PGT Championship Freeroll: $500,000 for the Top 40 on Jan. 11-12, Half of Last Year's $1 Million
Updated on October 30, 2026.
The PGT Championship freeroll will pay $500,000 across five places on Jan. 11-12, 2027, at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, with $250,000 to the winner. The top 40 players on the PokerGO Tour (PGT) leaderboard and a few Dream Seat winners play for free, according to PokerNews. Last season’s edition was a $1 million freeroll.
Quick summary
- When and where: Jan. 11-12, 2027, at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas.
- Prize pool: $500,000 across five places, with $250,000 for first. Each prize is split between cash and a PGT Passport.
- Who plays: the top 40 eligible players on the 2026 PGT leaderboard, plus select Dream Seat winners.
- Leaderboard: Sean Winter leads with 2,223 points, ahead of Brock Wilson and Jeremy Ausmus.
- Change from last season: the freeroll pays half of the $1 million that went to the 2025 field.
When is the PGT Championship?
The PGT Championship runs Monday, Jan. 11, and Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2027, at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. It is the season finale of the PokerGO Tour, the points race that tracks results in high roller events throughout the year.
There is no buy-in. Players earn their seat with results, and their starting stack depends on where they finish on the leaderboard, so the season’s best players start with more chips, according to PokerNews.
“The PGT Championship is the culmination of poker’s toughest year-round competition,” PokerGO CEO Brent Hanks said in a news release.
How much does the PGT Championship pay?
The 2026 PGT Championship pays $500,000 to five players, with $250,000 for the winner. Each prize comes partly in cash and partly as a PGT Passport, a credit for buy-ins at PGT events, according to PokerNews:
Place | Total | Cash | PGT Passport |
|---|---|---|---|
1st | $250,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 |
2nd | $125,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 |
3rd | $60,000 | $24,000 | $36,000 |
4th | $40,000 | $16,000 | $24,000 |
5th | $25,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
That is half of last season’s prize pool. The 2025 PGT Championship, played in January 2026, was a $1 million freeroll with $500,000 for first. Chad Eveslage won it and the $500,000 first prize, according to PokerListings.
Who leads the PGT leaderboard?
Sean Winter leads the PGT leaderboard with 2,223 points, two wins and 17 cashes, according to the official standings on Oct. 30. Winter also won the Poker Masters finale for $620,000 on Oct. 23.
Rank | Player | Points | Wins | Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sean Winter (US) | 2,223 | 2 | 17 |
2 | Brock Wilson (US) | 1,942 | 5 | 16 |
3 | Jeremy Ausmus (US) | 1,836 | 2 | 31 |
Brock Wilson is closing in. He won his fifth PGT title of 2026 at the PGT Sprint this week, and the Sprint is still running at PokerGO Studio. Jeremy Ausmus, who won the PGT Championship in January 2025, has the most cashes in the top three, and Finland’s Eelis Parssinen is fourth with 1,783 points.
The top 40 can still change. After the Sprint, the PGT Last Chance Series in January is the final stop, and it awards five more Dream Seats, according to PokerNews.
How do you qualify for the PGT Championship?
You qualify by finishing in the top 40 eligible players on the PGT leaderboard. To be eligible, you need at least four cashes in PGT events this season, including one in an event that PGT owns and runs, and you must opt in before the Last Chance Series starts, according to PokerNews.
The other way in is a Dream Seat. These seats go to winners of select events, such as the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS), and to the top of the Last Chance leaderboard.
What it means for players in the US
The PGT Championship is a live event, and you can’t win a seat online. For most US players, the realistic route is a Dream Seat through a partner series like the RGPS, which stops at casinos and card rooms around the US.
If you play online, the high-stakes tours are a good reminder of how much volume matters. The pros on the leaderboard play dozens of events a year, and over a season, the rake adds up for any player who logs a lot of tournaments. Our rakeback calculator shows how much of it could come back to you.
Several international rooms accept US players, such as ACR Poker, except in Washington, Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey. These rooms are not licensed by any US state, so state consumer protections don’t apply. Only a few states, such as Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, license online poker. Check the rules where you live in our guide to online poker in the USA.
If you sign up through the button in our ACR Poker review and message us on Telegram, we register your account under our deal: 35% rakeback, paid monthly. You can compare ACR with other rooms in our list of the best online poker sites.
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Frequently asked questions
When is the PGT Championship?
The PGT Championship runs Jan. 11-12, 2027, at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. It closes the 2026 PokerGO Tour season.
How much does the PGT Championship winner get?
The winner gets $250,000, paid as $100,000 in cash and a $150,000 PGT Passport, according to PokerNews. The $500,000 prize pool pays five places.
How do you qualify for the PGT Championship?
The top 40 eligible players on the PGT leaderboard get a seat. To be eligible, you need at least four cashes in PGT events this season, one of them in an event PGT owns and runs, and you must opt in before the Last Chance Series. A few Dream Seat winners also get in.
Who leads the PGT leaderboard?
Sean Winter leads with 2,223 points, ahead of Brock Wilson (1,942) and Jeremy Ausmus (1,836), according to the PGT leaderboard on Oct. 30.
Sources
- PokerNews: PGT Championship in Las Vegas will award $500,000 in freeroll prizes
- PokerTube: 2026 PGT Championship set for January 2027
- PGT: official 2026 PokerGO Tour leaderboard
- PokerNews: Season-ending PGT Championship will award $1M in freeroll money
- PokerListings: Chad Eveslage binks $500,000 for winning the PGT Championship freeroll
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