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WCOOP Boot Camp 2026: 130 Shots at $6.5M+ Before the Real Grind Starts

By Pessi Lamm

29 Jul 2026

Pessi Lamm 29 Jul 2026

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130 events and $6.5M+ guaranteed, Aug 2–17.
Buy-ins from $2.20; free coaching and ticket giveaways included.
Main Event Low ($109 buy-in) offers top value over the High tier.

PokerStars WCOOP Boot Camp August 2-17. Total $6.5M+ prize pool, 130 events. (credit: PokerStars)

Value hunters, take note: PokerStars is handing out a full two weeks of cheap volume before WCOOP 2026 gets serious in September. The WCOOP Boot Camp runs August 2 through 17, featuring 130 tournaments and $6.5M+ in guarantees into a schedule built for grinders who'd rather test their game on someone else's dime.

PokerStars WCOOP Boot Camp 2026 Basics

Detail	Low Tier	High Tier
Events	$65	$65
Combined events	$130	130
Entry buy-ins from	$2.20	Higher stakes equivalent, per event
Satellite entry from	$0.55	—
Field type	Recreational / short-stack friendly	High roller / bigger bankrolls
Guarantee pool	Shares of $6.5M+ combined guarantee	Shares of $6.5M+ combined guarantee

Mixed-game grinders shouldn't skip this either. HORSE, 8-Game, PLO, Badugi, and both 2-7 Draw formats are all baked in, not tacked on as filler between Hold'em slots.

Top WCOOP Boot Camp 2026 Events

Event	Buy-in	Format	GTD	Date
Sunday Special (PKO)	$75	NLHE, PKO	$300K	August 2
Sunday Special (MB)	$75	NLHE, Mystery Bounty	$300K	August 9
Main Event Low	$109.00	NLHE	$500K	August 16
Main Event High	$1,050.00	NLHE	$300K	August 16

WCOOP Boot Camp Main Event Value Check

Detail	Low Tier	High Tier
Buy-in	$109	$1,050
GTD	$500K	$300K
Date	August 16	August 16
Format	NLHE	NLHE

Run the math and the Low tier is objectively the sharper play here: a $109 buy-in chasing a $500K guarantee beats a $1,050 entry fighting for just $300K. Bigger stakes don't automatically mean a bigger score, and this is the clearest proof of it on the whole schedule

Free Coaching, Free Tickets, No Catch (Mostly)

BBZ Poker handles the training track again, with Lex Veldhuis, Ben "Spraggy" Spragg, and Andy "BowieEffect" Wilson running point. These aren't one-off streams, they're a standing Friday appointment on the BBZ Discord, 1pm-4pm CEST, slotted right into the schedule's rest days.

Session Date	Prize Pool	Top Prize
Friday, July 31	$1K in WCOOP tickets	$109 WCOOP ticket (1st-3rd)
Friday, August 7	$1K in WCOOP tickets	$109 WCOOP ticket (1st-3rd)
Friday, August 14	$1.5K in WCOOP tickets	$530 WCOOP ticket (1st)

The catch: the centroll password only appears once the session's already rolling, so late arrivals get nothing. Replays exist on BBZ Poker afterward, sure, but by then the free ticket has already gone to whoever was actually watching.