When it comes to live tournament action, this month is a bit of calm before the storm that is the 2025 World Series of Poker that kicks off at the very end of May.
Those looking to warm up before the largest tournament series of the year starts will still have a fair few opportunities to do so, with several events taking place in the US and Europe.
The start of May is marked by the PokerStars EPT stop in Monte Carlo, occupying the first ten days of the month. At the same time, across the pond, the second stop of the WSOP Circuit will be playing out at the Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina.
888poker is traveling to Barcelona to stage another live series, building on the success of the first couple of stops, and this could be the biggest one so far.
The Major Series of Poker Tour continues with an event in Michigan, while PokerStars Open is traveling to Belgium.
And then, there is the World Series of Poker, which officially kicks off on May 27 and will last for the next six weeks, featuring a schedule of 100 bracelet events across all sorts of game variations, formats, and buy-ins.
May 2025 Live Poker Series
| Date | Event | Location | Venue | Main Event BI |
| Apr 30 – May 10 | EPT Monte Carlo | Monaco | Monte Carlo Casino | €5,300 |
| May 1 – 12 | WSOPC Cherokee | North Carolina | Harrah’s Cherokee | $1,700 |
| May 8 – 18 | 888poker LIVE Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain | Casino Barcelona | €888 |
| May 15 – 18 | MSPT Michigan Poker State Championship | Battle Creek, Michigan | Firekeepers Casino | $1,110 |
| May 27 – Jul 16 | 2025 World Series of Poker | Las Vegas, Nevada | Paris & Horseshoe Casino | $10,000 |
| May 28 – Jun 9 | PokerStars Open Namur | Namur, Belgium | Circus Casino Resort | €1,100 |
The European Poker Tour Iconic Monte Carlo Event
The Monte Carlo stop of the European Poker Tour has become one of the most popular stops on the EPT yearly calendar, usually attracting all of the biggest names in poker.
This year, the festival takes place over the first ten days of May, featuring heaps of exciting action. In addition to the Main Event, there are a couple of €25k high rollers and a €100k Super High Roller, which will result in massive prize pools.
Of course, there are many tournaments on the docket with much lower buy-ins, so all players traveling to Monte Carlo for the EPT will be able to get in on the action. The real action starts in a couple of days’ time, so you can still squeeze in the last minute trip!
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| EPT Monte Carlo | Apr 30 – May 10 | €5,300 | N/A | €1,050 – €100,000 | 60 |
WSOP Circuit Returns to North Carolina
The World Series of Poker Circuit is returning to Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina for the second series of the year. Running May 1 – 12, the series comprises 18 ring-awarding events and nice guarantees placed on several tournaments.
The $1,700 Main Event features a very generous promise of a cool $1,000,000. There are two starting flights for this tournament, taking place on May 9 and 10.
The $400 Monster Stack event features a guarantee of $500,000, while the $400 Mini-Main comes with a promise of $750,000, so there is a lot of value up for grabs.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| WSOPC North Carolina | May 1 – 12 | $1,700 | $1,000,000 | $400 – $2,200 | 18 |
888poker Returns to Spain
After kicking things off in Madrid and an intermittent stop in Glasgow, 888poker LIVE is coming back to Spain this month, visiting Barcelona this time around.
Over the course of ten days, the festival will host fifteen tournaments (not counting various satellites) and, as always, buy-ins are very affordable.
Things will kick off with the €220 Opening Event, which features five starting flights, promising a large player field. For those with deeper pockets, there is the €1,500 High Roller, while the Main Event features the usual €888 buy-in and four starting flights.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| 888poker LIVE Barcelona | May 8 – 18 | €888 | N/A | €100 – €1,500 | 15 |
Michigan State Poker Championship With $1,000,000 GTD
The Major Series of Poker is coming to the Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, bringing with a Championship event with $1,000,000 up for grabs.
As is usually the case, this is a single-event affair, but there are many satellites surrounding it, giving players a chance to qualify for the Main Event for as little as $70.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| MSPT Michigan Poker State Championship | May 15 – 18 | $1,110 | $1,000,000 | $1,110 | 1 |
PokerStars Brings Big Poker Action to Belgium
At the very end of the month, PokerStars is traveling to Namur in Belgium for another stop of its new PokerStars Open tour.
Taking place at Circus Casino Resort, the festival features over 30 tournaments with very affordable buy-ins, with all eyes on the €1,000,000 GTD Main Event.
There will also be quite a few satellites running in the come-up to the Main Event, allowing those with smaller bankrolls to secure their seats and compete for their share of the massive seven-figure prize pool.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| PokerStars Open Namur | May 28 – Jun 9 | €1,100 | €1,000,000 | €250 – €5,000 | 34 |
The 2025 World Series of Poker Gets Underway
The World Series of Poker will officially commence on May 27. Once again, the biggest poker festival will play out in Las Vegas, taking place at Paris and Horseshoe.
The 2025 WSOP schedule features an even number of 100 bracelet events, with a really wide range of buy-ins, games, and formats.
The WSOP needs no special introduction or explanation as there is no poker player on the planet not aware of it, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you that the kickoff is now less than a month away!
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | Buy-in Range | No. of Events |
| 2025 World Series of Poker | May 27 – Jul 16 | $10,000,000 | N/A | $300 – $250,000 | 100 |
