Best Poker Tournaments in India and Worldwide

Poker tournaments offer the ultimate test of skill, strategy, and endurance, attracting players from around the world to compete for massive prize pools and glory. From the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP) to India’s booming tournaments like the Indian Poker Championship (IPC), these events provide higher returns, structured play, and a level playing field – making them far more rewarding than cash games.

Biggest Poker Tournaments in India

1. Poker Sports League

Poker Sports League (PSL) is the world’s first poker league organised by Pocket52, where players from all over India participate and play the qualifying rounds online on the Pocket52 app. This is followed by an auction where the 40 Leaderboard toppers of PSL get enlisted into different teams who then compete against each other to win the coveted title.

Once the auction ends, the virtual league matches start in August and go into September. During this period all the teams compete against each other in various tournaments on the Pocket52 app. The final event takes place in Goa in September, where all the players from the 7 different teams compete for the grand prize pool.

The primary objective of the PSL is to build awareness about poker in India which has roughly around 30,000-40,000 professional players in India. The main mission is to promote the tournament aspect of poker across India while maintaining international standards.

2. Indian Poker Championship

The Indian Poker Championship (IPC) is an annual poker event hosted in Goa, India, since 2010. The ‘Main Event’, which takes place once a year, is the centerpiece of IPC activities.

This year’s International Poker Championship (IPC) in Goa had a prize pool of 5 crores, an increase from the previous year’s total of 4 crores. Also in attendance was one of the world’s most prominent poker players, Dan Bilzerian.

The IPC has been offering Player of the Year honors since 2011 to the finest players, who get free entry to all IPC tournaments for the full year.

3. Deltin Poker Tournament

In 2016, the Deltin Group, one of India’s largest casino operators, and a famous online poker platform, launched the DPT. The first tournament was a financial success with a total prize fund of Rs. 1 crore. There were three more events that year with larger prize pools because of the extraordinary popularity.

The Deltin Denzong in Sikkim hosted the DPTX or PPT Xpress, a new series of poker tournaments for lower-stakes players. DPTX has a comparatively low buy-in of 15,000, and the prize pools are likewise lower, with the winners taking home anything from 3 to 10 lakhs. The DPT Colossus Super High Roller series, which includes a buy-in of $200,000 and prize pools frequently exceeding $1 million, is open to anyone who wants to wager more.

4. Baazi Poker Tour

One of India’s largest online poker sites, started BPT in 2016. The Live room of the Majestic Pride Casino, an offshore casino in Goa, hosts the tournament yearly. A total of over 5 crores in cash and prizes were awarded to the winners of the tournament’s 2019 edition, which attracted over 1300 participants. Future editions are expected to be larger and better, with four to six annual events planned for the next several years. For the premier High Roller event, the buy-ins at the BPT range from 35-50 thousand to 1 lakh.

5. National Poker Series (NPS)

A famous online poker app in India decided to organise the National Poker Series (NPS), a national level poker tournament curated for low/mid-stakes players with affordable Buy-Ins.

The inaugural NPS was held onboard Casino Pride 2 in Goa with Buy-Ins as low as ₹4,000, going up all the way to ₹25,000. The NPS is branded as the ‘Olympics of Indian Poker’ where the top three finishers of each tournament are awarded with Gold, Sliver and Bronze medals respectively.

6. World Poker Tour (WPT) India

International poker tournament brand WPT or World Poker Tour, first came to India in 2017 in collaboration with a popular online poker brand. The 2017 event was held at the Deltin Royale Casino in Goa.

WPT has been coming back to India ever since with their Asia Swing schedule of events. The last stop is onboard the Deltin Royale in Goa, where last year the main attraction was the ₹55,000 Buy-In event.

Ashish Munot came out on top among 630 entries with a career-best win of ₹63.48 Lakhs in prize money.

List of Biggest Poker Tournament Worldwide

Best Poker Tournaments Around the World

Poker’s biggest stages – WSOP, EPT, and WPT attract the best poker players around the world, offering massive prize pools and unparalleled prestige. These tournaments define champions, ready to know more about the biggest poker tournaments? Here are the best of them:

1. World Series Of Poker ( WSOP)

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is your best bet if you’re looking for a big poker event. The competition attracts tens of thousands of participants. In 1970, Benny Binion summoned seven best-known poker players to the Horseshoe Casino for a single tournament, with a defined start and end time and a winner decided by a secret vote of the seven participants. It continued to grow in popularity yearly, with more and more people participating.

Since its inception in 1970, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been regarded as the pinnacle of professional poker success. In the end, the world’s greatest poker player will be crowned.

$80,548,600 was the prize pool at the 2019 World Series of Poker Las Vegas, and the winner took home $10 million in cash. A bracelet for the winner’s house is an extra prize. With this bracelet, the world champion and best in the world player may be identified.

It’s not only the United States that hosts the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP variants are as follows:

• WSOP Las Vegas
• WSOP Online Poker
• WSOP U.S Circuit
• WSOP Europe Circuit
• WSOP International Circuit

2. World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) 

An online poker event that attracts participants from all corners of the globe is happening now. One of the biggest online poker apps is the official tournament sponsor. Every September, they host the World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament.

The World Series of Poker Online (WCOOP) began in 2002 and is the online version of the tournament. The WCOOP has a wide selection of Poker games, with Texas Hold’em being the most popular. Buy-ins and prize pools vary by game type, so players should shop around.

All three major poker variants are available: Limit, Pot-Limit poker, and No Limit. H.O.R.S.E. is an eight-player no-limit Texas Hold’em variant based on the H.O.R.S.E. card game. Poker Stars hosted 186 separate events during the 2018 World Championship of Online Poker. There were 2,044 participants in the main event of the 2018 WCOOP, and the winner took home $1,352,967,97. This year’s Main Event has a prize pool of millions of dollars. The main event’s buy-in was $5,200 in No-Limit Texas Hold’em.

3. Triton Super High Roller Series 

A number of the largest poker events are held by Triton Poker throughout the globe, including in the United States. There are various poker tournaments offered by Triton Poker.

The Triton Million poker event this year had a prize pool of $65,660,000. $33,100,000 was awarded to the winner. This is a high-stakes event attended mostly by corporate executives and seasoned telestakes participants. It’s not for everyone.

Millions of poker fans tune in each year to see the top players go head-to-head to see who can emerge victorious.

4. Big One for One Drop

A $1,000,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker event is held during the World Series of Poker, known as the “Big One for One Drop” (WSOP). It was launched in 2012 and quickly became the most expensive poker event in history and the richest single prize. One of the world’s largest poker tournaments may be attributed to the fact that the buy-in price is so high.

It’s well-known that the One Drop Foundation, founded by Cirque du Soleil creator Guy Laliberté and dedicated to water projects, receives a large portion of each Player’s buy-in during this event.

The buy-in for this particular event is one million dollars. Thus it is not for everyone. However, the competition raised substantial money for the charity One Drop-in only four years ago. It takes place between June and July as a three- or four-day event. With more than $40 million in prizes, the tournament’s champion often takes home more than $10 million.

5. World Poker Tour Championships (WPT)

WPT is a worldwide televised gaming and entertainment brand. The World Poker Tour has hosted international poker tournaments and a television series, including playdowns and final tables since it began in 2002. In terms of poker tournaments, this is by far the largest.

This year’s WPT Champions Club is open to the champions of legitimate WPT Main Tour events, which have a buy-in between $3,500 and $25,000. As a result of winning WPT Main Tour events, victors get the WPT Champions Cup, which includes their engraved names.

Winners receive prize money above $1 million. Fans across the globe tune in to watch the action unfold from their living rooms and on television. Poker tournaments for women exclusively began in 2008 with the establishment of the Women’s Professional Tour (WPT). Prize money ranges from $300 to $1500, and the average buy-in is between these two extremes.

Upcoming Major Poker Tournaments Worldwide [2024-2025]

The 2025 poker calendar is packed with high stakes action! The WSOP returns to Las Vegas, while the EPT hits iconic European cities, and the WPT brings fierce competition worldwide. Not to forget the Triton Super High Roller Series, which promises epic battles. The Aussie Millions also makes a thrilling comeback with some elite level poker.

Why Play in Poker Tournaments?

Poker tournaments have a unique appeal that makes them stand out from cash games:

• Winning Potential: Tournaments offer the opportunity to turn a small Buy-In into a massive payday. Unlike cash games, where winnings are limited to the money on the table, tournaments have escalating prize pools that can go up to life-changing sums.
• Competitive Thrill: The structured nature of tournaments, with rising blinds and increasing pressure, creates an intense and dynamic playing experience. The excitement of outlasting thousands of players to reach the final table adds to the adrenaline rush.
• Skill Development: Tournament poker requires a broader range of skills, including deep-stack play, short-stack survival, and adapting to different table dynamics as you go deeper into the event.

How to Qualify for Major Poker Tournaments

Qualifying for major poker tournaments can be done through several methods:

• Direct Buy-Ins: Players can pay the full entry fee to secure their seat in the tournament.
• Online Qualifiers: Many online poker sites host qualifying tournaments where players can win a seat at a lower cost.
• Satellite Events: These are smaller, lower Buy-In tournaments that offer the winner tickets to bigger tournaments.
• Live Casino Promotions: Some casinos run promotional events through which players can earn a seat in major tournaments.
• Sponsorships and Special Invites: Some skilled players receive sponsorships from poker brands or invites from organisers to join big tournaments.

Conclusion

Thousands of people participate in these tournaments. The main reason people widely join is because of the huge amount of cash. But some people love to participate because of the adrenalin rush. 

FAQs

1. How to win poker tournaments?

To win a poker tournament, you must practice and have a strategic approach. Read books, blogs, and forums, watch videos to understand tournament tactics, and play mindfully.

2. Which one is better: WSOP or WPT?

Anyone who can afford the WSOP’s $1,500-$50,000 buy-in range and the WPT’s $2,500-$25,000 buy-in level is eligible to participate. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) winner is known as the World Champion of Poker.

3. Does tipping the dealer in WSOP help?

To show your appreciation, it is customary to give the dealer a little tip after winning large in a real-world poker game. When playing online poker games like the World Series of Poker, you can honor this long-standing tradition by enabling this feature.