The numbers are now in for the 2026 World Series of Poker. Across 100 live bracelet events, the festival attracted a record 251,899 entries, generated nearly $470 million in prize money, and became the second-largest WSOP ever by prize pools.
But what about the online bracelet schedule?
Running alongside the live series, the 30-event WSOP Online bracelet schedule, open to US online poker players from Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, largely flew under the radar this summer. While the live festival continued to break participation records, the online series moved in the opposite direction for a second consecutive year.
As per Poker Industry PRO, the 2026 WSOP online bracelet schedule generated $24.5 million in prize money from 43,263 entries, averaging $816,842 in prize pools and 1,442 entries per event. Tournament fees totaled approximately $2.5 million.
Those numbers represent a noticeable decline from last year. The equivalent 30-event schedule in 2025 generated nearly $30 million in prize money and attracted more than 50,000 entries, meaning prize pools fell by around 18%, with participation also dropping significantly.
Unlike the live schedule, where many marquee tournaments continued to grow, relatively few online bracelet events managed to build on last year’s momentum.
WSOP 2026 Online Bracelets – By the Numbers:
- 30 online bracelet events
- 43,263 total entries
- $24.5 million in prize money
- 8 million-dollar prize pools
- 5,185 largest field
- $1.63 million largest prize pool
- Up to $100 in free play with first deposit
- Top-quality software
- Compete for WSOP bracelets & rings
Only Eight Events Cross $1 Million
Just eight online bracelet events produced prize pools exceeding the $1 million mark.
The largest was the multi-flight $400 Mystery Bounty, which attracted 4,533 entries across all starting flights to generate a $1,631,800 prize pool. It comfortably surpassed its $1 million guarantee and ranks among the largest online bracelet tournaments ever held.
Other mystery bounty events also did well. The $555 version attracted 2,063 entries, narrowly exceeding its $1 million guarantee with a $1,031,500 prize pool.
Another standout was the $250, which also carried a $1 million guarantee. Thanks to multiple starting flights, it drew 5,185 entries, the largest field of the online series, producing $1,166,625 in prize money.
The $600 buy-in was another seven-figure event, attracting 1,872 entries for a $1,010,800 prize pool.
Interestingly, Sasha Mahabir claimed one of the online bracelets, bringing the total number of female winners in open bracelet events at this year’s WSOP to four.
High Rollers Hold Their Own
The online high rollers remained among the stronger performers on the schedule, with both marquee events comfortably clearing 200 entries.
The $3,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller attracted 345 entries, creating a $1,035,000 prize pool. Meanwhile, the $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller 6-Max Championship drew 226 entries, generating $1,130,000 in prize money.
Both comfortably exceeded the million-dollar mark despite the broader slowdown across the series.
Championship Events Produce Mixed Results
Several traditional online championship events posted respectable numbers, although few matched the scale seen in previous years.
The $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max Online Championship attracted 854 entries, producing a $768,600 prize pool. The $600 NLH Online Deepstack Championship attracted 1,289 entries for a prize pool of $696,060. The $800 PLO 6-Max Championship saw 843 runners for a total prize pool of $606,960.
Meanwhile, the online edition of the $500 Colossus drew 2,038 entries, generating $917,100 in prize money. The opening event of the schedule, the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Kickoff, attracted 1,628 entries and awarded $586,080.
Collectively, these events continued to form the backbone of the online bracelet schedule, but overall participation remained below last year’s levels.
Why Did the Online Series Decline?
The contrast between the live and online schedules is striking. The live WSOP continued to grow, setting another all-time attendance record, while the online bracelet schedule posted its second consecutive year of declining participation and prize money.
Part of the explanation may simply be visibility. Compared with previous years, the online bracelet series generated considerably less buzz throughout the summer, with much of the attention focused on the record-setting live events in Las Vegas.
There could also be bigger changes on the horizon.
WSOP Online currently operates on software supplied by 888, but that long-running partnership is believed to have reached the end of its term. WSOP has yet to announce whether the agreement has been renewed or whether a new platform will power its real money platform going forward.
If a software transition is indeed planned, this year’s online bracelet schedule may ultimately be remembered as the final one on the long-serving 888 platform.
Despite the year-over-year decline, the online bracelet series remains an important part of the WSOP ecosystem. Since online bracelets were first introduced alongside the live series back in 2015, they have awarded 151 bracelets, generated nearly $146 million in prize money, and attracted more than 220,000 entries.
Whether the series can return to growth next summer may depend not only on the tournament schedule, but also on what comes next for the WSOP Online platform itself.
