2026 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 8
$1,700 WPO Championship
$300,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  419
Prize Pool:  $628,500
January 29 – February 1, 2026

The 2026 Winter Poker Open Championship was the big game on the schedule, and the $1,700 buy-in tournament drew 419 entries, more than doubling the $300,000 guarantee. After a long Day 2 filled with talented players, Yan Jiang won the title outright for $133,430.

Our players created a prize pool worth $628,500, and the last 53 players earned a piece of it coming back for Day 2. Ken O’Donnell returned with a huge chip lead, more than second and third-place stacks combined, but fell short in 12th place after a series of unfortunate hands.

Jiang took the lead when the field reached two tables, sporting a dominating stack, and she never lost until the heads-up battle with Kyle Sturgis. But that drop did not last long and she won the WPO title after a 45-minute match.

In addition to becoming our 2026 WPO Champion, Jiang is also the first female Championship/Main Event winner in Seminole Hard Rock Poker history, not just here in Tampa.

Congrats to Yan and thank you to everyone for making it such a great event!