Published 6 October 2026. Analysis and views here are our opinion,
not a guarantee of anything. 18+, please gamble responsibly.
8 October 2026 – 18 October 2026 · Grosvenor Victoria Casino, London · UK time
888poker LIVE London opens on Thursday 8 October at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London, and runs for eleven days to Sunday 18 October. The first cards go in the air at noon UK time with Day 1A of the £500 Crazy 8 Opening Event, and the festival ends with the final day of the £1,250 Main Event, which carries a £250,000 guarantee. It is the last stop of 888poker’s 2026 live season.
The schedule runs from a £250 turbo to a £2,000 High Roller, with five events carrying guarantees of £50,000 or more. Here is how the eleven days break down.
The schedule
The £500 Crazy 8 opens the festival with a £100,000 guarantee and five starting flights: Days 1A to 1D across Thursday 8 and Friday 9 October, then a turbo Day 1E and Day 2 on Saturday 10 October. Last year Stephen Bean won it from 258 entries, taking £19,603 from a £110,300 prize pool, so the field cleared the same guarantee by about 10%.
The middle of the festival is for the smaller and the bigger budgets. The £250 Turbo Dash (£20,000 guaranteed) runs on 10 October, the £340 Mini Main (£100,000 guaranteed) from 11 to 13 October, and the £550 Big Shot (£30,000 guaranteed) on 13 October. The £2,000 High Roller runs 14 and 15 October with a £100,000 guarantee. Nuno Duarte won it last year from 115 entries for £43,510, and 888 ambassador Vivian Saliba topped a 105-runner Big Shot field for £12,135.
The £1,250 Main Event has three starting flights: Day 1A at 1pm on Thursday 15 October, Day 1B at noon on Friday 16 October and a turbo Day 1C at 8pm the same evening. Players start with 30,000 chips, Day 2 is Saturday 17 October and the final day is Sunday 18 October from 1pm. The Dragon (£550, £50,000 guaranteed) runs alongside it on 17 and 18 October.
Why the Main Event number matters
Last year’s Main Event drew 367 entries and a £383,500 prize pool, more than 50% over the same £250,000 guarantee. Gang Wang won it, beating Calogero Morreale heads-up for £86,600. With the guarantee unchanged, the question for 2026 is whether London’s field holds up. The autumn UK calendar is busy, and GUKPT Blackpool starts on 29 October with its own £250,000 guarantee. Another 360-plus field at the Vic would say the London stop has a fixed place on the UK circuit.
Qualifying is open online at 888poker, with satellites from $0.01 leading to $109 qualifiers that award $2,500 packages: the £1,250 seat, $500 towards accommodation and $300 for travel. Live £140 satellites run at the Vic throughout the festival.
What looks the smart angle
There is no outright market to price on a poker festival of this size, so there is no odds block on this page. The angle for a player is in the structure. The Crazy 8 and Mini Main guarantees both sit at £100,000, and last year the Crazy 8 only cleared its guarantee by about £10,000, which is the sort of margin where an overlay is possible if turnout dips. The Main Event cleared its guarantee comfortably, so the value there comes from the deep 30,000 stack rather than from any shortfall in the field. That is our reading of last year’s numbers, not advice, and turnout this year may look very different.
We hold no affiliate deal with 888poker or with Grosvenor, so nothing on this page links to them.
Elsewhere
The Premier League returns on Saturday 10 October with Manchester United against Tottenham, Liverpool host Manchester City on Sunday 11 October, and Coventry play Newcastle on Monday night. South Africa and Australia start the first Test in Durban on Friday 9 October, and the Shanghai Masters tennis runs through the whole festival.
The poker offer, and the rest
Ad: If the Vic is too far to travel, William Hill’s poker welcome offer is the only verified poker offer we carry. Deposit or transfer £10 or more to a new poker account and opt in, and you get tournament tickets up front plus a £100 bonus. The £100 is not cash. It is a playthrough bonus, unlocked in two stages through WHPoints earned at real-money tables, and it expires 45 days after you claim it. That is about four times the length of this festival, so it suits a player who will be at the tables for weeks, not one who plays a single evening. The bonus spins element carries 40x wagering, a 14-day expiry and a £20 maximum redemption.
On the sportsbook side, William Hill’s bet £10, get £30 in free bets needs promo code R30 and a £10 single at 1/2 or bigger, and pays three £10 free bets that last seven days. Betfred’s bet £10, get £50 in free bets is the biggest package, split £30 sports and £20 Bet Builder, but the first bet has to be at Evens or bigger and the deposit by debit card. Virgin Bet’s welcome offer pays two £10 free bets plus 2 x £5 Bet Builder tokens for a £10 deposit and a £10+ bet at 1/2 or bigger, with 14 days to place it.
For slots, William Hill Vegas gives 200 free spins on Big Bass Splash with code WHV200 after a £10 deposit and £10 staked on the game. Be clear on the terms: the spins expire 72 hours after they land, winnings carry 10x wagering on the same game and are capped at £30. Virgin Bet’s 100 free spins on Eye of Horus pay winnings as cash after a £10 deposit and £10 wagered on slots.
Poker is a game of skill and chance, and nothing here is a tip. If you want a poker bonus that runs longer than a festival, claim the William Hill poker offer here.
