The BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA Las Vegas is back once again, and this year the guarantee has been increased by a cool million! Following last year’s success, the 2026 BetMGM Poker Championship will feature a $4 million guarantee, and based on the event’s ever-increasing popularity, there’s a chance the final payout might surpass $6 million.
With the BetMGM Poker Championship being the highlight of the ARIA Poker Classic summer series, action gets underway on June 29 and play continues until a winner is crowned on July 4.
As always, the buy-in will remain $3,500, but there will be two cut-price pathways for players in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan courtesy of BetMGM Poker. The first way to win a seat in the 2026 BetMGM Poker Championship is via weekly online qualifiers. Buy-ins start at $10, and there will be two weekly finals awarding multiple seats.
The second way to earn yourself a seat in the event for less is via BetMGM Poker’s online ARIA package promotion. Players can win their way to Las Vegas via daily step satellites starting at $5 that feed into package finals held multiple times per week. That package is valued at $7,200 and includes a seat in the BetMGM Poker Championship, travel, and a stay at the ARIA.
BetMGM Poker Championship Becomes Summer Staple
BetMGM Poker’s annual event has not only become a staple fixture for the ARIA Poker Classic, which runs from May 29 to July 13, but a must-play summer tournament. With traveling players in town looking for action, the BetMGM Poker Championship has gone from strength to strength since launching in 2022.
The inaugural event attracted 343 entries and paid out $1.1 million. Just three years later, the number of entries had increased to 1,853, creating a prize pool of just under $6 million. Nguyen Le etched his name in poker folklore by winning last year’s championship.
The Vietnamese pro had to channel his inner Jack Straus when his stack was chopped down to a single chip with 11 players remaining. Much like Straus did in the 1982 WSOP Main Event, Le defied the odds to rise up and win the BetMGM Poker Championship crown and $777,777 after a three-way deal.
Value and Service Appeal to Players
Buoyed by last year’s success, the team at BetMGM has upped the ante this year. With another $1 million GTD added to the pot, there’s hope the number of entries will surpass 2,000. That would push the prize pool over $6 million, making it one of the biggest non-WSOP events of the summer.
Commenting on the championship’s recent success, Sean McCormack, Executive Director of Poker Strategy & Development at MGM Resorts, described it as a “cornerstone” event.
He went on to say that the combination of value and service has made it a tournament that players want to play.
“Combining BetMGM’s online reach with our ARIA guest experience, we’ve created something that truly resonates with today’s player and the overall championship atmosphere,” McCormack added.
BetMGM Bulks Up Its Team of Ambassadors
Adding to the guest experience will be BetMGM Poker’s newest ambassador, Michael Lavin. Like many poker hopefuls, Lavin went from playing online to winning a WSOP bracelet in 2025. The American’s maiden win at the WSOP in Las Vegas earned him $267,373 and came after his winning an online bracelet in 2021.
Alongside his new teammate, Darren Elias, Lavin will represent BetMGM Poker across various channels, including live streams and social media. He’ll also be among the many poker luminaries who ante up in the 2026 BetMGM Poker Championship in Las Vegas between June 29 and July 4.
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