WCOOP Boot Camp 2026: 130 Events, $6.5M+ Guaranteed, Free Tickets Up for Grabs

By Pessi Lamm

3 hours ago

Pessi Lamm 3 hours ago

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130 tournaments & $6.5M+ in guarantees from August 2–17
Low buy-ins, satellites from $0.55, and both low/high-tier events
Free pro coaching + ticket giveaways every Friday via BBZ Poker

From August 2 to 17, the WCOOP Boot Camp packs 130 tournaments and over $6.5 million guaranteed. (credit: PokerStars)

Like the name implies, WCOOP Boot Camp 2026 is the August warm-up series before PokerStars' biggest annual online series kicks off on September 6. The WCOOP Boot Camp runs August 2 through 17, packing 130 tournaments and over $6.5 million in guaranteed prize pool into just over two weeks.

There's also a special coaching element included, so you know this is the official preparation for the upcoming WCOOP 2026.

WCOOP Boot Camp 2026 Buy-In Structure

Detail	Low Tier	High Tier
Events	$65	$65
Combined events	$130	130
Entry from	$2.20	Scaled per event
Satellite from	$0.55	—
Player type	Micro-to-mid rolls	High rollers
Prize share	Portion of $6.5M+	Portion of $6.5M+

The split keeps micro-stakes players and high rollers on separate money while running the exact same 65-event calendar. That $0.55 satellite entry point is the real story here, it's cheap enough to treat the whole Boot Camp as a free trial run for WCOOP, win or bust. PLO, HORSE, 8-Game, Badugi, and both 2-7 Draw formats are all on the schedule, not just Hold'em filler.

Boot Camp 2026 Schedule Offers Multiple Top Tier Tournaments

Event	Buy-in	Format	Guarantee	Date
Sunday Special (PKO)	$75	NLHE, PKO	$300K	August 2
Sunday Special (MB)	$75	NLHE, Mystery Bounty	$300K	August 9
Main Event Low	$109	NLHE	$500K	August 16
Main Event High	$1,050	NLHE	$300K	August 16

Boot Camp 2026 Main Event Numbers

Detail	Low Tier	High Tier
Buy-in	$109	$1,050
Guarantee	$500K	$300K
Date	August 16	August 16
Format	NLHE	NLHE

Both Main Events wrap on the same day, but the cheaper Low tier actually guarantees more, $500K against the High tier's $300K. Bigger buy-in doesn't automatically mean bigger prize pool here, worth remembering before assuming the High side is where the real money sits.

Pro Poker Coaching Sessions Prepares You For The WCOOP 2026

BBZ Poker runs the PokerStars Boot Camp's free training track, with Lex Veldhuis, Ben "Spraggy" Spragg, and Andy "BowieEffect" Wilson leading sessions on the BBZ Discord every Friday, 1pm-4pm CEST.

Session Date	Prize Pool	Top Prize
Friday, July 31	$1K in WCOOP tickets	$109 ticket (1st-3rd)
Friday, August 7	$1K in WCOOP tickets	$109 ticket (1st-3rd)
Friday, August 14	$1.5K in WCOOP tickets	$530 ticket (1st)

The password to each session's centroll drops mid-stream, not after. Skip the live session and the free-ticket shot is gone, replays exist on BBZ Poker but they won't hand you the password retroactively.

Proper Warm-Up Before WCOOP Kick Off

Cheap buy-ins plus coaching that pays out in actual WCOOP tickets makes Boot Camp more than filler content before the main series. Three Fridays of free coaching remain before it wraps, each one another shot at a ticket that costs nothing but showing up.

Looking for more promotions? Check out the PokerStars Promo Codes.