ARIA Poker Classic Returns with $4M BetMGM Championship and a July 4 Final Table
The ARIA Resort & Casino has released its full 2026 Aria Poker Classic schedule, anchored by a $3,500 BetMGM Championship carrying a $4 million guarantee — the largest in the event’s history. The series runs May 27 through July 12 in Las Vegas, with buy-ins spanning $300 to $3,500 across a six-week slate.
A Strip Series With Something for Every Bankroll
The Aria Poker Classic has built its reputation as one of the most versatile summer series on the Las Vegas Strip. Most of its events sit between $800 and $1,600, with daily $300 no-limit hold’em tournaments running throughout and no shortage of options for players at every level.
The 2026 schedule includes Badugi, H.O.R.S.E., T.O.R.S.E., Omaha 8-or-better, limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, 2-7 single draw, and 8-game mixed. For players who make the Las Vegas trip specifically to play formats outside of no-limit hold’em, the Aria is increasingly hard to skip.
A full schedule has been posted on the official Aria Poker page, with events running daily from opening day through closing day on July 12.
Last Year’s BetMGM Championship Set the Bar High
The 2025 BetMGM Poker Championship attracted more than 1,800 entries and generated a prize pool of over $5.9 million — more than $2.9 million above the guarantee. Nguyen Le claimed the title with one of the more memorable finishes of last summer, clawing back from a single chip at the final table to win $777,777.
That result put the event firmly on the map as a legitimate summer destination in its own right. The $4 million guarantee for 2026 reflects the confidence that number instilled. If last year’s field holds, the actual prize pool could push well past it again.
BetMGM Championship: Dates, Structure, and the July 4 Final Table
The flagship event begins July 1 with the first of two Day 1 starting flights. The second flight is scheduled to run on July 2, with Day 2 taking place on July 3. The surviving players will then return on July 4 for a sprint to the final table, all live-streamed from the PokerGO Studio inside the ARIA Resort & Casino.
Having the biggest event of the series crown its champion on Independence Day, on live television, is a deliberately sharp piece of scheduling. It’s the kind of moment that gets clipped, shared, and remembered, and it gives players a specific, cinematic thing to aim for when they sit down on July 1.
Satellites for the BetMGM Championship are built into the schedule throughout late June and early July, with options at $160 and $240 for players looking to win their seat rather than buy directly at $3,500.
Online Qualifiers for US and Canadian Players
Players on BetMGM Poker in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada, can also qualify online. In previous years, BetMGM has awarded packages covering the tournament entry, stay at the ARIA, travel credit, and a swag bag, with dozens of packages being given out to online players.
For players outside Las Vegas who want a shot at the final table without booking a full summer trip, this is a meaningful on-ramp. It also connects the live series directly to the growing regulated online poker ecosystem in North America.
A Crowded Summer Calendar — and Where ARIA Fits
The Aria Poker Classic runs almost entirely alongside the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicks off May 26 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. For players making the full summer trip, the two series complement each other more than they compete. The ARIA fills afternoons, days off, and the stretch after the WSOP’s heaviest weeks.
It’s a dynamic that has reshaped how serious players approach the Las Vegas summer. Rather than one long WSOP grind, many now treat the city as an extended poker festival, mixing bracelet events with a few ARIA stops, the Wynn Summer Classic, and whatever else fits their schedule.
Looking Ahead
Registration for the 2026 Aria Poker Classic is open now, with the series getting underway on May 27. BetMGM Championship satellites begin in mid-June, giving players in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ontario several weeks to earn their seat online before the July 1 first flight.
For anyone building a Las Vegas summer schedule, the July 4 final table is the date worth circling early. The next major stop on the poker calendar after the Aria Poker Classic wraps on July 12 is WSOP Paradise, set for the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas.
Image: Courtesy @ARIAPoker / Twitter