WPT Prime Lodge Championship 2026 | September 24 - October 12 | The Lodge Card Club

Jessy
JessyTechnical Editor & Data Specialist

The highly anticipated tournament series is scheduled to take place from September 24 to October 12, 2026 at The Lodge Card Club located in Austin, Texas, United States. Organizers have prepared an incredible festival of events, anchored by a massive $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. This marquee stop on the world-class tour promises to attract the best poker talent from across the globe.

WPT Prime Lodge Championship Highlighted Events

The centerpiece of the entire schedule is the prestigious WPT Prime Lodge Championship Main Event, featuring a $1,100 buy-in and a stellar $1,000,000 guarantee. Players can expect a premium structure, deep stacks, and massive prize pools at one of the country’s most legendary card clubs.

Live Stream Coverage

Poker enthusiasts and fans around the world will be able to follow the action live. The festival will showcase high-quality live stream coverage broadcast directly from the state-of-the-art streaming studio at The Lodge Card Club. The complete broadcast schedule, including feature table coverage and the final table showdown, will be announced by the organizers soon.

Poker & Travel Guide

Before planning your journey to the Lone Star State, it is highly recommended to familiarize yourself with the unique local poker environment. To understand the legal landscape, club membership systems, and rake structures, check out our comprehensive Texas Poker Guide . Visitors should prepare for a membership-based access system which is standard across the region.

Traveling to Austin is highly convenient, with the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) serving as the primary gateway. The venue is located in Round Rock, just a short drive from downtown Austin. Safe and reliable rideshare options are widely available to transport players directly to their destination.

Previous Results and Champions

This tournament series has established a rich history and strong presence in the regional poker scene. Let us take a detailed look at the statistics and champions from the previous iterations of this spectacular festival.

The Previous WPT Prime Lodge Championship Summary

The inaugural edition of the festival held in 2025 was a historic success that shattered all expectations. The main attraction drew an overwhelming field of 1,648 entries, which completely crushed the initial guarantee. This massive participation generated a final prize pool of $1,598,560, making it one of the largest events of the season. After four days of fierce competition, local poker player Harvey Castro captured the title and took home a career-best first-place prize of $225,020. This outstanding debut cemented the stop as a must-visit destination on the tour.

The Venue: The Lodge Card Club

The renowned The Lodge Card Club is widely recognized as the premier poker destination in Austin, Texas, offering an unmatched cash game and tournament environment.

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The Lodge Card Club - SOMUCHPOKER

The Lodge Card Club has grown into one of the most recognisable poker destinations in the United States, drawing players from across the country to its sprawling home in Round Rock, Texas. Co-owned by poker personalities Doug Polk ( now left ), Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen, the members-only social club operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offering one of the deepest and most varied menus of cash games and tournaments available anywhere in North America. Its partnership with the World Poker Tour has cemented its reputation as a serious tournament destination, and its popular livestream has made it one of the most-watched poker rooms in the world.

Venue Features & Environment

  • 70+ Card Tables: One of the largest poker rooms in the world, The Lodge floor accommodates a huge range of action simultaneously - from low-stakes cash games to major tournament series. The room is fully air-conditioned, purpose-built for poker, and equipped with comfortable seating throughout.
  • Cash Game Variety: The Lodge runs no-limit hold’em from $1/$1 through $5/$10/$25 and beyond, alongside pot-limit Omaha, Big O, and regular mixed game offerings including dealers choice and $20/$40 sessions. Bomb pot formats and high-hand promotions run regularly.
  • Tournament Programme: Multiple tournaments run daily, from $50 turbos to major series events with six-figure prize pools. The Lodge Championship Series and WPT Prime Lodge Championship are the flagship events on the annual calendar.
  • Livestream Studio: The Lodge runs one of poker’s most-watched livestreams, broadcast Thursday through Sunday and featuring high-stakes cash games with notable players. The in-house streaming setup has made The Lodge a global name in televised poker content.
  • Frank & Margie’s Restaurant: The Lodge’s on-site dining option serves a chef-driven Italian-American menu, open to members and guests. The restaurant is attached directly to the card room, keeping everything under one roof.
🃏 STATUS WPT Partner Venue
📍 LOCATION Round Rock, Texas, USA
🎥 KNOWN FOR Livestream & High-Stakes Cash

The Player Experience

The Lodge offers a compact, no-frills poker-first environment where the action is the attraction. There are no hotel rooms or resort amenities - this is a dedicated card room, and everything about it is built around keeping players at the table comfortably for long sessions. The 40-plus big-screen TVs mean sports fans rarely have to look far from their hand to catch the game, and the on-site dining removes the need to leave the building between sessions. The atmosphere skews toward regulars who know the room well, but the membership structure is accessible and the staff are accustomed to welcoming visiting players. For those tuning in from overseas, The Lodge’s Thursday-to-Sunday livestream gives a good sense of the room’s character before arriving.

Logistics & Access

📍 Address: 1401 S Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, Suite 130, Round Rock, TX 78664. Tel: (512) 614-4045

✈️ Getting There: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is approximately 30 minutes south via I-35. The Lodge sits directly off the I-35 frontage road in Round Rock, making it easy to reach by car from anywhere in the Austin metro. Ride-share services run regularly between the airport and Round Rock.

🤠 Reporter’s Tip: Membership is required to play - daily, weekly, monthly, and annual options are available and can be purchased at the front desk on arrival. If you’re coming for a major series, book accommodation in Round Rock or North Austin early; the room draws significant out-of-state traffic during WPT weeks and the hotel options near the venue fill quickly.

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About the Editor
Jessy
Jessy

Jessy is SoMuchPoker's Technical Editor and Data Specialist, managing the live poker event database and publishing festival schedules for the site. A background in programming and data architecture shapes how he builds and maintains this database, with an emphasis on speed and accuracy.

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