When WSOP officials unveiled the first half of the Circuit schedule in December, one notable absence stood out: Toronto. While Quebec poker players have the WSOP Circuit stop at Playground in Kahnawake (just south of Montreal) to look forward to, there was no mention of a Toronto leg.
Pokerfuse understands that the individual who had been overseeing the WSOP Circuit’s Toronto stop has since parted ways with Great Canadian Casino Resort, and a replacement has yet to be appointed. Despite this, pokerfuse has been told that WSOP is expected to return to Toronto in the second half of the year, sometime between June and December, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
Last year’s Toronto stop took place in April and delivered a strong showing, with millions paid out in prize money. As a quick refresher, the 2025 WSOP Toronto ran from April 10–22, 2025, at the Great Canadian Casino Resort, the same venue where GGPoker serves as the official sponsor of the poker room.
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2025 Edition Smashed Projections
The festival featured 11 ring-awarding events, with buy-ins ranging from C$300 to C$3,500. Several new events were added to the schedule, including a C$300 Ladies Event, a C$400 Seniors Event, and a two-day C$800 Mystery Bounty tournament.
The total prize pool was projected to surpass CAD 6.5 million, a target that was comfortably exceeded. By the end of the series, more than CAD 7.5 million had been paid out. The Main Event was the clear centerpiece, boasting a C$2,000 buy-in and an estimated C$3 million prize pool across three starting flights. It ultimately attracted 2,139 entries, smashing expectations and generating a final prize pool of C$3,740,000.
Pengxiang R claimed the lion’s share of that prize pool, winning the Main Event and pocketing C$510,245. One notable run came from Joe Balsano, who qualified online for just $50 and finished fifth, earning C$136,292.
Official sponsor GGPoker played a major role in driving participation, running online satellites for weeks with buy-ins starting as low as C$1. In total, the operator sent 416 qualifiers to the WSOP-C Toronto Main Event, each seat valued at C$2,000. Of those, 411 qualified through GGPoker Ontario, available exclusively to Ontario players, while the remaining five earned their entries via GGPoker’s global platform, which hosted qualifiers for players outside Ontario looking to play online poker in Canada.
Strong turnout extended well beyond the Main Event. The opening C$600 NLH attracted more than 800 entries and generated close to C$400,000 in prize money. The C$300 Ladies Event drew nearly 250 entries, creating a prize pool just shy of C$60,000.
The third event on the schedule, a C$1,000 NLH, produced a field of 847 runners and a C$719,950 prize pool. That was followed by a Turbo event that recorded 619 entries and nearly C$200,000 in payouts.
The C$800 Mystery Bounty proved popular as well, pulling in 887 entries for a total prize pool of C$585,420. The C$400 Seniors Event attracted 540 entries and paid out C$172,800, while the C$600 Pot-Limit Omaha event saw 614 entries and pushed the prize pool beyond C$300,000.
In total, the series generated 7,626 entries and paid out more than C$7.5 million across 11 ring events.
By comparison, the inaugural 2024 edition drew over 6,000 entries and awarded more than C$5.5 million across eight ring events. That first year came with its share of growing pains, including long queues, late registration cutoffs, and higher rake. Many of those issues were addressed in 2025, though some concerns remained, such as registration fees for players registering online.
Awaiting Official Word on Toronto’s Return
Despite these hiccups, Toronto has established itself as a popular WSOP Circuit stop and one that Ontario poker players eagerly anticipate. For now, no official announcement has been made, but all signs point toward a return later this year.
In an exclusive interview last year ahead of the event, casino officials told pokerfuse, “[W]e have an exclusive partnership with [GGPoker], making GC Toronto the sole destination in Ontario for hosting WSOP events, including Circuit Rings and Bracelet events.”
“We are actively in discussions with GGPoker about future plans for WSOP-C Toronto. While we don’t have specific details to share at this moment, our goal remains to provide premier poker experiences in Toronto and continue growing the event in the years to come.”
Meanwhile, the WSOP 2026 Circuit stop at Playground in Kahnawake, Quebec, is set to run from March 23 to April 7, 2026, with the full schedule expected to be announced shortly. GGPoker will once again offer online satellites, available both to Ontario players and to those elsewhere in Canada outside the province.
