PokerStars Confirms SCOOP Warm Up 2026 With Expanded Schedule and $10M+ in Guarantees

PokerStars has officially confirmed that the SCOOP Warm Up series will return in 2026, once again serving as the lead-in festival to the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). Now running as a standalone series for the second consecutive year, the Warm Up arrives with a significantly expanded schedule and a much larger guaranteed prize pool.

The SCOOP Warm Up 2026 will take place from February 1 to February 16, featuring more than $10 million in guaranteed prize money across the series.

The festival consists of 69 numbered events, most of them available in Low and High buy-in tiers, with selected tournaments also offering Medium levels. In total, this results in 154 individual tournaments.

Buy-ins range from $2.20 up to $5,200, ensuring that players at all bankroll levels—from micro-stakes grinders to high-stakes regulars—can find suitable events.

Compared to last year’s Warm Up, which featured $6 million in guarantees across 78 tournaments, the 2026 edition represents a substantial upgrade. The total guaranteed prize pool has increased by $4 million, while the overall duration of the series has nearly doubled.

PokerStars also confirmed that the SCOOP 2026 main series will run from March 1 to March 25, which is almost two months earlier than the traditional spring schedule.

According to PokerStars, the adjusted timing is intended to optimize the overall player experience. The full SCOOP schedule and detailed guarantee structure are expected to be announced in February.

The SCOOP Warm Up is designed not only as a warm-up phase, but also as an opportunity for players to compete in SCOOP-style tournament formats ahead of the main festival. The schedule includes a wide variety of familiar structures, such as:

• PKO and Mystery Bounty tournaments
• Heads-up Zoom events
• Mixed games and draw formats
• Reworked versions of classic PokerStars weekly tournaments

PokerStars emphasized that the series provides an ideal environment for both newer players and experienced professionals to prepare, build bankrolls, and adjust to SCOOP structures.

Several high-profile tournaments stand out during the Warm Up:

• February 1 – $109 Sunday Special PKO ($500,000 GTD)
• February 8 – $75 Sunday Special ($400,000 GTD)
• February 8 – $22 Mystery Sunday Special ($250,000 GTD)
• February 15 – Main Event Low: $109 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD
• February 15 – Main Event High: $1,050 buy-in, $300,000 GTD

Many of the remaining events are built around PokerStars’ established weekly staples, including Titans, Thursday Thrill, Super Tuesday, and Bounty Builder High Roller tournaments.

Despite being labeled a “Warm Up” series, PokerStars is backing the festival with a strong promotional package.

Between February 1 and 12, PokerStars will give away $200,000 worth of Main Event tickets. Players can earn raffle entries by completing daily challenges:

• Play 1 Warm Up tournament
• Play 2 Warm Up tournaments
• Eliminate at least 2 opponents

Each draw awards 153 x $109 Main Event tickets, with entries accumulated through completed challenges.

An additional $450,000 in SCOOP tickets will be distributed via the SCOOP Vault promotion. Players must generate rake in real-money games to unlock milestone rewards.

Example milestones include:

• Milestone 1: $5 rake
• Milestone 2: $25 rake
• Milestone 6: $250 rake

The Vault runs from February 1 to February 28, with rewards becoming available on March 1. Players will have seven days to open their chests. The top prize is a $1,050 SCOOP ticket.

The SCOOP Warm Up is increasingly becoming an integral part of PokerStars’ major tournament ecosystem, similar in concept to the WCOOP Boot Camp held in the autumn. The series follows directly after the New Year Series, which concluded on January 20 with nearly $23 million paid out.

With its expanded schedule, higher guarantees, and strong promotional support, the SCOOP Warm Up 2026, running from February 1 to 16, is shaping up to be the most comprehensive and ambitious warm-up series PokerStars has offered ahead of its spring flagship festival.