PokerStars Brings Back WCOOP Boot Camp Ahead of 2025 Series with $9M Guaranteed

WCOOP Boot Camp: What It Is and When It Runs

This year’s WCOOP Boot Camp spans two weeks, with 69 events split across Low and High buy-in tiers —137 tournaments in total. Buy-ins start from $2.20 and satellites are available from just $1.10, making it a very accessible way to dip into different game types and formats ahead of the main series.

You’ll find everything from standard No Limit Hold’em to 8-Game, Razz, PL Badugi, and even a HORSE event. Main Events for the Boot Camp are scheduled for Sunday, August 17:

• $109 NLHE Main Event (Low) – $600,000 guaranteed
• $1,050 NLHE Main Event (High) – $400,000 guaranteed

That’s a lot of prep action before WCOOP proper kicks off on September 7 and runs through October 1.

Learn WCOOP Strategy from the BBZ Poker Crew

In keeping with the training camp theme, PokerStars is once again teaming up with BBZ Poker, home to top-tier coaches and the go-to study spot for Stars ambassadors like Lex Veldhuis, Spraggy, and Fintan Hand.

Led by BBZ founder Jordan “bigbluffzinc” Drummond, the coaching team includes names like Alex “Pwndidi” Theologis, Andy “bowieeffect” Wilson, and Mason “pyefacepoker” Pye. They’ll be running free live training sessions on:

• August 1
• August 8
• August 15

Each session runs from 10 AM to 2 PM ET via Zoom, with access through the BBZ Poker Discord (look for the PokerStars Boot Camp sub-channel). Recordings will be available afterward for anyone who can’t attend live.

Boot Camp Leaderboard Offers Power Passes to WCOOP

Putting in volume could land you more than experience. The WCOOP Boot Camp Leaderboard will reward the most consistent players across tournaments with $60,000 in Power Passes, including:

• 1st to 4th: $10,300 Gold Power Pass (ticket bundle)
• 5th to 8th: $2,500 Silver Power Pass
• 9th to 100th: $109 Bronze Power Pass

Only tournaments with buy-ins up to $215 count toward the leaderboard, which is designed to give low- and mid-stakes grinders a fair shot at prizes.

WCOOP Boot Camp Ticket Machine: $150K in Ticket Giveaways

If leaderboard grinding isn’t your thing, there’s also the WCOOP Boot Camp Ticket Machine, dishing out $150,000 worth of WCOOP tickets via two prize draws. To take part:

• Opt in via the Challenges tab starting July 31
• Complete either (or both) of the following during the promo windows:
  • Play 10 Boot Camp events
  • Finish in the money in two Boot Camp events

Complete a challenge, earn a draw ticket. Simple. There are two prize draws, each awarding $75,000 in tickets:

• August 12 draw – for play between August 3–11
• August 19 draw – for play between August 12–18

A Few Final Notes

The full WCOOP 2025 schedule hasn’t dropped yet, but the Boot Camp already sets the tone: multiple variants, deep prize pools, and a solid path for players looking to take things seriously—without necessarily spending big.

Whether you’re eyeing a Gold Power Pass or just want a reason to fire up some Badugi, WCOOP Boot Camp is the tune-up window. More details on the WCOOP series itself will follow in the coming weeks.