Last updated: July 2026
If you’re still running the same poker campaigns in July that you ran in March, you’re leaving money on the table.
Poker tournament series don’t just boost traffic — they’re the single biggest conversion events on the affiliate calendar. Major online series drive 30% to 50% of annual tournament FTDs for affiliates who time their campaigns right, according to Track360’s 2026 affiliate playbook. That’s not a marginal bump. That’s the difference between a flat month and your best month of the year.
Paynura already published the summer sports affiliate calendar for sportsbook campaigns. This is the poker equivalent — a campaign-planning timeline built for affiliates who want to capture tournament traffic instead of chasing it after the fact.
The back half of 2026 is packed. WSOP Online wraps in July. Battle of Malta Online runs through August. WCOOP — the biggest online series of the year — lands in September. Then EPT Prague and the WPT World Championship close out December in a two-continent double-header.
This poker tournament affiliate calendar for 2026 maps it all out. Below are the eight series worth building campaigns around, with exact dates where confirmed, the traffic spikes to expect, and the commission model most likely to maximize your earnings for each one.
1. WSOP Las Vegas (May 26 – July 15, 2026): The main event window is where the money lives
The WSOP in Las Vegas is already underway as you read this — but the most valuable conversion window is still open.
Here’s what matters for affiliates:
Dates: May 26 through July 15. The $10,000 Main Event runs July 2-13, with the final table playing out August 3-5 under ESPN cameras.
Traffic spike: One hundred bracelet events across seven weeks. The Main Event alone drives a global traffic surge — satellite qualification traffic begins 8-10 weeks before Day 1A. ESPN coverage extends the conversion tail into August, and every satellite player who doesn’t qualify this year starts searching for next year’s path within weeks.
What converts: WSOP satellite content. Players searching for “how to qualify for the WSOP Main Event” are intent-heavy — they’re actively looking for a path in. Content that goes live by early May captures the full qualification funnel. Content that drops in late June fights for already-committed players.
Which commission model makes sense here?
RevShare. Twenty-five to thirty-five percent of rake — that’s the play. The Main Event window attracts recreational players who keep playing cash games and smaller tournaments for months afterward. CPA alone gets you the upfront conversion, but it leaves the entire post-WSOP retention tail on the table. If you’re promoting a brand with a tiered RevShare structure, a strong July can bump you into a higher bracket for Q3.
Promote by: Mid-May for satellite content. Late April if you’re building SEO pages that need time to rank.
2. WSOP Online 2026 (May 30 – July 14): 30 bracelets, no plane ticket required
Not everyone can fly to Vegas. That’s where WSOP Online comes in — and it’s a different affiliate opportunity entirely.
Dates: May 30 through July 14, 2026. Thirty online bracelet events across Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — the four regulated US markets — with combined guarantees exceeding $7 million, per the official Caesars Entertainment schedule release. Buy-ins range from $215 to $5,300.
Traffic spike: US-only but highly concentrated. The Mystery Bounty events routinely draw 3,000-plus entries. The $5,300 High Roller events — with live final tables played at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas — generate real media coverage. Players who can’t make it to Nevada still want a bracelet.
What converts: Schedule content and qualification guides. “WSOP Online 2026 schedule”, “how to qualify for WSOP Online”, “WSOP Online bracelet events” — these are the high-intent searches.
The commission recommendation here is different from the live WSOP: go hybrid. CPA in the $100-150 range plus a 20% RevShare tail, based on Track360’s affiliate commission benchmarks. The regulated US market carries higher player value per acquisition, and the player who deposits for WSOP Online in June tends to stick around for the fall tournament schedule. Capture the upfront conversion and the retention both.
Promote by: Late April. WSOP Online satellites start early, and content ranking for schedule queries needs lead time.
3. Battle of Malta Online Series (July 12 – August 3): Crypto poker’s $30M summer festival
This is the biggest crypto-native poker series of the summer — and it runs on CoinPoker, a named Paynura partner brand.
Dates: July 12 through August 3, 2026. Hosted on CoinPoker. Thirty million dollars guaranteed across 77 trophy events, according to Pokerati’s series coverage. The Main Event carries a $565 buy-in with a $2.5 million guarantee. One hundred live packages to the autumn Malta festival are up for grabs.
Traffic spike: The $215 CoinMillion ($1 million GTD) kicks off opening weekend. This series appeals to the crypto-savvy player demographic that traditional affiliates often overlook — and that’s exactly why the opportunity is bigger than it looks. Less keyword competition, same conversion intent.
What converts: Crypto-poker content has lower SEO competition than mainstream poker. “CoinPoker bonus”, “Battle of Malta Online schedule”, “best crypto poker sites” — you can rank for these with less investment than the equivalent PokerStars keywords.
RevShare is the right model here. Crypto poker players show longer retention curves — deposit and withdrawal friction is lower, no bank holds, no payment-processor delays. The 150% welcome bonus up to $2,000 on CoinPoker creates a strong conversion hook. And because CoinPoker sits on the Paynura poker dashboard, you manage the entire campaign from one place — no separate login, no separate reporting.
Promote by: Mid-June. Get content live before the WSOP Online crowd turns its attention to the next big series.
4. EPT Barcelona (August 16–29): Europe’s biggest late-summer live stop
EPT Barcelona is the first major European live festival after the summer break. It captures the post-WSOP energy — and it feeds directly into WCOOP traffic in September.
Dates: August 16-29, 2026, at Casino Barcelona. The EPT Main Event costs €5,300. The EPT Super High Roller sits at €100,000. The PokerStars Open Main Event (€1,650) runs August 16-22 as a standalone festival-within-the-festival, per the CardPlayer schedule database.
Traffic spike: Historically 2,000-plus Main Event entrants. Satellite traffic on PokerStars builds for 6-8 weeks before the series. The European recreational player base wakes up after the summer lull — this is the re-entry point for a huge segment of the market.
What converts: Satellite guides, Barcelona travel content for poker players, and schedule breakdowns. Players searching for “EPT Barcelona satellites” are pre-qualification — they want to play, they just need a path.
RevShare through the PokerStars affiliate program — 15-35% tiered, rake-based — is the play. But here’s why it matters beyond the series itself: the EPT-to-WCOOP pipeline is real. Players who qualify for and play EPT Barcelona come back to PokerStars for WCOOP in September. Promote Barcelona satellites, and the same players convert again four weeks later. That’s two commissions from one acquisition funnel.
As we covered in the guide to promotional periods in iGaming, promotional periods move fast — and affiliates who react too late usually miss the biggest conversion window.
Promote by: Early July. EPT satellite content and Barcelona travel and poker guides need to rank before the research window opens.
5. WCOOP 2026 (Expected September–October): The biggest online series of the year
This is the one. If you only build one campaign on this entire calendar, build it for WCOOP.
Dates: PokerStars hasn’t confirmed the 2026 dates yet. Based on the 2025 pattern — September 7 through October 1 — expect a similar late-August or early-September kickoff. The 2025 edition set the benchmark: $65 million guaranteed across 378 tournaments, with buy-ins from $5.50 to $25,000.
Traffic spike: The single largest online poker traffic event of H2. Three-tier Main Events — Low, Medium, High — run on the final Sunday. The $10,300 High Main Event alone guarantees north of $4 million. WCOOP draws players who don’t play any other online series all year. This is the flagship.
What converts: WCOOP schedule content, satellite guides, and bankroll-building strategy. “WCOOP 2026 schedule”, “how to qualify for WCOOP”, “WCOOP satellites” — these are the money keywords. They’re fiercely competitive by September. You want to be ranking in August.
RevShare — PokerStars’ 15-35% tiered structure — is the default, and for good reason. WCOOP players are the highest-LTV online players in poker. The tiered structure is what makes this especially interesting: more FTDs during the September spike push you into a higher RevShare bracket that compounds for the rest of the quarter. If you’re driving serious volume, negotiate a hybrid deal with your affiliate manager that rewards the September spike separately from your baseline.
One caveat: if you’re on a RevShare deal with negative carryover — where a big WCOOP winner’s withdrawal wipes out your commission — you already know the risk. We covered how to avoid negative carryover in detail — check your terms before WCOOP season. Check your terms before WCOOP season.
Promote by: Early August. SEO competition for WCOOP keywords is fierce by September — content that ranks in August captures the research-phase traffic. If PokerStars runs a WCOOP Boot Camp or Warm-Up series again, that’s an even earlier entry point.
6. WPT Prime Cyprus (October 15–19): The $1M mid-stakes sweet spot
Not every tournament series needs a $10K Main Event to be worth your time. The mid-stakes arena is where volume lives — and WPT Prime Cyprus is a textbook example.
Dates: October 15-19, 2026, at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino in Cyprus. $1,100 buy-in, $1 million guaranteed, five starting flights, and a livestreamed final table.
Traffic spike: The $1,100 price point opens the door to a much broader player base than high-roller events. Cyprus is established poker-tourism territory — travel and satellite content converts naturally. WPT Global is a named Paynura partner — promote WPT Prime through WPT Global, and manage the campaign directly from your dashboard.
What converts: Satellite qualification content, Cyprus poker travel guides, WPT Global deposit and bonus guides.
A CPA-plus-RevShare hybrid fits best here. The $1,100 buy-in means higher conversion volume at lower acquisition risk. Per Track360’s commission benchmarks, a hybrid in the $75-100 CPA range plus a 20% RevShare tail is realistic for mid-stakes live-event traffic. Tournament-leaderboard CPA — $30 to $150 per qualifying entry — also works well for Prime-style events where satellites drive a large share of total entries.
Promote by: Early September. Content needs to rank before the satellite qualification window opens.
7. Triton Super High Roller Series Northern Cyprus (November 15–28): High stakes, high commissions
Triton is a different game entirely. You’re not chasing volume here — you’re chasing per-player value.
Dates: November 15-28, 2026, in Northern Cyprus. Buy-ins range from $20,000 to $200,000. The exact event schedule is still TBD — Triton’s Jeju II stop (September 4-21) has the full schedule published, and Northern Cyprus details will follow. This is Triton’s 10th anniversary season.
Traffic spike: Completely different player profile from everything else on this calendar. High-net-worth individuals, not volume grinders. Smaller field sizes but vastly higher rake per player. Media coverage and stream viewership spike during Triton stops — there’s brand-awareness value here even if your direct conversions are low volume.
What converts: High-roller content, player profiles, Triton previews, and Cyprus luxury travel content. The SEO competition for Triton keywords is lower than for mainstream series — you’re competing with poker media outlets, not a hundred other affiliates.
RevShare is the only model that makes sense here, and it’s not close. One Triton-level player generating $50,000-plus in rake at 25-35% RevShare outperforms dozens of micro-stakes CPA conversions. This is quality over quantity — position your content for the VIP and wealthy-player demographic. Even two or three Triton-level referrals can change your monthly numbers.
Promote by: Early October. Less urgency than WCOOP, but you want to be live before the poker media cycle shifts to Triton coverage.
8. EPT Prague + WPT World Championship (December 2–21): The year-end double-header
December delivers the two biggest live festivals of Q4 — running simultaneously on two continents. This is the year-end close-out. It’s also the best negotiating window you’ll get with your affiliate managers all year.
Dates: EPT Prague runs December 2-13, 2026, at King’s Casino Prague (€5,300 Main Event). The WPT World Championship runs December 2026 at Wynn Las Vegas ($10,400 Main Event, exact dates TBA — the 2025 festival ran December 2-22 with the Main Event December 13-21). Both festivals overlap and together dominate the entire month.
Traffic spike: Combined, these two festivals draw 3,000-4,000-plus Main Event entrants. The 2025 WPT World Championship alone generated an $18.2 million prize pool. End-of-year FOMO drives late registration and satellite traffic all through November.
What converts: EPT Prague satellite content, WPT World Championship qualification guides, Vegas winter poker travel content. Promote both series together — players who can’t make Prague often pivot to Vegas, and vice versa.
RevShare for both. PokerStars for the EPT side (15-35% tiered), WPT Global for the WPT side — both available through the Paynura dashboard. Here’s why December matters beyond the raw traffic: December FTDs show above-average retention. Players who deposit during holiday-season promotions tend to stay active through Q1. The year-end double-header is also the ideal moment to negotiate a Q4 performance bonus with your affiliate manager — walk into that conversation with your November and December numbers, and you’ve got leverage.
Promote by: Late October. November is the satellite and planning window. Content that ranks by early November catches qualification traffic for both festivals simultaneously.
Build your H2 calendar before the traffic does
H2 2026 isn’t light. It’s eight major tournament series stacked back-to-back — and the affiliates who plan their poker tournament affiliate calendar now, not the week before each series starts, are the ones who capture the spike instead of the leftover tail.
That’s the real lesson from the 30-50% stat. The traffic is there. The question is whether your content is live in time to catch it.
At Paynura, you get access to 15-plus poker brands — including CoinPoker, WPT Global, Champion Poker, QQPK, and Phenom Poker — all through a single partnership. No more logging into six different affiliate dashboards to track tournament campaigns across different operators. When a new series drops and the promo terms are available to approved partners before they hit the public site, you’re already positioned.
Join Paynura today and build your H2 poker calendar from one dashboard.
Let’s talk — Telegram @paynura.
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest poker tournaments for affiliates to promote in 2026?
WCOOP is the single largest online series of H2 — it drives more traffic and higher-LTV players than any other online poker event. On the live side, the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and the year-end EPT Prague / WPT World Championship double-header are the biggest conversion opportunities. For affiliates targeting specific demographics, Battle of Malta Online (crypto players) and Triton (high-net-worth players) offer lower competition and strong per-player value.
How far in advance should affiliates start promoting a poker tournament series?
For major online series like WCOOP and WSOP Online, start six to eight weeks before the first event. Content needs time to rank — pages that go live in September for a September series compete in an already-saturated SERP. For live events with satellite qualification paths (WSOP Las Vegas, EPT Barcelona), eight to ten weeks is better — satellite traffic begins early, and the players who qualify are the highest-converting segment. The affiliates who prepare weeks in advance capture the biggest conversion window.
Which poker affiliate commission model earns the most during tournament series?
It depends on the series. For high-LTV events like WCOOP and WSOP, RevShare — 25-35% of rake — usually outperforms CPA over a six-to-twelve-month window because tournament players have strong retention. For mid-stakes live events like WPT Prime Cyprus, a hybrid model (CPA plus RevShare) often wins by capturing both the upfront conversion and the post-series play. Operators using hybrid models report 31% higher NGR per active affiliate compared to pure CPA or RevShare programs, according to Track360’s commission structures analysis.
What is the best poker tournament series for CPA vs revenue share?
RevShare wins for series that attract recreational players with long retention curves: WCOOP, WSOP, EPT Barcelona. CPA or CPA-hybrid makes more sense for one-off or niche events where the player might not return to the same platform — smaller regional series, or tournament-leaderboard promotions where the qualifying entry itself is the conversion. The key question: will this player still be generating rake in six months? If yes, RevShare. If maybe not, hybrid.
When does WCOOP 2026 start?
PokerStars has not confirmed the official 2026 WCOOP dates yet. Based on the 2025 schedule — which ran September 7 through October 1 — WCOOP 2026 is expected to kick off in late August or early September. Affiliates should have content ranking by early August to capture the research-phase traffic before the SEO window closes.
Which poker sites have the best affiliate programs for tournament traffic?
PokerStars remains the benchmark for tournament-focused RevShare programs, with a tiered 15-35% rake-share structure that rewards volume. For crypto-native tournament traffic, CoinPoker — available through the Paynura dashboard — offers strong conversion hooks and lower player-acquisition competition. WPT Global, also on Paynura, covers the WPT live-event ecosystem from a single program. The best program depends on which tournaments you’re promoting — this calendar maps the right program to each series.