2025 WPT World Championship Schedule Sees Mixed Games Elevated to the Next Level

The schedule for one of the most important poker festivals of the year has been announced: the WPT World Championship. The 2025 edition will be held for the fourth consecutive year at the Wynn Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from December 2-22. A total of 78 events will be played: 53 trophy tournaments and 25 satellites for the most marquee events.

The most anticipated tournaments will be the traditional $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, the $5,000,000 guaranteed WPT Prime Championship, and the $250,000 guaranteed Ladies Championship. There will also be Mystery Bounty events, Seniors events, and a $25,000 buy-in High Roller.

This year, there will be 11 Pot Limit Omaha and 5-Card PLO tournaments. It’s worth noting that all of the festival’s tournaments, except for the WPT World Championship and the High Roller, will feature guaranteed prize pools, totaling nearly $20,000,000.

Mixed game fans, in particular, will be in for a treat, as they will have 13 events to choose from on the schedule, including: H.O.R.S.E., T.O.R.S.E., Limit Omaha 8, 2-7 Mixed Limits (NL Single Draw, PL Double Draw, Limit Triple Draw), Mixed Triple Draw (2-7, A-5, Badugi), Big O, and Limit Omaha 8/Stud 8. Buy-ins for these tournaments range from $600 to $1,600 while Championship events will have guaranteed prize pools of $150K apiece.

“The WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas continues to evolve and has become a must-attend event for players” said World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska. “From satellites, to new marquee mid-stakes tournaments, to high rollers, players will find tremendous value, along with an unmatched atmosphere and experience at one of the world’s premier venues.”

Let’s look at a comparison between this year’s schedule and last year’s:

Highlights of the 2025 WPT World Championship

These are the festival’s most notable tournaments:

No Limit Hold’em: 

• NLH with $1M Guaranteed and $800 buy-in: From December 2nd to 6th.
• Mystery Bounty with $1M Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: From December 5th to 7th.
• WPT Prime Championship with $5M Guaranteed and $1,100 buy-in: From December 7th to 12th. Final table: December 20.
• NLH with $1M Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: December 12 and 13.
• WPT World Championship with $10,400 buy-in: From December 13th to 19th. Final table: December 21.
• Ladies Championship with $250K Guaranteed and $1,100 buy-in: December 13 and 14.
• NLH with $2M Guaranteed and $1,100 buy-in: From December 16th to 18th.
• NLH with $3M Guaranteed and $3,000 buy-in: From December 18th to 20th.
• Seniors Championship with $500K Guaranteed and $1,100 buy-in: From December 18th to 20th.
• Mystery Bounty with $1M Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: From December 20th to 22th.
• Seniors High Roller with $500K Guaranteed and $10K buy-in: From December 20th to 22th.
• High Roller with $25,800 buy-in: December 17 and 18
• High Roller with $25,800 buy-in: December 18 and 19

Pot Limit Omaha:

• Mystery Bounty with $500K Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: December 7 and 8.
• PLO 5-Card with $250K Guaranteed and $3,000 buy-in: December 9th.
• Progressive Bounty with $250K Guaranteed and $3,000 buy-in: December 15th.

Mixed Games:

• Limit Omaha 8 Championship with $150K Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: December 16 and 17.
• H.O.R.S.E. Championship with $150K Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: December 17 and 18.
• T.O.R.S.E. Championship with $150K Guaranteed and $1,600 buy-in: December 18 and 19.

You can see the complete schedule with all the tournaments and satellites at this link.

WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage is Excited

What do you think of the 2025 WPT World Championship event schedule?

I’m really excited for this year’s schedule. The management of the Wynn, specifically Ryan Beauregard and Ray Pulford have worked hard to make sure it has something for everyone. From big buy-in championship events to more accessible tournaments that give recreational players a shot at the big stage. Balance is key and I’m happy it feels inclusive while still offering the highest level of competition.

What factors were taken into account when planning the events?

The main factors it looks like they used are player feedback, game variety, and overall flow of the festival. If you look at how events fit together so players can jump from one to the next without overlap hurting participation. They also factored in international appeal, bankroll diversity, and formats that are trending with so events the Wynn has made famous. At the end of the day, the goal is a schedule that excites both the pros and the recreational players.

We see that several PLO and 5-card PLO tournaments have been added. Was this at the player’s request?

It wasn’t a request. Just trying to make a well rounded schedule and Ryan noticed both PLO and 5 card are a growing segment, just like mixed events. 53 trophy events over 21 days ensures an action-packed festival.

Three T.O.R.S.E. tournaments will be held. Do you think it’s a format that’s gaining more followers?

T.O.R.S.E. has gained popularity because I believe triple draw fits better in that mix than limit holdem. My personal favorite has always been TOE but razz and stud are great games, too.

Do you think Brad Owen and Michael Mizrachi’s wins in H.O.R.S.E. tournaments might bring more players to those types of tournaments?

Yes, without question. When guys like Brad and “The Grinder” win H.O.R.S.E. events, it shines a spotlight on those formats. Brad brings in huge followings through his vlogs, and Mizrachi is a legend in mixed games. Their success helps newer players see that these formats aren’t just for specialists — they’re fun, competitive, and part of poker’s rich tradition.

Matt at the 2024 WPT World Championship / Photo: World Poker Tour

Many players have never played mixed games tournaments. What reasons would you give them to encourage them to play?

I think mixed games sharpen your overall poker skills. You get better at hand reading, adjusting strategies, and learning patience. They also are more social in my opinion, you’ll find the mixed game tables are often the most fun because everyone’s a little out of their comfort zone. And, importantly, the edges are bigger, if you study even a little, you can gain an advantage in fields where players are still learning.

What advice would you give to those who want to learn to play mixed games? What formats do you think are easy to start with?

Start small and focus on formats that are closest to hold’em. Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo are great entry points because you’ll recognize betting patterns, but you’ll also learn split-pot dynamics. Most importantly, jump in and play, you’ll learn quickly by experience.

What makes the WPT World Championship festival so special and sets it apart from other festivals?

The scale, the experience, and the community. Together with Wynn Las Vegas, I believe we’ve built this festival into one of the premier poker events in the world. Not just because of the prize pools, but because of the atmosphere. It’s not just a series of tournaments, it’s a celebration of poker and the culmination of the WPT season. From the player parties to the production value, and of course the world class venue, to me it feels like the pinnacle of poker festivals.

Ryan Beauregard Heralds a Great Mix on Tap

We also spoke with Wynn’s Executive Director of Poker Operations Ryan Beauregard to get his take on the enhanced slate of mixed game offerings on the 2025 WPT World Championship schedule.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of mixed game tournaments on the WPT World Championship schedule this year. How was it decided which (new) variants to include and at which price points? 

Our Tournament Director, Ray Pulford, is consistently receiving feedback from players, and we do our best to make adjustments for the next series to meet demand. The player pool is growing as traditional NLH players are being exposed to mix events, either online or live.  This seems to have created an interesting “mix” of old school HORSE and O8-type players with newer players that like the action of draw games. I think that is the reason TORSE is doing very well, as are the draw variants. We did our best to offer a wide variety of events that have proven popular. We also tried something new with the 2-7 Mixed Limit (NL Single Draw, PL Double Draw, and Limit Triple Draw). I’m not sure anything like this has been done before, so the structure is proving to be a work in progress for Ray and the tournament team, but it will be new and unique!

Mixed games are obviously a growing niche within poker, so it makes sense that Wynn and WPT want to cater to this “emerging” player pool. What would you say Wynn’s short and longer-term goals are — qualitatively and quantitatively — as far as the mixed game tournaments on offer this year?

I want to support the games that our guests want to play. We can all be thankful for the No Limit “boom”, but if we are seeing a trend of NLH players dabbling in new (or old, depending on perspective) formats, we have to evolve to support that by providing more events to play.

We are already seeing a measurable increase in cash game action and, thanks to a dedicated effort from a core group of players as well as one seriously dedicated Wynn Floor person (who organizes the game schedule), we are now hosting mixed cash games seven days a week.

In my opinion, we are in a time where mixed events are transitioning from secondary events, i.e., smaller side events, to field sizes that could rival a NLH event for any given day. When we have an opportunity to string mixed game tournaments together for a prolonged period it’s like hosting a series within a series. Now, dedicated mixed game players will travel and support the entirety. NLH players will also pick and choose the events they prefer around their NLH schedule. This creates the larger fields and prize pools, and that’s what we are looking for to tell us if we’re on the right track come the WPT World Championship this December.

WPT World Championship: Past Champions

These were the last winners of the WPT World Championship at the Wynn in Las Vegas:

Who will be this year’s champion and add their name to the prestigious Mike Sexton Champions Trophy? 🏆