Are you ready for some poker?! Every year when football fans prepare for a season of exciting games, BetMGM gets in on the action with its Gridiron Classic. The 2026 iteration is now on tap, complete with a 26-event tournament schedule and more than $500,000 in guarantees. And satellites are underway for the September 9-14 online series.

2026 Gridiron Classic Online at BetMGM

This year’s schedule is set and available for your perusal in the BetMGM Poker online tournament lobby. The 26 events come complete with solid guarantees and football-themed names. The best part is that buy-ins start at just $25, and the total amount guaranteed for the series is $566,000.

Gridiron Classic Schedule

For convenience’s sake, here’s the full schedule with a variety of tournament options

• • Sept 9 (Event 1):  $100 Kickoff NLH w/$22,500 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 9 (Event 2):  $250 Return NLH w/$22,500 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 9 (Event 3):  $50 Huddle PLO w/$7,000 guarantee
  • Sept 9 (Event 4):  $25 Rematch 6-Max NLH w/$5,000 guarantee
  • Sept 10 (Event 5):  $100 1st Down NLH w/$27,500 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 10 (Event 6):  $250 2nd Down 6-Max PKO NLH w/$30,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 10 (Event 7):  $50 3rd Down PKO NLH w/$10,000 guarantee
  • Sept 10 (Event 8):  $25 4th Down PLO PKO w/$3,000 guarantee
  • Sept 11 (Event 9):  $250 Flea Flicker 40-Stack NLH w/$20,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 11 (Event 10):  $50 Checkdown NLH w/$7,000 guarantee
  • Sept 11 (Event 11):  $100 Big Hit 6-Max PKO NLH w/$10,000 guarantee
  • Sept 11 (Event 12):  $25 Sideline Dash Turbo NLH w/$3,000 guarantee
  • Sept 12 (Event 13):  $250 Playmaker PKO NLH w/$25,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 12 (Event 14):  $50 Wildcat PLO-8 w/$5,000 guarantee
  • Sept 12 (Event 15):  $100 Pick-Six 6-Max NLH w/$8,000 guarantee
  • Sept 12 (Event 16):  $25 Scramble PLO w/$3,000 guarantee
  • Sept 13 (Event 17):  $50 Full Slate Deepstack NLH w/$5,000 guarantee
  • Sept 13 (Event 18):  $250 Touchdown NLH w/$75,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 13 (Event 19):  $50 End Around NLH w/$17,500 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 13 (Event 20):  $1,000 MVP PKO NLH w/$150,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 13 (Event 21):  $100 Prime Time NLH w/$40,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 13 (Event 22):  $100 Hard Count PKO NLH w/$10,000 guarantee
  • Sept 14 (Event 23):  $100 Crunch Time NLH w/$25,000 guarantee
  • Sept 14 (Event 24):  $250 Onside Turbo NLH w/$20,000 guarantee & trophy
  • Sept 14 (Event 25):  $25 Hook & Ladder PLO PKO w/$3,000 guarantee
  • Sept 14 (Event 26):  $50 Victory Formation NLH w/$12,000 guarantee & trophy

The two events in bold bring the largest guarantees. Note that some of the tournaments also award trophies to their respective winners. And while most of the tournaments are No Limit Hold’em, there are several Pot Limit Omaha options for four-card fans.

Promotions with BetMGM Sports & Casino

There are two promotions running during the Gridiron Classic that provide other ways to win money during the series. 

The Gridiron Classic Leaderboard will track players’ results throughout the online tournament series. Players will accrue points for every cash, depending upon their finishing place. And at the end of the series, the top five points earners will win up to $500 in BetMGM casino bonuses.

At the same time, every time a player buys into a Gridiron Classic event, they will earn a Spin the Wheel ticket. Each spin has prizes up to and including $50 BetMGM Sports bonus bets. For this promotion, players need to opt in to participate.

Ways to Qualify for Gridiron Classic

There are several ways to satellite into this year’s Gridiron Classic online, and qualifiers start at just $1. For those big buy-ins that seem out of reach for a player’s poker bankroll, consider the many ways to earn a seat at a discount.

MVP Step Satellites

The standard step qualifiers for the Gridiron Classic offer a three-tiered system to earn a seat into the highest buy-in event of the series. Players can start with the first step or buy directly into the second or third step.

• Step 1:  $2 buy-in to win $10 tickets
• Step 2:  $10 buy-in or ticket to win $100 tickets
• Step 3:  $100 buy-in or ticket to win $1,000 MVP PKO seats

MVP Longshot Step Satellites

This is another way to win seats into the big buy-in MVP progressive knockout tournament. The Longshot Step qualifiers also provide a way to start low and climb toward the seat or buy in at any step.

• Step 1:  $1 buy-in to win $25 tickets
• Step 2:  $25 buy-in or ticket to win $1,000 MVP PKO seats

Standard Satellites

By double-clicking on any tournament in the Gridiron Classic, the tournament lobby opens. Then click on the “satellites” tab and a list of available satellites will appear. Double-click on any one to go directly to that satellite. 

For example, Event 1 offers $5 and $10 satellites to win $100 tickets into the $100 buy-in event. As another example, Event 4 offers $2 and $5 satellites to win entries to the $25 buy-in event or buy-ins to two events, respectively. The satellites tab on each tournament offers details.

Play Qualifiers Today at BetMGM Poker

With so many ways to win tickets to the Gridiron Classic at greatly discounted prices, it pays to get started now. Find the tournaments you want to play, note the potential qualifying tournaments, and start winning your seats today. Or simply take a seat in any tournament or cash game to get yourself ready for the series. It’s all regulated real money online poker at BetMGM, and it takes only moments to register. And feel free to use our exclusive online poker welcome bonus when making your first deposit to boost your starting bankroll.