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Las Vegas, Nevada (April 21, 2026) - There is much to be excited about when it comes to what the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has in store for poker players in the next few months.

With a successful WSOP Europe series, which saw Lithuanian poker player Marius Kudzmanas win the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event for €2,000,000, all eyes now lead to Las Vegas, as the biggest poker event of the year, WSOP 2026, creeps closer and closer on players’ calendars.

While WSOP 2026 remains a little over a month away, players in the state of Texas do not need to wait too long to take part in WSOP tournament action, as Texas Card House in Austin gets set to host the first-ever WSOP Circuit series starting this week.

From Thursday, April 23, through Monday, May 4, 2026, Texas Card House will offer an exciting schedule featuring 18 WSOP Circuit ring events, culminating in a $1,700 buy-in WSOP Circuit Main Event, boasting a $1,000,000 prize pool guarantee.

Excited to bring this historic WSOP Circuit series to the Lone Star State, Texas Card House Chief Operating Officer (COO) Victor Leone took the time to chat with Team WSOP about the approaching series and all poker players have to look forward to in Austin.

Texas Card House gets set to make WSOP Circuit history

It’s no secret that the state of Texas has produced one of the fastest-growing poker communities in the United States. Across the Lone Star State in Austin, as well as Dallas, San Antonio, and more cities, poker rooms continue to pop up, drawing players to compete in cash games and poker tournaments.

For seven years, Victor Leone and his team have helped turn Texas Card House from a 12-table venue into one of the biggest card rooms in the state.

Growing the local poker community and continuing to expand, the time eventually came for Texas Card House to host one of the most significant poker tournament series in Texas poker history.

Building a rapport by running qualifiers for some of their biggest bracelet events, Leone described the foundation that was laid for the relationship between the Texas Card House and the WSOP, and how it eventually led to their upcoming WSOP Circuit series.

“They made an intro, and we got the ball rolling, kind of discussed some options,” Leone recounted. “We did some satellites into WSOP Bahamas, and we were able to satellite some people into the Super Main Event. Right away, we realized it was a great working relationship, and we saw an opportunity for us to bring it to Texas for the first time. I'll be honest, it went by pretty quickly. It's awesome to be hosting the very first WSOP Circuit in Texas.”

When discussing what to expect from Texas’s first-ever WSOP Circuit series, citing the passionate poker community of Austin and Texas as a whole, Leone expects a successful series.

“The reality is, I’m expecting a really good turnout from people traveling in from neighboring states, but I really do think a lot of our results from this event are going to come from a lot of locals. There are going to be a lot of Texas players driving in; this is in their backyard and an opportunity to play in an event at a level that they deserve.”

“We're really dedicated to trying to grow the brand and trying to grow the community and really looking for opportunities to become something bigger than what we are today. We continue to strive to get to that next big opportunity.”

For Leone and the entirety of the Texas Card House team in Austin, that next big opportunity comes with their WSOP Circuit series.

What to expect at the Texas Card House WSOP Circuit series

Looking over the schedule of WSOP Circuit ring events set to take place at Texas Card House in Austin, it is easy to grow excited, considering the unique offerings compared to other series.

While several WSOP Circuit classics like the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Mini Main and the $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack are featured on the schedule, thrilling variations like the $400 Pot-Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot event are also included.

For fans of mixed games, a large portion of mixed ring events are also set to take place, including the $600 Big O, $600 8-Game Mix, $600 H.O.R.S.E., and the $600 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw.

A wide variety of formats makes an already highly anticipated series even more exciting, but Leone wants visiting poker players to know there's more than just poker to look forward to.

“Throughout my career, I’ve tried to understand what makes a poker room tick. A lot of people will say it's gambling, a lot of people say it's sport, but what really boils down to is this community of people looking for an opportunity to socialize,” Leone explained. 

“There are a lot of professional poker players, and I promise you, they are not there to socialize. There's definitely that group of people that does exist, but for the majority of people, it's a fun game that they can play, that they can strategize for, that they can get better at, but at the end of the day, they have a sense of community while they're at the table.”

Offering exciting WSOP Circuit action with the fun, inviting environment that Texas Card House maintains in Austin, poker players have a chance to take part in a truly special series. While those two things are enough to entice any poker player to fire at least one event, there's even more to play for in every WSOP Circuit event in Austin.

Every WSOP Circuit ring winner in 2026 receives a free $5,000 package to compete at the WSOP Circuit Championship at WSOP Paradise 2026, which includes not only their buy-in to the event, but a multi-night stay at the new host of WSOP Paradise, Baha Mar Resort.

Having a chance to not only win up to hundreds of thousands, but also a WSOP Circuit ring and a poker trip of a lifetime, Leone touched on the excitement of potentially sending some of his regular players to represent Texas Card House in Paradise.

“For the individual person, obviously, it’s a huge opportunity,” Leone said. “But honestly, as a community, we're going to be able to send some representatives out there. This is going to be something where we get to, hopefully, take down one of those big events and really come home with a big title for ourselves.”

Good luck to every poker player set to compete at the Texas Card House WSOP Circuit series

While COO Victor Leone, the entire Texas Card House Austin team, and poker players around the state are excited for the upcoming WSOP Circuit series, they aren’t the only ones looking forward to cards being in the air.

WSOP Broadcaster and Texan Jeff Platt will be in attendance at the Texas Card House WSOP Circuit series, but instead of being in front of the camera, he plans on competing on the felt.

“Texas has always been one of the true homes of poker, so the WSOP Circuit coming to this great state just feels right,” Platt said. “I'm proud to be there for the kickoff of what will be a historic series. I can't wait to fire these events and mix it up on the felt with my fellow Texans!”

Best of luck to Platt, Leone, the whole Texas Card House team, and every poker player who plans on competing for WSOP Circuit glory.

Looking to line up your play schedule for the upcoming series? If so, be sure to review the full list of ring events on the Texas Card House WSOP Circuit series schedule.