Poker Dream is a 12-day Asian festival circuit founded in 2022 by Winfred Yu, and in 2026 it has run six numbered stops across Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan. The next one, Poker Dream 26, lands at Resorts World Genting from 8–19 October with MYR 7,250,000 (about US$1.8 million) guaranteed across 60 numbered events. What makes it unusual for a tour of that size is the floor, not the ceiling: buy-ins start at MYR 800 and the Main Event has a tier you can enter for MYR 3,200.
That combination — big guarantees, genuinely cheap entries — is why the tour now posts numbers that embarrass circuits with far more history: 46,427 entries across 712 events in 2025, for a combined US$26.6 million in prize pools.
Genting in October: the 60-event shape
Poker Dream 26 runs 8–19 October at Resorts World Genting, the hill-station casino resort about an hour north of Kuala Lumpur (rwgenting.com). Sixty numbered events span MYR 800 to MYR 20,000, so at roughly MYR 4 to the US dollar you are looking at a $200 basement and a $5,000 ceiling.
The headline side events do most of the volume:
- Malaysia Open — MYR 1,500 entry, MYR 1,500,000 guaranteed. The best value-per-ringgit on the schedule.
- Mystery Big Bounty — MYR 3,000 entry, MYR 400,000 guaranteed.
- Ultra Stack — MYR 2,000 entry, MYR 300,000 guaranteed.
- MYR 100,000 Mystery Jackpot Draw on 17 October, open to players on the floor.
Two prices for the same Main Event
The Main Event (Event #38, MYR 4,000,000 guaranteed) plays 15–19 October across ten Day 1 flights, and this is the part people get wrong. There are two buy-in tiers. The MYR 4,800 flights (around US$1,200) play down to 15% of their field before bagging; the MYR 3,200 flights (around US$800) play down to 10%. Two of the flights are hyper turbos at the higher price.
So the cheaper bullet is not a discount — it is a harder qualification bar for the same Day 2 seat. Firing once? Take a MYR 4,800 regular-speed flight. Planning three or four bullets? The MYR 3,200 tier stretches the trip budget much further despite the tighter survival rate. The first 100 Main Event enrolments also get bubble protection.
High rollers with a 4% cap
Four high rollers sit on the schedule: a MYR 12,000 Mystery Bounty (13–14 Oct), a MYR 10,000 Single Day (14 Oct), the MYR 20,000 Super High Roller (15–16 Oct) and a closing MYR 10,000 High Roller (18–19 Oct). All of them run at 4% rake with no staffing fee on top — low by Asian live standards, and a deliberate pitch at the regs who otherwise spend October at Triton or an APT stop. The mixed-game rail (PLO, Short Deck, Limit Triple Draw Lowball), ladies events and team events fill out the rest.
Where the 2026 season has already been
Poker Dream numbers its festivals rather than naming them by city, which confuses newcomers. The 2026 run so far:
- PD20 — Malaysia, 29 Jan – 9 Feb
- PD21 — Malaysia, 9–20 Apr
- PD22 — Jeju, 1–10 May
- PD23 — Taiwan (Win Win Poker, Taipei), 26 Jun – 6 Jul
- PD25 — Malaysia, 23 Jul – 3 Aug
- PD26 — Malaysia, 8–19 Oct
A PD27 Jeju leg was pencilled in for 20–29 November and has since come off the published calendar, even though Genting is handing out PD27 tournament credit in its lucky draw. Treat a November Korea trip as unconfirmed until the tour reposts dates — if Jeju is what you want this year, the K Poker Cup is the safer booking. Over its lifetime the tour has also played Hoiana in Vietnam and Newport World Resorts in Manila, so the map moves year to year.
Qualifying online is the cheap way in
Poker Dream packages and seats are dealt out through online satellites on GGPoker, Natural8 and WPT Global rather than a tour-run client. Natural8 in particular is the default route for most of Southeast Asia — its satellite structures feed the same GGNetwork pools that GGPoker runs for its own live qualifiers. A MYR 3,200 Main Event seat won from a sub-$20 feeder changes the maths of the whole trip, especially once you add Genting’s early-bird hotel discounts of 20–25%.
Stuck getting a deposit through from Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines before satellite season? Message @PAGDaddyBot and someone will sort the payment route out with you.
Common questions
Is Poker Dream the same company as Triton?
No. Poker Dream was founded in 2022 by Winfred Yu, who helped build Triton Poker and the Poker King Club before starting his own tour. They are separate operations with very different buy-in ranges.
How much should I budget for Poker Dream 26?
A realistic minimum is around MYR 6,000–8,000 (roughly US$1,500–2,000) for one Main Event bullet, a couple of side events and four nights at Genting, before flights.
Which Main Event flight should I take?
Take a MYR 4,800 regular-speed flight if you are firing once, because it bags 15% of the field. Take the MYR 3,200 flights if you intend to re-enter, since the lower price buys more bullets.
Can I qualify for Poker Dream online from Asia?
Yes. GGPoker, Natural8 and WPT Global all run Poker Dream satellites, freerolls and package qualifiers in the weeks before each festival.
Is Poker Dream 27 in Jeju still happening?
The 20–29 November Jeju dates have been pulled from the published calendar, but PD27 credit is still being awarded at Genting. Wait for the tour to confirm new dates before booking flights.
How big do Poker Dream fields actually get?
Very big. The tour recorded 46,427 entries across 712 events in 2025, and its 2025 Jeju Main Event alone drew 1,394 entries for a record KRW 2.58 billion prize pool.
What currency do I pay in at Genting?
Malaysian ringgit. Buy-ins are posted in MYR only, so budget in ringgit and check your card’s conversion rate rather than relying on the USD estimates in schedules.