Women’s poker takes a significant step forward this weekend as the World Poker Federation (WPF) prepares to stage coordinated events across 14 countries.
The second WPF Ladies Weekend runs from October 16 to 18, 2026, with tournaments, coaching sessions and other activities designed to encourage greater participation in the game.
The international programme coincides with a major poker festival in Taiwan, where NT$48 million (approximately $1.5 million) in guaranteed prize money is on offer. Meanwhile, London’s Hippodrome Casino will host three days of women’s poker, including a £20,000 guaranteed tournament.
Women’s Poker Weekend Expands From 10 to 14 Countries
The inaugural WPF Ladies Weekend in October 2025 attracted more than 1,500 women and generated over 2,200 tournament entries across 10 countries. The 2026 edition expands that international footprint to 14 participating countries, with events taking place across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Participating locations include Brazil, the United States, England, France, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and South Africa. Rather than bringing everybody into one enormous tournament, the initiative allows individual venues to organise their own competitions and activities under a shared international programme.
The expansion comes as women’s participation and representation continue to attract attention throughout the poker industry. Recent incidents, including the JOPT Ladies Championship prize controversy, have also raised questions about how female competitors are treated by tournament organisers.
The WPF initiative offers a different approach, with opportunities for competition, education and community building. Its longer-term ambition is to make women’s involvement in poker more visible and accessible beyond a handful of major annual championships.
London Hosts £20,000 Guaranteed Ladies Tournament
England’s contribution takes place at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, London, under the direction of KerryJane Craigie. The three-day programme combines cash games, professional coaching and a championship tournament.
On Friday, October 16, the venue will host a women-only £1/£3 cash game, with live streaming and commentary. Saturday’s schedule features a study group bootcamp with professional players Marle Spragg and Jennifer Shahade, priced at £45 per person and limited to 40 participants.
The weekend concludes on Sunday, October 18, with a £300 Ladies Tournament offering a £20,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players will begin with 20,000 chips, compete through 25-minute blind levels and have a maximum of two re-entries available during the designated registration period.
Craigie has spent more than a decade helping develop opportunities for women in poker. As the Hippodrome’s Director of Poker and a PokerStars Ambassador for Women in Poker, she has been involved in both competitive events and initiatives aimed at helping newcomers feel more comfortable entering live poker rooms.
Taiwan Prepares for $1.5 Million Poker Festival
While the international women’s programme spans 14 countries, Taiwan provides one of the weekend’s most interesting settings. The Taiwan Millions Tournament Championship begins on October 16 at Taipei’s Asia Poker Arena and continues until October 26.
The festival includes 35 scheduled events with combined guarantees of NT$48 million, approximately US$1.5 million. Its centrepiece is the NT$35,000 Championship Main Event, running from October 22 to 26 with an NT$30 million guaranteed prize pool.
The WPF Ladies Championship takes place at the same venue on Saturday, October 17, beginning at 1pm local time. Entry costs NT$8,000, with the eventual champion also receiving a NT$35,000 seat in the festival’s Main Event.
Taiwan’s growing tournament scene reflects the increasing influence of Asian players on international poker. The Taiwan Millions Tournament has become particularly notable for its enormous fields, with the TMT20 festival earlier in 2026 recording 9,094 entries.
The women’s competition also has an established connection with elite international talent. Two-time WSOP Ladies Championship winner Shiina Okamoto participated in the inaugural WPF Ladies Weekend in Taipei last year, joining approximately 120 entries at the local stop.
Eleven Teams to Contest Asian Nations Cup
Another significant event arrives on October 20 when the WPF Asian Nations Cup returns to Taipei. This year’s competition expands from eight to 11 national and regional teams, adding Vietnam, Macau and Mongolia to the previous lineup.
The remaining teams represent Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Unlike conventional individual tournaments, the Nations Cup places considerable emphasis on team performance and national representation.
Last year’s inaugural competition produced an exceptionally close finish. The Philippines claimed the title with 60 points, narrowly defeating Korea on 59 and Thailand on 58.
Chinese Taipei’s Jason Cheng topped the men’s individual standings with 51 points, while Japan’s Mami Taira led the women’s competition with 40.5 points. With three additional teams participating this year, the defending champions face a broader field.
Tournament Officials Will Discuss Poker’s Rules
The October 20 programme also includes an Asian edition of the Poker Tournament Directors Association and WPF Continental Summit. Tournament directors, organisers and industry representatives will meet to examine consistency in poker rules and event management.
The previous summit, held in July 2025, attracted more than 70 participants and addressed over 25 subjects. Discussions included shot clocks, late registration, re-entry formats, disruptive behaviour and the use of electronic devices at poker tables.
Those subjects have become increasingly relevant as concerns about cheating and technological assistance continue to influence tournament security. Consistent rules are particularly important for players travelling between events that might otherwise apply different procedures to similar situations.
Taipei’s Poker Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing
Taiwan’s international tournament ambitions extend well beyond October. The World Poker Tour has confirmed that WPT Prime Taiwan will return to Asia Poker Arena from January 2 to 11, 2027, with a NT$30 million guaranteed Championship.
That festival will be sponsored by WPT Global, which is offering online satellite routes to the January Championship. A second WPT festival has also been announced for August 12 to 23, although its tournament format has yet to be confirmed.
The combination of major international tours, national team competitions, women’s tournaments and professional rule-making conferences gives Taipei an increasingly important place on the Asian poker calendar. It also illustrates how a tournament destination can develop beyond simply offering larger prize pools.
For women’s poker, however, the immediate measure of success will be participation. The 2025 Ladies Weekend established an encouraging foundation, and the addition of four countries gives the WPF an opportunity to build on that progress when cards go into the air this weekend.
