Eight days, R$400,000 guaranteed and a R$700 Main Event with nine ways in: Rio de Janeiro hosts the Campeonato Carioca de Poker 2026 from Monday, September 14. It is the third stop of the season for Rio's state championship, a circuit running since 2010 and organized by the Rio de Janeiro Texas Hold'em federation. The venue is River Texas in Barra da Tijuca, with one starting day at Rio Poker Clube in Botafogo. It wraps up on Monday, September 21.
The facts: the full schedule
The R$150,000 guaranteed Main Event costs R$700, starts with 40,000 chips and offers nine entry days: Day 1A Turbo on Monday the 14th at 8 pm (20-minute levels), a Special Day on Tuesday the 15th at 3 pm with a reduced R$500 entry, Day 1B on Wednesday the 16th (6 pm, 30-minute levels), 1C Turbo on Thursday the 17th (3 pm), a same-day flight at 6 pm at Rio Poker Clube, 1D on Friday the 18th (3 pm), 1E on Saturday the 19th (3 pm), 1F Turbo on Saturday at 8 pm, and a 1G Hyper on Sunday the 20th at 11 am with 15-minute levels. Day 2 plays on Sunday the 20th at 4 pm with 45-minute levels.
Around the Main there are five events with their own guarantees: the R$2,000 Super High Roller (100,000 chips, R$100,000 guaranteed) on Tuesday the 15th at 6 pm; the R$1,250 2-Day High Roller (R$80,000) from Sunday the 20th to Monday the 21st; the R$300 One Day (R$30,000) on Thursday the 17th; the R$400 Six Max Progressive KO (R$30,000) on Friday the 18th; and the R$120 Last Chance (R$10,000) that closes the festival on Monday the 21st. There are also R$100 satellites awarding five Main Event seats on Monday the 14th and Wednesday the 16th at 3 pm, a R$200 satellite with two Super High Roller seats on Tuesday the 15th, and a R$300 welcome tournament on Monday at 5 pm.
Why it matters: how to plan a festival the smart way
First lesson: the buy-in is not the only door. A R$100 satellite with five seats turns a R$700 entry into an investment seven times smaller. It is the right way to play a Main that sits above your bankroll: here is how satellites work and when they are worth it.
Second: pick your flight by structure, not by time slot. A 20-minute turbo and a 15-minute hyper push you into push or fold decisions much sooner; the 30-minute flights let you play deep poker and exploit recreational players. If postflop is your strength, aim for 1B, 1D or 1E. And if budget rules, the R$500 Special Day is the cheapest Main Event entry on the schedule.
Third: a state championship is the best laboratory for the player looking to step up. Mid-sized fields, a decent Day 2 structure and opponents of every level: the ideal place to test the live reads that online play never teaches. Before you sit down, review the differences between online and live poker.
Brazil has just crowned Kaio Camargo at BSOP Floripa and already has BSOP Millions on the horizon. The Carioca is the perfect stop in between. In the community we build the festival plan together: which flight, which events and with what bankroll. Heading to Rio? Tell us what you plan to play.