PokerStars Open Campione is back for 2027, running from January 8 to 17 at Casino di Campione on Lake Lugano, and the headline change is a higher Main Event buy-in of €1,250, up from €1,100 in previous editions. The series kicks off the live poker year in Europe, and the price adjustment is worth a closer look, because it affects both the value of the tournament and how players should plan their trip.
Below, we run through what has been announced, the history of the festival, and what players should consider before booking.
Dates, Venue and Buy-In
The 2027 edition runs January 8-17 at Casino di Campione, the Italian casino on Lake Lugano. According to PokerNews, the full schedule was still being finalised when the announcement was made, so there is no daily programme yet. The Main Event buy-in is €1,250, described as a new price point, and the report does not state a guarantee for the 2027 Main Event or mention qualifiers for Campione.
That means two details are still open: the guarantee and the satellite structure. Players considering the event should check PokerStars' official channels as the schedule is published rather than assume the terms will match last year's.
A Short History: Two Editions, Two Different Fields
The Campione festival is young, and the numbers from its two editions tell a story.
2025 (inaugural): 2,423 entries created a prize pool of €2,326,080, and Adrian-Sorel State of Romania won €363,000 from a €1,100 buy-in.
2026: 1,582 entries created a prize pool of €1,518,720, and Elvir Nuhiu of Switzerland won €200,640.
The field fell by around a third between editions. That is notable, and the report does not give a reason, so we will not speculate on causes. What it does show is that the 2026 prize pool was roughly €800,000 smaller than the inaugural edition's, which tends to make the top prize less spectacular and the guarantee, if one is set, harder to justify. The higher buy-in for 2027 could be a way of rebuilding the prize pool without needing as many entries, or it could reflect rising costs; the report does not say.
What the €150 Increase Means
The Main Event rises from €1,100 to €1,250, an increase of €150, or roughly 13.6 percent. For an individual player, that is a modest rise in absolute terms. But there are two effects worth considering.
First, the cost of a single entry is higher, and so is the cost of a re-entry if the format allows it. If you are planning to fire multiple bullets, the budget grows quickly. Our guide to bankroll management explains how many buy-ins to allocate to a single event, and a good rule is to decide your maximum number of entries before you sit down.
Second, a higher buy-in typically changes the field. Higher entry fees tend to deter some recreational players and favour those who qualify through cheaper satellites. That can make the field slightly tougher, though the effect is hard to quantify without data from the event.
The Sunday Million Live Context
The Campione casino has recently hosted another PokerStars event, the Sunday Million Live in October 2026, which drew 5,213 entries, created a prize pool of €1,119,853 (almost 12 percent above the €1 million guarantee) and was won by Italy's Ettore Santoprete for €98,200. That result is useful context. It shows that when PokerStars runs a live event with a strong online hook at Campione, it can draw large fields. It also demonstrates a guarantee being beaten by a comfortable margin, which is exactly what players want to see.
The Rest of the PokerStars Open Calendar
Before Campione, the PokerStars Open circuit continues with the Aix-en-Provence stop at the Pasino Grand in France from November 1 to 8, 2026, with the Main Event running on several days from November 4 to 8. Satellites were still available both online and at the venue when the schedule was published.
If you are planning a winter trip, the sequence of stops means you can build a live schedule around several PokerStars events. Our tournaments page tracks the biggest series and the sites offering satellites, and our poker networks guide explains how PokerStars fits into the wider online landscape.
What This Means for Players
There are several practical steps to take if you are considering Campione.
Wait for the guarantee. Until the Main Event guarantee is announced, you cannot judge the value of the tournament. A guarantee that is well below the likely prize pool offers little overlay value, whereas a guarantee close to last year's pool offers more protection.
Think about satellites. PokerStars typically runs satellites online and at venues for its Open series. If qualifiers are announced, that can be the cheapest way into a €1,250 event, but remember the high variance of satellites and plan accordingly.
Choose your format. A ten-day festival typically includes side events, high rollers and mixed formats. The Main Event is the obvious focus, but other events may offer a better return on a smaller bankroll. Our guides to cash games vs tournaments and poker strategy will help you choose.
Prepare for live play. If you mostly play online, review how live poker differs. Our page on online poker vs live poker is a good starting point, and understanding poker tells will help you at the tables.
Why It Matters for the Live Calendar
A ten-day festival in early January gives European players a live option right at the start of the year. A series that opens the year also tends to set expectations for the rest of the season, so the field size in January will be a useful indicator for PokerStars' live strategy in 2027. If 2027 recovers from the 2026 decline, the series will look healthy; if it declines further, the operator may need to reconsider the format.
That is speculation, of course, and the numbers will tell the story once the festival begins. For now, the facts are the dates, the venue and the new price point.
Bottom Line
PokerStars Open Campione returns January 8-17, 2027, with a Main Event buy-in of €1,250, up from €1,100. The festival has had two editions, the first drawing 2,423 entries and a €2,326,080 prize pool, the second drawing 1,582 entries and a €1,518,720 prize pool. Players should wait for the schedule and guarantee before committing, think about satellites as a cheaper route, and plan their bankroll for the higher entry cost. With the Aix-en-Provence stop first on the calendar, there is plenty of PokerStars live action to look forward to before the new year begins.