Welcome to Poker Summer Camp: A First Look Inside the 2026 WSOP

^{A giant WSOP schedule is a new addition to the halls between the Horseshoe and Paris. (All photos by Christina Bradfield)}

LAS VEGAS – I entered the Horseshoe for the first time this year a couple days ago. My excitement for poker “summer camp” is the type you would have the day before Christmas as a kid. After going through the glass door with gold handles I took a deep breath – and quickly remembered why you shouldn’t take a deep breath when you first walk into the Horseshoe. Cigarette smoke and sad carpet smells notwithstanding, it was still the first day of the WSOP! 

I walked past slot players deep into a Buffalo bonus and went to my preferred bathroom, right by Jack’s Steak house and a tiny bar/lounge area. This is located up a few stairs on your way back to where part of the WSOP is held at the Horseshoe, or “Shoe” as some poker media call it.

Backpacks and Bathroom Pep Talks

In the bathroom, I placed my backpack on the sink near the mirrors. I don’t carry a backpack the rest of the year, but it’s essential gear for poker summer camp. Mine is green and blue and island themed. It makes me happy and brings me peace by being crammed with snacks, Altoids, a brush, makeup, computer, phone charger, deodorant … you know, poker player essentials.

Today I’m wearing a black summer dress, and I put on over it a sweatshirt that will be a part of my summer uniform. I give myself a quick pep talk – a shortened version of the Atomic Blonde speech I’ll give this mirror in July.

That, of course, is when the Main Event starts, at which point I’ll be working a 2-week stint assisting PokerGO and Omaha Productions. The lengthier affirmation I’m already writing in my head reminds me I’m a baller wrapped in a kindergarten teacher’s aesthetic, capable of bringing Zen-mama energy to any ball of chaos I encounter. (Except when I’m not, at which point I’ll be hiding in a different Shoe bathroom looking at puppy videos.) 

But until then, I’ll be here, at Casinos.com, sharing my adventures at the WSOP and various other poker rooms that make June and July in Las Vegas my summer camp. 

Still a mystery, the new WSOP Merchandise store will open soon.

Am I in Paris yet?

Out of the bathroom in the Shoe, I take a left to begin my hike to Paris, where a huge portion of the Series is played. There’s a dedicated marble walkway between the two casinos that soon will be filled with backpack-wearing poker players going from event to event. 

I walk up a few steps and see the new WSOP store, still under construction but coming soon(!), the sign promises. It seems to be in a good spot, one that will see thousands of poker players flow by each day.

A little further down the hallway, on a wall to my left, is a complete schedule of WSOP tournaments. This is something new, and it’s a great way to visualize what I was stepping into.

There will be a total of 100 bracelets awarded this year, and that’s just some of the poker being played here on 749 tables (up from 667 last year) over 51 days. In addition to bracelet events, there also are cash games, non-bracelet deepstack tournaments, and satellite tournaments where players are trying to win their way into bracelet events for a smaller buy-in. 

 I keep walking and see that the original merchandise store on my left is open. So you can still buy hats, sweatshirts and other WSOP memorabilia while the new store is under construction. 

You can buy a WSOP sweatshirt at the store if you’re cold during the tournament.

As I continued toward Paris, I saw a strikingly happy person holding a red paddle with white lettering that said “WSOP” on it.

I’m not sure how many of these friendly helpers have been hired or for how long, but if all are as awesome as Etoilé, their presence will be a welcome new addition. 

Etoilé was wearing an official company shirt, multiple beaded bracelets (not of the WSOP bracelet variety), rhinestone glasses and a big smile on her face. Her happiness was a total vibe and might become a precious commodity at the Series the longer we get into summer. (The WSOP grind can be grueling, and a few weeks in it begins to show.)

It also happened to be her birthday. We had just met but I still felt compelled to hug her goodbye as I kept walking toward the Paris entrance for the Series. The warm fuzzy WSOP feelings were growing, and I hadn’t yet seen a single hand of poker. 

New greeters helped players find their way on day one of the WSOP. Etoilé was instantly my new favorite!

Next, I met a security guard who seemed to be equally enthusiastic about the start of the Series. He told me how “fresh” he was feeling. I concurred as we exchanged a high-five. And to think, we used to be strangers not long ago. 

When the marble floors of the interproperty hallway turn into cobblestones, you know you have officially entered Paris, where everything is a bit brighter than it is at the Shoe. There’s gilt and mirrors on the walls and bathrooms now announce themselves as Madames and Messieurs. The tournament area sits beneath crystal chandeliers on carpeted floors, where the carpet is, shall we say, just a bit less sad than it is at the Horseshoe? The smell is different, too – it’s a little more powdery, a little less sad. 

Welcome to the Paris half of the WSOP!

There, I finally arrived at the huge WSOP sign, where thousands of players and tourists will take their pictures throughout the summer. A woman asked me if I wanted a pic, and I of course said yes.

I kept walking down the hall until I saw where a quick food station would be stationed outside the ballrooms. Hot dogs for $12. Sigh, I miss my $1.50 hot dog at the South Point already.

Back to the Horseshoe

Soon, I would make my way back toward where I started, and then would keep going down a different hallway – one that leads into the bowels of the Horseshoe. 

I would see many old friends and former coworkers along the way – exchanging hugs and a sense of bewilderment that another Day One was upon us, and did we actually ever leave? I also met a new friend in the hallway. Brandon was a videographer for a marketing company working for one of the WSOP sponsors, and this was his first time at the Horseshoe. So everything was new to him, and some of it was new to me. 

A mystery from the outside, inside it welcomes you to relax, drink some water and take a time out from poker.

The first new place I saw in this part of the casino was the WSOP Platinum Lounge. This is the new iteration of the GG Platinum Lounge, which used to be located on the Paris side of the WSOP. Like the new merch store, it was still being set up. But I could see low slung gold-ish couches, an area for drinks and snacks, board games and most important, a quiet place to rest in between playing hours upon hours of poker.

As Brandon and I made our way down the beginning of the Horseshoe tournament hallway, I saw a new place to get food. It’s on the right-hand-side as you first start walking and the selections are minimal. There are a few stand up tables and as there weren’t a lot of options, so I only gave it a quick inspection.

Let’s hope a few more eating options arrive this summer at this small cafe at the Horseshoe.

Eventually we made it to the Grand Ballroom, where the shuffle-up-and-deal ceremony was getting ready to begin. People were still trickling in, so Brandon and I decided to keep walking for a first glimpse at the Event Center, which is darker and all deeper into the bowels of the Horseshoe. This is where the feature tables were located for years until now. The feature tables will now be located at the Paris where a mysterious black curtain has been drawn until the reveal, which is supposed to happen later today.

‘Shuffle Up and Deal!’

Back in the Grand Ballroom, they were about to have the “shuffle up and deal” moment of the first day. This is a ceremonial way of announcing that the Series has started. People were starting to go to their tables for the first event and turned towards the stage where WSOP announcer extraordinaire Jeff Platt got on the mike to introduce Jack Effel, senior vice president of poker operations for Caesars. 

It was on a small stage located looking out at the Grand Ballroom with a podium and microphone. Jack brought up Mike Mizrachi, the winner of last year’s Main Event, to say a few words. “The Grinder” kept his remarks short and sweet before giving poker’s version of “Let’s get ready to rumble.” Moments later you could hear the clatter of chips and the murmur of table talk as the first event commenced.

On day one of the WSOP, players were eager for cards to get in the air.

Giddyup! Summer camp is back in session.

(Photos: Christina Bradfield / Casinos.com)