Only one month left until the 2026 APAT World Amateur Poker Championship.

The 2026 APAT World Amateur Poker Championship (WCOAP) will be held in Manchester from August 4 to 9, featuring 16 gold bracelet events, with the main event guaranteed to attract around 500 participants.

With less than a month to go before the inaugural World Amateur Poker Championship (WCOAP) of the Amateur Poker Association and Tour (APAT) kicks off at Grosvenor Casino Bury New Road in Manchester, anticipation is soaring within the amateur poker community. The "World Championship" is considered the pinnacle of recreational poker tournaments.

The 2026 APAT WCOAP will be held from August 4th to 9th, featuring 16 WCOAP gold bracelets and various APAT medal events of all types and sizes. No other tournament offers such a diverse range of poker variations at an affordable buy-in and awards the top three finishers with APAT's prestigious gold, silver, and bronze medals.

In WCOAP, the champion will also receive a WCOAP gold bracelet, while the best player in the series and the main event champion will receive an invitation to the Vegas 27 live final later this year. The ultimate winner will receive a $10,000 prize pool, as well as airfare and accommodation at the 2027 Las Vegas WSOP.

APAT WCOAP 2026 Schedule

The 2026 WCOAP will kick off on August 4th with the highly anticipated first stage of the WCOAP International Team Championships. Last year, the England team, consisting of Lisa Greer, Joby Plunkett, Ky Hutchison, and Danny Strange, emerged victorious, with each member winning £680 in prize money and an APAT gold medal.

The International Team Championship will be held concurrently with the opening day of WCOAP 2026, along with the TORSE Championship and the first of five mini-main event tournaments. James Buck is the current TORSE champion, while Ben Haynes has won the mini-main event tournament.

Other tournaments that award gold bracelets and medals include the £140 Dealer's Choice Tournament, the £140 8-Game Tournament, the £140 No-Limit Texas Hold'em Mystery Bounty Knockout Tournament, the £140 Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament, and the £140 Mixed Three-Draw Low Stud Tournament.

Everyone wants to win the APAT 2026 WCOAP Main Event Championship.

Based on past tournaments, approximately 500 people will participate in this event that every amateur poker player wants to win: the £210 No-Limit Hold'em World Amateur Poker Championship.

Group A, Day 1, will begin at 7:00 PM BST on August 5th and is scheduled to continue until 151 players remain with 3 hits per minute (TP), meaning the surviving players will enter the money bubble. Subsequent group matches will begin at 8:00 PM BST on August 6th, and at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM BST on August 7th.

Each Day 1 group allows one re-entry. Players can waive their chips, but if they have already packed chips on Day 2, they cannot re-enter subsequent Day 1 groups.

The 2025 Main Event had 475 players, creating a total prize pool of £79,800, which was shared by the top 71 players.

There was no deal to split the prizes at the final table – Kevin Smith (£5,500) finished third and won the bronze medal, Jonathan Rees (£8,500) lost in the final round, and Peter McCusker from Ireland (£13,000) ultimately took the title.

Series Best Player

All players who make it into the money in the APAT 2026 WCOAP tournament will earn points on the Series Player of the Year leaderboard. The top players of WCOAP 2026 will be invited to the Vegas 27 live finals on November 26 at Manchester235 Casino.

They will compete with 26 other finalists for a $10,000 prize package, including round-trip airfare to the 2027 Las Vegas WSOP and seven nights' accommodation!

APAT WCOAP 2025 Tournament Results

Peter McCusker became the biggest winner of the 2025 WCOAP with a prize of £13,000 after winning the NLHE World Amateur Poker Championship. Daniel Williams also had a successful run, winning the NLHE Six-Max Championship for £4,000.

Special mention goes to Ky Hutchison and Jonathan Douglas-Davies, both of whom won two events each. Hutchison was part of the England team that won the International Team Championship, and then went on to win £3,745 in the £140 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship.

Douglas-Davies' double win came from the £140 2-7 Three Draws Tournament and the £70 Mixed Three Draws Low Stud event, for a total of £3,417.

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