WSOP Paradise 2026 Trip Guide: Dates, Baha Mar, Costs

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• WSOP Paradise 2026 runs December 2-17 at Baha Mar on Cable Beach in Nassau, with 20 bracelet events and $120 million in total guarantees, according to the WSOP.

• The 2025 edition was held at Atlantis Paradise Island; its Super Main Event drew 2,891 entries and a $72,275,000 prize pool, per the WSOP.

• By the WSOP’s listed buy-ins, 15 of the 20 bracelet events cost $10,000 or more, and the cheapest cost $2,750; daily side events start at $400.

• U.S. citizens need a valid passport and a return or onward ticket, and must declare $10,000 or more in currency, according to the U.S. State Department.

• All details are checked as of October 26, 2026, and the WSOP reserves the right to change any event.

CONTENTS

01What Is WSOP Paradise?

02WSOP Paradise 2026 Schedule: Dates, Events and Buy-Ins

03WSOP Paradise Packages and Where to Stay at Baha Mar

04Planning the Trip: Entry Rules, Cash and Timing

05Why Paradise Has Become the Season Finale

06The Other Side: Costs, Commitments and Changing Details

07Myths About WSOP Paradise

08Keep Reading

Many poker trips follow the same map: a flight to Las Vegas, a hotel near the Strip and a summer of tournaments. Every December, the World Series of Poker adds a second option: WSOP Paradise, a bracelet festival in the Bahamas that the WSOP says has run since 2023 and now calls poker’s winter showcase.

This guide covers what WSOP Paradise is, the 2026 dates, events and buy-ins, how the Baha Mar packages work, what U.S. visitors should know about entering the Bahamas and where the official sources disagree with each other. Schedules, prices and packages change, so every figure here is dated as of October 26, 2026 and should be confirmed on WSOP.com or the WSOP LIVE app before booking.

What Is WSOP Paradise?

WSOP Paradise is the World Series of Poker’s winter festival in the Bahamas, held each December. The WSOP’s own description says it has run since 2023, alongside WSOP Europe and approximately 50 Circuit events a year, and that its winners earn WSOP gold bracelets, the same title awarded at the series in Las Vegas.

The venue changes for 2026. The WSOP’s 2025 results page lists that edition at Atlantis Paradise Island, while the 2026 series is at Baha Mar, a resort on Nassau’s Cable Beach. The WSOP also says the 2026 Player of the Year race will be decided at Paradise, so the festival closes the season’s bracelet calendar.

Its Super Main Event has set records. According to PokerNews, the first Super Main Event in 2024 drew 1,978 entries and was won by Yinan Zhou for $6,000,000. In 2025, the WSOP reports, the $60 million-guaranteed event drew 2,891 entries for a $72,275,000 prize pool, with Austria’s Bernhard Binder winning $10 million. The WSOP called it the biggest prize pool in poker history outside the WSOP Main Event.

WSOP Paradise 2026 Schedule: Dates, Events and Buy-Ins

The 2026 series runs December 2 to 17 with 20 bracelet events, according to the WSOP, and $120 million in total guarantees. The table below lists the main events with their start dates as of October 26, 2026. Several events have multiple starting flights, so the dates show when the first flight begins and, where it differs, the span of flights.

Start dates	Event	Buy-in	Guarantee
Dec 2-3	WSOP Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty	$2,750	$5,000,000
Dec 5-7	GGMillion$ No-Limit Hold’em Championship	$10,000	$20,000,000
Dec 5	WSOP Pro-Am	$250,000	$10,000,000
Dec 5	Bahamas Big Bet Mix (Dealer’s Choice)	$5,300	$1,000,000
Dec 8	Pot-Limit Omaha Super High Roller	$100,000	$5,000,000
Dec 9	Super High Roller Open	$100,000	$10,000,000
Dec 10-14	Super Main Event (no-limit hold’em)	$26,000	$50,000,000
Dec 12	Double Board Bomb Pot PLO	$2,750	$1,000,000
Dec 14	Caribbean Colossus No-Limit Hold’em	$10,000	$2,000,000
Dec 16	The Closer	$5,300	$1,000,000
Dec 17	Last Chance in Paradise No-Limit Hold’em	$15,000	$1,000,000

The Super Main Event is the centerpiece. It carries a $50 million guarantee, lower than the 2025 event’s $60 million guarantee, and its first flight starts December 10. The WSOP’s schedule lists the buy-in at $26,000, while its headlines and Baha Mar’s own page call it the $25K Super Main Event, so players should confirm the full entry cost on WSOP LIVE.

Most events are aimed at high rollers. By the buy-ins in the WSOP’s schedule, 15 of the 20 bracelet events cost $10,000 or more, and the five that cost less range from $2,750 to $5,300. The WSOP also lists daily side events with buy-ins starting at $400, including its familiar deepstacks at 1 PM and 8 PM, and says progressive satellites with seats to the larger events start at 6 PM daily.

The WSOP Pro-Am is a new format. The $250,000 event begins with amateurs and professionals in separate fields that merge at the money bubble. According to the WSOP, professionals can register independently, while amateurs apply and a committee decides who is invited. Poker fans can follow the festival, which the WSOP says will stream daily from December 5 at 3 PM ET on its YouTube channel.

WSOP Paradise Packages and Where to Stay at Baha Mar

Baha Mar is a three-hotel resort on Cable Beach in Nassau. The WSOP describes Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, SLS Baha Mar and Rosewood Baha Mar, with roughly 3,000 feet of beach, more than 45 restaurants, bars and lounges, a casino with more than 1,000 slot machines and 119 live gaming tables, and the 15-acre Baha Bay water park. The WSOP adds that Paradise players can get exclusive rates at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and at Breezes Bahamas, subject to availability.

The WSOP sells two early-bird packages tied to heavy spending. The $100K Paradise Package offers a 16-night stay from December 2 to 18 in a Baha Mar Deluxe Room with resort fees included, with a $5,000 deposit due by October 31. The $300K VIP Package offers a suite, a VIP fast-track meet at the gate, round-trip SUV transfers and a $1,000 hotel room credit, with a $10,000 deposit due by the same date. Both require playing GGMillion$ Day 1A and Super Main Event Day 1A, and meeting a minimum of $100,000 or $300,000 in tournament buy-ins.

The packages carry conditions. The WSOP says deposits are released only once all requirements are met, and that it can keep the deposit or charge for hotel and other benefits if a player falls short. A different benefit exists for 2026 WSOP Circuit ring winners: each earns a $5,000 Paradise package with a seat in the $2,750 Circuit Championship Mystery Bounty and accommodations, as covered in how WSOP Circuit rings and stops work.

Buy-ins can be paid several ways. The WSOP lists credit and debit cards, PayPal, ACH, an approved payment partner, approved cryptocurrency options through WSOP LIVE, bank wire through a front money application with Baha Mar, and the cash desk at the venue. It also says up to 5 percent of buy-ins is withheld for staff and operational costs.

Planning the Trip: Entry Rules, Cash and Timing

U.S. citizens need a passport and a return or onward ticket. The U.S. State Department says a passport must be valid on entry and for the entire stay, with two blank pages, and that a tourist visa is not required. Its pages give different limits for visa-free stays, one month or less on the travel advisory and 90 days on the country information page, while Bahamas Immigration lists eight months for U.S. citizens. All of those cover a 16-day series, but travelers should check the current official page for their citizenship.

Large amounts of cash must be declared. According to the State Department, visitors must declare currency and other negotiable instruments of $10,000 or more on entry and on exit. That is relevant to anyone planning to carry buy-in money.

Local practicalities are simple but specific. The State Department says the Bahamas follow Eastern Time, the same as Washington, D.C. in winter, and that driving is on the left. It also says marijuana and all products with its derivatives, including CBD, are not legal there, and that firearms and ammunition are illegal, including small quantities brought by mistake in luggage.

Planning a trip around the series works best from the schedule backward. A player targeting the Super Main Event has flights starting December 10, and a player only interested in the opening Circuit Championship has a December 2 start, so the choice of arrival date follows the target event. For comparison with the summer series, see planning a trip to the World Series in Las Vegas.

Why Paradise Has Become the Season Finale

It gives the poker calendar an international finish. The WSOP says the festival decides the Player of the Year race and brings together players who earned seats through Circuit rings and satellites. The Circuit’s ring system feeds the opening Circuit Championship.

It also shows how the WSOP has grown beyond Las Vegas. The WSOP says it dates back to 1970; see the story of Binion’s Horseshoe for its original Las Vegas home and what a day at the Main Event is really like for the routine at its flagship event. Paradise adds a destination format in which the resort, the hotel packages and the tournament schedule are sold together.

The Other Side: Costs, Commitments and Changing Details

Most of the schedule is priced for professionals and wealthy amateurs. With 15 of 20 events at $10,000 or more, and package deposits tied to $100,000 and $300,000 in buy-ins, a Paradise trip can cost far more than a typical Circuit stop. The $120 million in guarantees is a total across the festival, not a typical outcome for any one player.

Winning is the exception. The 2025 Super Main Event had 2,891 entries and one champion, and prize pools are built from entrants’ own money after the WSOP withholds up to 5 percent. Players should set a budget for the entire trip and never risk money needed for essential expenses.

Official details can disagree and change. The WSOP lists the Circuit Championship at $2,750 on its schedule but calls it a $2.5K event in a headline, labels the Super Main Event $25K in headlines and $26,000 in its schedule, and numbers it differently in its August press release and its schedule page. The WSOP reserves the right to cancel, change or modify any event without notice.

Rules differ by place. Legal age and the legality of real-money poker vary by jurisdiction, and visitors should check the rules that apply to them and to the venue before they travel.

Myths About WSOP Paradise

Myth: WSOP Paradise is held at Atlantis. The 2025 edition was at Atlantis Paradise Island, according to the WSOP, but the 2026 series is at Baha Mar.

Myth: Anyone can buy into the headline events with a small bankroll. The WSOP’s own schedule shows that 15 of 20 events cost $10,000 or more, although daily side events start at $400 and satellites offer another route in.

Myth: The Super Main Event guarantee is bigger than last year’s. The 2026 guarantee is $50 million, according to the WSOP, while the 2025 event was guaranteed $60 million and ended with a $72,275,000 prize pool.

Keep Reading

For the rest of the WSOP travel picture, the articles linked above cover the Las Vegas series, the Circuit, the Main Event routine and the Horseshoe, which show how a Vegas tradition grew into a year-round travel calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is WSOP Paradise 2026?

WSOP Paradise 2026 runs December 2 to 17, 2026, at Baha Mar in Nassau, the Bahamas, according to the WSOP. The festival has 20 bracelet events and $120 million in total prize guarantees. Dates and events can change, so check WSOP.com.

Where is WSOP Paradise 2026 held?

The 2026 series is at Baha Mar on Cable Beach in Nassau, according to the WSOP and Baha Mar. The 2025 edition was held at Atlantis Paradise Island, so players using older guides should check that they have the current venue.

How much is the WSOP Paradise Super Main Event?

The WSOP’s schedule lists a $26,000 buy-in, while its headlines and Baha Mar call it the $25K Super Main Event. It carries a $50 million guarantee, and its first flight starts December 10, as of October 26, 2026.

Do U.S. citizens need a visa for the Bahamas?

No tourist visa is required, according to the U.S. State Department, but a valid passport and a return or onward ticket are. Visitors must also declare $10,000 or more in currency. Check current entry rules before traveling.

Are there cheaper events at WSOP Paradise?

Yes, but they are limited. By the WSOP’s schedule, five of the 20 bracelet events cost under $10,000, from $2,750 to $5,300, and daily side events start at $400. Progressive satellites also offer seats to larger events.

Who won the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event?

Austria’s Bernhard Binder won $10 million after beating France’s Jean-Noel Thorel heads-up, according to the WSOP. The event drew 2,891 entries and a $72,275,000 prize pool at Atlantis Paradise Island.