the older generations, and many of them continue to do minimal or no solver work. 

Perhaps the best example of this is the reigning WSOP champion Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who has been around poker for decades and has never bothered to learn the “right way” to play poker. 

Instead, Mizrachi has continued to play an exploitative style of poker he knows best and has had immense success with it. Just last year, Mizrachi won both the $10k Main Event and the $50k PPC, proving GTO poker isn’t the only way to go. 

In 2026, we expect much of the same from The Grinder, but also a number of other “old guard” players like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, and many others. 

While the young pros look to dominate the NLH and PLO high rollers, the more experienced players will continue crushing in the mixed games events and the $10k Championships. 

Poker’s battle of the generations will continue for years to come, and the 2026 WSOP will be a major battlefield, giving both groups a chance to showcase their skills and prove why their approach to the game is the right one. 

The Wait Is Over

We have been making predictions, announcing the changes, and monitoring the buildup to the 2026 WSOP for months, and now the wait is finally over!

The 57th Annual World Series of Poker kicks off with Flight 1A of the $550 Mini Mystery Millions, one of the many tournaments that will give an average Joe a chance to try his luck at a WSOP bracelet. 

The next six weeks will bring endless streams of high-level poker action for the fans, and countless moments of joy and disappointment for the world’s most ambitious poker players. 

Get ready, sit back, and enjoy the world’s biggest poker show as it unfolds in real time over 100 bracelet events and thousands of hours of intense poker action.