A Live Poker Preview for December 2025

Las Vegas, USA

2025 Deepstack Extravaganza IV: Venetian Hotel and Casino (Nov. 24 to Dec. 23)

We touched on this series last month, but the Venetian continues its ongoing poker tournament schedule with the conclusion of the DeepStack Extravaganza IV that runs all the way until Dec. 23rd.  38 tournaments are scheduled in December alone in the series with buy-ins ranging from $200 to $2,200 and included among the bigger tournaments are:

•  $2,200 Poker Atlas NLHE Championship with a $1 Million Guarantee happening from Dec. 10th to the 13th
• $1,100 NLHE UltimateStack scheduled from Dec. 18th to the 21st with a $500k guarantee and multiple starting flights
• Five day $800 NLHE Seniors event starting Dec. 12th with a $500k guarantee, and four starting flights
• $600 NLHE UltimateStack with a $250k guarantee that will take place from Dec. 5th to the 8th.
• $400 NLHE UltimateStack with a $75k guarantee that closes the series off from Dec 21st to the 23rd.

The poker action is always on at The Venetian and in the month of December, this is no exception!

2025 Orleans Winter Open: The Orleans Hotel (Nov. 28 to Dec. 21)

Kicking off our list of festivals and series inside Sin City is the Orleans Winter Open. Officially starting Nov. 28th, this 60 tournament series that includes 22 mixed events, runs until Dec, 21st, offering buy-ins ranging from $120 to the $600 Main Event that will take place from the 16th to the 20th of December, which comes with a $300k guarantee. 

Other highlights include:

• $400 NLH Seniors event on Dec, 1st with a $30k guarantee
• $400 T.O.E Championship from Dec. 2nd to Dec. 6th with a $50k guarantee
• Multiple $300 NLHE tournaments featuring guarantees of $100k that will run on Dec. 14th and Dec. 21st

For the budget conscious poker player, the Orleans may be the place to be in December!

2025 World Championship Festival: Wynn Las Vegas (Dec. 2 to Dec. 22)

From the low end to the high end, kicking off a few days after the Orleans Winter Open is one of the big series in the month, the WPT World Championship Festival. Happening again at the Wynn, 52 tournaments are scheduled to run in December, with buy-ins going all the way up to $25,800, and as low as $600, 24 of the 52 tournaments scheduled are mixed games, giving a game for everyone to enjoy. 

Some of the highlights of the festival include:

• $25,800 NLHE event happening on Dec. 17th and 18th
• Three flight, six day $10,400 NLHE Main Event that runs from Dec. 13th to the 21st
• Three day $10k NLHE Seniors event with a $500k guarantee scheduled from Dec. 20th to the 22nd
• $10,500 NLHE 8-max single day tournament on Dec. 21st
• Two three-day, $1,600 NLHE Mystery Bounty events with $1 million guaranteed in each on Dec. 5th – 7th, and Dec. 20th – 22nd
• Four day $3k NLHE event starting on Dec. 18th with a $3 Million guarantee
• $3k Five card PLO tournament on Dec. 9th with a $250k guarantee

Those poker pros that stay in Vegas in the month of December will be flocking to the Wynn to grab a piece of the massive poker prize pool that awaits those willing to take a shot at the biggest tournaments for the Strip to end 2025!

2025 Aria Poker Open: Aria Resort (Dec. 3 to Dec. 20)

Also happening on the Strip in December, the Aria Resort is hosting its own series, the 2025 Aria Poker Open that is happening from Dec. 3 to the 20, featuring 35 poker tournaments, 11 mixed and 24 NLHE for those with poker bankrolls in between those playing at The Orleans and The Wynn as buy-ins are between $300 and $1,600. 

Included among the 35 tournaments are:

• Three day, $1,600 NLHE Main Event with a $500k guarantee, running from Dec. 13th to the 15th
• Two one day $1,100 NLHE Mystery Bounty with a $250k guarantee on Dec. 11th, and a $200k guarantee on Dec. 16th
• Two day $1,100 PLO with a $200k guaranteed on Dec. 12th and 13th
• $800 PLO Mystery Bounty of Dec. 16th, carrying a $100k guarantee with it

The Aria is that perfect middle ground if you are looking for mid-stakes action in December, and with new tournaments offered daily, there truly is something for everyone!

2025 Super High Roller Bowl X: Aria PokerGO Studio

The tenth addition of the Super High Roller Bowl is set for December 20th to the 22nd to offer some lucky poker players a massive present!  The $103,000 NLHE tournament will draw the biggest pros in poker to Sin City for three days of incredible poker action!

2025 Deepstack Extravaganza NYE – The Venetian Hotel & Casino, Dec. 24th – Jan. 19th, 2026

We weren’t kidding when we said that the high stakes poker action never stops at The Venetian!  Just as the last major series concludes, the next one starts as this 40 tournament series spans the New Year, ending well into January.  The big tournaments that will take place in December include:

• $400 NLHE MonsterStack with a $15k guarantee that will run on Christmas Day
• $1,100 NLHE Ultimate Stack playing out over 4 days with a $300k guarantee, starting on Dec. 27th
• $600 NLHE MonsterStack that will guarantee $50k to the players that cash, starting on Dec. 30th.

We’ll review the rest of this line-up next month, including the big MSPT $1,600 tournament set to start on New Year’s Day.

Other US Poker Series Outside Las Vegas

2025 Fun In The Sun Poker Open: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida (Dec. 26 to Dec. 30)

Many people take time off leading up to New Year’s, and what better use of your time than to go and play poker! 

The Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, California is hosting the 14th annual Fun in The Sun, 5 days and 6 poker tournaments to close off 2025. With buy-ins ranging from $300 to the $1,100 Main Event, there is something for everyone looking to escape the cold, the snow and go enjoy some great poker action!

2025 The Gardens Winter Series, The Gardens Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, California, Dec. 26th – Jan. 11th, 2026

California hosts many of the biggest poker series in the USA every year, and one way they like to end the year and kick off the next is with their Winter Series!  Starting off on Boxing Day, 24 total events dawn the schedule and the highlights of the December portion include:

• $500 NLHE Deepstack with a $100k guarantee that starts the series on Dec. 26th
• $500 NLHE Mystery Bounty, also with a $100k guarantee that kicks off on Dec. 28th
• $200 NLHE Ladies event on Dec. 29th with a $10k guarantee

They too start 2026 off with a bang with a $1,100 event on January 2nd, but we’ll preview the balance of the series next month!

Major Poker Series Outside the USA

2025 EPT Prague: Hilton Hotel, Czechia (Dec. 3 to Dec. 14)

A holiday tradition in Europe has always been the final stop on the European Poker Tour in Prague, and 2025 is no exception. Running from the 3rd to the 14th, the 48 tournaments (11 mixed and 37 NLHE) will provide European poker players plenty of opportunity to get their fix in before the holidays set in or if they are heading over to North America to finish the year. With buy-ins ranging from €330 all the way up to €50k, every poker bankroll will have something for them at the EPT Prague. 

Some of the highlights include:

• €50,000 NLHE three-day event starting on Dec. 7th
• Three €25,000 NLHE events playing out on Dec. 6th, 9th and a two-day tournament starting on Dec. 10th
• €25,000 PLO two-day tournament being held on Dec. 8th & 9th
• €10,200 NLHE Mystery Bounty to start the festival off on Dec. 3rd and 4th
• €10,300 NLHE three-day tournament that runs from the 12th to the 15th
• €5,300 NLHE Main Event that starts on Dec. 8th with two starting flights, and concludes on day 6 on Dec. 14th
• Two other mystery bounty tournaments – a €1,650 two-day tournament starting on Dec. 12th and a €3,250 tournament running for three days, starting on Dec. 10th
• Two senior tournaments on the 3rd and 4th of December for €550 and €3,250 respectfully
• A €330 Ladies NLHE event scheduled for Dec. 7th

One of the best poker traditions in Europe is to congregate for the last EPT event of the year and as always, it promises to draw huge crowds to Czechia!

2025 WSOP Paradise: Atlantis Resort & Casino, The Bahamas (Dec. 4 to Dec. 18)

One of the big competitors to the Las Vegas poker series is continuing this December when the WSOP heads to The Bahamas for poker in the sun!  

This year, the festival will run from the 4th to the 18th at Atlantis, and feature 9 WSOP tournaments ranging in buy-in from $2,500 to $50,000, while the Triton High Roller Series will conduct 6 tournaments at Atlantis, featuring buy-ins starting at $75,000 and going all the way up to $250k. 

Among the featured tournaments:

Triton High Roller Series (All two-day events unless indicated)

• $75k PLO Two-day tournament starting on Dec. 4th
• $100k PLO Main Event which begins on Dec. 5th
• $250k Triton NLHE Invitational which will start on Dec. 7th
• $125k Triton 7-max tournament slated for Dec. 8th
• $100k Triton NLHE Main Event which will headline the schedule starting on Dec. 9th
• $150k NLHE 8-max tournament which will run on one day on Dec. 10th

WSOP Paradise Events

• $2,500 NLHE Mystery Bounty with a $5 million guarantee, kicking off four days of action w/ multiple starting flights on Dec. 4th
• $25k NLHE Super Main Event with a whopping $60 Million guarantee.  This will also have multiple starting flights and run from Dec. 10th to the 15th
• $25k NLHE GG Million$ $10 Million guarantee tournament will go on the 15th and the 16th of December

$75 million is guaranteed over three tournaments, and with a lofty goal of 2400 players needed to meet the guarantee for the Super Main Event, this has a high chance to overlay. 

Can you think of a better place to spend December than in poker paradise??

2025 All Japan Poker Championship: Paradise City Hotel & Resort, South Korea (Dec. 5 to Dec. 14)

Japan may not have the live poker scene that other parts of the world do, there is a Japan Poker Championship taking place in Incheon, South Korea from Dec. 5th to the 14th, featuring 34 events with buy-ins ranging from 100,000 Korean Wan ($69 USD) to 3.3 Million Wan ($2,300 USD). 

Primarily a No-Limit Hold’em Series, PLO, Big O, and Badugi also are featured variants during the series.  If you’re in Asia and looking to scratch your poker itch, South Korea may do the trick!

2025 Gods of Poker: LES A Casino, South Korea (Dec. 5 to Dec. 14)

At the same time Incheon is hosting a series, Jeju Island will also welcome poker players to the 2025 Gods of Poker. A total of 71 tournaments are scheduled over the same time frame with buy-ins ranging from 450,000 KRW, or $300 USD, all the way up to the 15 Million KRW ($10,500 USD) High Roller event. 

If your poker bankroll is a little bigger, there are millions of Wan up for grabs on the beautiful island of Jeju where the Triton High Roller Series frequents!

2025 Crown Summer Poker Series: Crown Casino Melbourne, Australia (Dec 7 to Dec. 15)

Crown Melbourne may not have the Aussie Millions anymore, but they still have a solid December poker series for those looking to enjoy the holidays with summer weather! 

The 10 event series features an $1,100 AUD NLHE Mystery Bounty four-day event starting Dec. 7th, a $5,000 AUD NLHE High Roller spanning two days, starting on Dec. 11th, and a $2,000 AUD NLHE Main Event that kicks four days of poker off of Dec. 12th.  If you’re heading down under, Melbourne will help fill your need for quality tournament action!

As you can see, December is jam packed with poker action all over the globe, and with huge series taking place in Europe, The Bahamas, and Las Vegas, not only will there be great poker to play but to watch online as well!  So enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you at the tables!