The start of the live poker season at Casino di Campione is proving to be very exciting: with recurring events, rankings, and festivals that follow one after another, the calendar on the shores of Lake Lugano has become a kind of live highway, as, on the one hand, the first stage of the PokerStars Open in 2026 has provided very positive feedback, and on the other, the great anticipation is now for stage 3 of the ISOP, Italian Series Of Poker.
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ISOP -Italian Series Of Poker – Restarting on February 10th
The third stage is therefore just around the corner and will take place over a compact week, starting on Tuesday, February 10th and closing on the following Monday, February 16th.
To kick things off, there’s the “warm-up” tournament, the ISOP Warm Up: buy-in €130 and shuffle up and deal at 7:00 PM, ideal for breaking the ice and getting into rhythm.
From mid-week, the live satellites for the Main Event also come into play: as is tradition, the main event offers different buy-in levels depending on the flight, so everyone can choose the most suitable (and most convenient) entry point based on their schedule and budget.
Main Event Flights: Prices, Times, and Structure
The first flight is the Day 1A Special Price: played on Thursday, February 12th at 6:00 PM, with a buy-in of €300, a starting stack of 50,000 chips, and 40-minute levels.
The following day, the start time is earlier: on Friday, February 13th at 2:00 PM, Day 1B starts (still Special Price), but the buy-in increases to €400. The structure remains unchanged: 50,000 stack and 40-minute levels.
Also on Friday, in the evening, comes Day 1C: here the buy-in goes up to €500, with the same game setup (40 minutes, 50,000 starting stack).
The last two opening flights are scheduled for Saturday, February 14th. In the early afternoon, at 2:00 PM, Day 1D is played, which mirrors the characteristics of Day 1C (so €500, 50,000 stack, 40-minute levels). Later, it’s time for Day 1E Fast: the last qualification round with a buy-in of €400, 50,000 starting chips, but a faster pace, as the levels drop to 20 minutes.
Day 2 and Final Day
From Day 2, the pace changes: the duration of the levels extends to 50 minutes, and play resumes on Sunday, February 15th at 1:00 PM. There is also the possibility to register on the day with a buy-in of €500, available up to level 3.
The event concludes on Monday, February 16th, also starting at 1:00 PM, with the Final Day that will award the title and trophy of the third stage.
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How to Qualify for the ISOP Main Event
To participate in the ISOP Main Event, you can either show up at the Casino di Campione and pay the full buy-in for your preferred day, or you can qualify online through the many satellite tournaments organized by and
In the PokerStars-Sisal network lobby, under the “Events” section, there are various satellite tournaments – low-cost tournaments – that award tickets for the ISOP Main Event, as well as a substantial travel expense reimbursement.
To try to qualify for the ISOP Main Event, you need to register on PokerStars or Sisal.
What the First Two ISOP Stages Said
The first two chapters of this season spanning 2025 and 2026 were also held in Campione and brought a positive turnout to the tables, following the classic ISOP formula: a rich schedule, tournaments for different profiles, and that “full” week feeling that isn’t limited to just the Main Event.
And there’s a curious detail that immediately stands out: in both previous stages, a non-Italian player won. First, Swiss player Friedrich Raz, then Romanian Florin Bilan.
In the first stage, held at the end of October, the Main Event (October 27th) ended up in Raz’s hands after a run where he fended off a very large group of Italians: in heads-up, he defeated Federico Eliseo, taking home €50,000 for the first prize, while the runner-up received €25,670.
The second stage concluded on December 15th: Bilan lifted the trophy and took home €27,900, finishing ahead of Federico Castiglioni. There was also a deal in that final, which guaranteed the second-place finisher a prize of €23,100.
February 10–16, 2026 – ISOP Tournament Schedule
| Date & Time | Tournament | Stack & Levels | Buy-in & Late Reg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.02 h.19:00 | ISOP WARM UP | 30,000 – 20′ | 130 (+30) – Late 8 LVL |
| 11.02 h.19:00 | FREEROLL 10 TKT €500 GTD | 15,000 – 15′ | 0 – Late 8 LVL |
| 11.02 h.21:00 | SAT. MAIN DAY 1C-D (10 TKT €500 GRT) | 10,000 – 20′ | 50 (+10) – Late 8 LVL |
| 12.02 h.14:00 | SAT. MAIN EVENT DAY 1A (€300) | 10,000 – 20′ | 50 (+10) – Late 8 LVL |
| 12.02 h.18:00 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1A SPECIAL PRICE | 50,000 – 40′ | 250 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 (Play 11 LVL) |
| 12.02 h.21:00 | SAT. MAIN DAY 1C-D (5 TKT €500 GRT) | 10,000 – 20′ | 50 (+10) – Late 8 LVL |
| 13.02 h.13:00 | SAT. MAIN EVENT DAY 1B (€400) | 10,000 – 20′ | 50 (+10) – Late 8 LVL |
| 13.02 h.14:00 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1B SPECIAL PRICE | 50,000 – 40′ | 350 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 (Play 11 LVL) |
| 13.02 h.15:00 | OMAHA MAIN * | 40,000 – 40′ | 270 (+30) – Late 10 LVL |
| 13.02 h.19:00 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1C | 50,000 – 40′ | 450 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 (Play 11 LVL) |
| 13.02 h.21:00 | SAT MAIN DAY 1C-D (5 TKT €500 GTD) | 10,000 – 20′ | 100 (+20) – Late 8 LVL |
| 14.02 h.14:00 | ISOP MAIN EVENT – DAY 1D | 50,000 – 40′ | 450 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 (Play 11 LVL) |
| 14.02 h.15:00 | MIXED | 30,000 – 30′ | 170 (+30) – Late 8 LVL |
| 14.02 h.20:00 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1E FAST | 50,000 – 20′ | 350 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 (Play 11 LVL) |
| 14.02 h.21:00 | SATURDAY NIGHT | 25,000 – 20′ | 150 – Late 8 LVL |
| 15.02 h.13:00 | MAIN EVENT DAY 2 | 50,000 – 50′ | 450 (+50) – Late 3 LVL Day 2 |
| 15.02 h.15:30 | ALL STARS (2 DAY) | 25,000 – 25′–30′ | 900 (+100) – Late 9 LVL |
| 15.02 h.17:00 | SUPER KO | 40,000 – 40′ | 100+100 (+30) – Late 8 LVL |
| 15.02 h.21:00 | SUNDAY EVENING | 20,000 – 20′ | 125 (+25) – Late 8 LVL |
| 16.02 h.13:00 | MAIN EVENT FINAL DAY | — – 60′–70′ | — |
| 16.02 h.14:30 | ALL STARS FINAL TABLE | — – 40′ | — |
| 16.02 h.15:00 | 6-MAX ISOP | 25,000 – 25′ | 170 (+30) – Late 10 LVL |
| 16.02 h.18:00 | GOODBYE ISOP | 25,000 – 20′ | 125 (+25) – Late 10 LVL |
Player of the Year 2026 Hold’Em and OMAHA Standings
| POSITION | PLAYER | POINTS/HOLD’EM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friedrich Raz | 11,993 |
| 2 | Florin Bilan | 8,962 |
| 3 | Federico Eliseo | 8,481 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Vitale | 6,924 |
| 5 | Federico Federici | 6,763 |
| POSITION | PLAYER | POINTS/OMAHA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agazio Gerace | 3,111 |
| 2 | Marco Zanasso | 2,198 |
| 3 | Fabio Bianchi | 2,167 |
| 4 | Paolo Compagno | 2,109 |
| 5 | Carmelo Vasta | 1,745 |
Club del Poker Freerolls
And as always, don’t forget to visit our Club del Poker page, where you’ll find all the necessary information to participate in the daily freerolls of the various rooms.
The only condition required is to have an active gaming account on the room where the free tournament is played and to have requested the password.
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To participate in the Club del Poker freerolls, simply:
- have an account on the room where the freeroll is played
- be registered with Club del Poker, entering your email in the form you will find on the page.
- know the password, which arrives via email on the day of the tournament.
On the same page, you will find the calendar of all Club del Poker freerolls.
