The month of October will be one of the richest of the year in terms of live tournament action. We are looking at a number of festivals taking place across the globe, catering to many different player types, from complete casuals to high-rollers.
PokerStars will kick things off with the big return of the European Poker Tour to Malta, while the World Poker Tour is set to make its debut at the Lodge Card Club in Texas and bring back its iconic Bay 101 Shooting Star event in Florida.
There are also several WSOP Circuit festivals lined up for October, as well as some PokerStars Open action for those looking for some more affordable entertainment. All in all, there is plenty to keep you occupied this month, and we bring you a high-level overview of what’s on the menu for October.
| Date | Event | Location | Venue | Main Event BI |
| Oct 1 – 12 | EPT Malta | Malta | Casino Malta | €5,300 |
| Oct 1 – 13 | WSOP International Circuit Calgary | Calgary, Canada | Deerfoot Inn & Casino | $2,300 |
| Oct 2 – 13 | WSOP Circuit Baltimore | Baltimore, Maryland, USA | Horseshoe Baltimore | $1,700 |
| Oct 9 – 12 | MSPT Firekeepers | Battle Creek, Michigan, USA | Firekeepers Casino | $1,110 |
| Oct 9 – 13 | WPT Prime Lodge Championship | Austin, Texas, USA | Lodge Card Club | $1,100 |
| Oct 9 – 19 | MSPT Kahnawake | Montreal, Canada | Playground Casino | $1,150 |
| Oct 9 – 20 | WSOP Circuit Florida | Pompano Beach, Florida, USA | Harrah’s Pompano Beach | $1,100 |
| Oct 9 – 21 | WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus | Karavas, Cyprus | Merit Royal Diamond | $5,300 |
| Oct 14 – 25 | PokerGO Tour PLO Series II | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | Aria Resort & Casino | $5,200 |
| Oct 17 – 25 | WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star | San Jose, California, USA | Bay 101 Casino | $5,300 |
| Oct 19 – 26 | PokerStars Open Maryland | Hanover, Maryland, USA | Live! Hotel & Casino Maryland | $1,100 |
| Oct 20 – 26 | PokerStars Open Manchester | Manchester, UK | Hilton Manchester Deansgate | £1,100 |
| Oct 22 – Nov 4 | WSOP International Circuit Rozvadov | Rozvadov, Czech Republic | King’s Casino Rozvadov | €1,500 |
| Oct 23 – Nov 3 | WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe | Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA | Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe | $1,700 |
| Oct 27 – 29 | PokerGO Tour Super High Roller Bowl PLO | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | Aria Resort & Casino | $100,500 |
| Oct 28 – Nov 2 | MSPT Riverside | Riverside, Iowa, USA | Riverside Casino | $1,110 |
| Oct 29 – Nov 10 | WSOP Circuit Dallas/Oklahoma | Durant, Oklahoma, USA | Choctaw Casino Resort | $1,700 |
| Oct 30 – Nov 18 | WPT bestbet Scramble Championship | Jacksonville, Florida, USA | bestbet Jacksonville | $5,000 |
EPT’s Big Return to Malta
Kicking off the action in October is the European Poker Tour in Malta. The festival is making a comeback to the Mediterranean island after a nine-year hiatus, and it’s managed to build a lot of hype in the months leading up to it.
Running October 1 – 12, the festival combines the new PokerStars Open with the main EPT tour, for a total of 72 events (including various satellites running during the period).
The schedule is rich with action covering all types of buy-ins, making Malta an excellent destination for all tournament fans. A few tournaments stealing the spotlight are the €1,650 PokerStars Open Main Event, €825 PokerStars Open Cup, and, of course, the €5,300 EPT Malta Main Event.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| EPT Malta | Oct 1 – 12 | €5,300 | N/A | 72 |
Plenty of WSOP Circuit Action on Offer
This October might be the richest month in terms of WSOP Circuit action, with several events taking place in the US, Europe, and Canada.
This is great news for players chasing those World Series of Poker rings, especially now that all ring winners will also receive a package to play in the opening event of the 2025 WSOP Paradise.
There are seven WSOPC festivals starting in October. The first two are WSOP International Circuit Calgary and WSOPC Baltimore, kicking off on Oct 1 and 2, respectively.
Starting on Oct 9 are WSOPC Florida in Pompano Beach and WSOP Super Circuit in Cyprus. The $5,300 Cyprus Main Event features unlimited reentries with the best stack moving forward, so it is certainly geared more toward high rollers, but it is also bound to have a rather generous prize pool.
Finally, the last week of the month will see a couple of more US and one international event kicks off. In Europe, there is WSOPC Rozvadov, taking place at the famous King’s Casino, while for players in the US, there are WSOPC Lake Tahoe in Nevada and the festival in Durant, Oklahoma, which lasts well into November.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| WSOP International Circuit Calgary | Oct 1 – 13 | $2,300 | N/A | 18 |
| WSOP Circuit Baltimore | Oct 2 – 13 | $1,700 | $500,000 | 18 |
| WSOP Circuit Florida | Oct 9 – 20 | $1,700 | $1,000,000 | 18 |
| WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus | Oct 9 – 21 | $5,300 | N/A | 15 |
| WSOP International Circuit Rozvadov | Oct 22 – Nov 4 | €1,500 | €1,000,000 | 12 |
| WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe | Oct 23 – Nov 3 | $1,700 | N/A | 18 |
| WSOP Circuit Dallas/Oklahoma | Oct 29 – Nov 10 | $1,700 | $1,000,000 | 18 |
Big Month for the World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour has been spreading its wings, adding more stops and bringing back some events that have been on pause for a while.
The latest addition to the schedule is the WPT Prime festival taking place at the Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas. The action is already underway, but the Prime Championship event takes place Oct 9 – 13, featuring a generous $1,000,000 guarantee.
Later in October, the World Poker Tour is going back to Bay 101 Casino for its legendary Shooting Star festival. The last time this event played under the WPT brand was back in 2017. There is no doubt this one will attract quite a few big-name pros, so it may not be the softest field out there, but if you’re looking for an experience, you’ll certainly find it here.
On the very last day of the month, the WPT bestbet Scramble Championship kicks off in Jacksonville, Florida. The $5,000 Main Event takes place mid-November, featuring a guarantee of $1,000,000.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| WPT Prime Lodge Championship | Oct 9 – 13 | $1,100 | $1,000,000 | 12 |
| WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star | Oct 17 – 25 | $5,300 | N/A | 16 |
| WPT bestbet Scramble | Oct 30 – Nov 18 | $5,000 | $1,000,000 | 13 |
PokerStars Open Action in October
The newly introduced PokerStars Open will be hosting two festivals this month. One is taking place in the UK, while the other one will play out in the US, giving players on both sides of the pond something to look forward to.
Over in Manchester, PokerStars Open brings a rich schedule of affordable tournaments, with buy-ins starting at just £220. Crowning the festival is the £1,100 Main Event with a massive £1,000,000 guarantee.
In the US, the action will be taking place at the Live Hotel & Casino in Maryland. Staying true to form, the festival features events with buy-ins as low as $200, while the $1,100 Main Event comes with a guarantee of $300,000.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| PokerStars Open Maryland | Oct 14 – 25 | $1,100 | $300,000 | 14 |
| PokerStars Open Manchester | Oct 20 – 26 | £1,100 | £1,000,000 | 18 |
PokerGO Tour Action Continues
October brings a few opportunities for high rollers, as well as the action continues on the PokerGO Tour with two events set to take place this month.
The PokerGO Tour PLO Series II features several Pot Limit Omaha events with the usual span of three and four-figure buy-ins. The action culminates with the Super High Roller Bowl, featuring a hefty $100k buy-in.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| PokerGO Tour PLO Series II | Oct 19 – 26 | $5,200 | N/A | 10 |
| PokerGO Tour Super High Roller Bowl PLO | Oct 27 – 29 | $100,500 | N/A | 1 |
MSPT Is Headed to Canada
We’ll wrap this overview of the best live poker tournaments to play in October 2025 with the Major Series of Poker The Tour (MSPT). There are three festivals on the calendar for this month, including the one playing out in Montreal, Canada.
MSPT Fireekeepers and MSPT Kahnawake start on the same day, Oct 9. Both of these are major stops on the yearly schedule, featuring main event guarantees of $1,000,000 and $1,500,000, respectively.
Nearing the end of the month, the festival at Riverside Casino in Iowa comes with a smaller, but still very respectable, guarantee of $300,000.
| Series | Dates | Main Event BI | Main Event GTD | No. of Events |
| MSPT Firekeepers | Oct 9 – 13 | $1,150 | $1,500,000 | 5 |
| MSPT Kahnawake | Oct 9 – 19 | $1,110 | $1,000,000 | 14 |
| MSPT Riverside | Oct 28 – Nov 2 | $1,110 | $300,000 | 6 |
