888poker is bringing back its XL Autumn Series for 2026 with 41 events scheduled from September 20 through September 29. The central attraction is a $250 Main Event with a $300,000 guarantee, played in the mystery-bounty format and supported by multiple Day 1 flights.
Players do not have to wait for the official opening day to begin qualifying. Main Event Day 1 flights have already started, allowing successful players to secure a place in Day 2 before the main festival schedule begins. Everyone who survives a starting flight returns on September 28, with the final table scheduled for September 29.
A ten-day series built around the $300K Main Event
The schedule is designed to cover a wide range of bankrolls. Buy-ins begin at $5.50, and most tournaments cost $55 or less. At the top end, the series also includes $320, $525 and $1,050 high-roller events.
That combination makes the XL Autumn Series a broad online festival rather than a schedule aimed only at regular high-stakes players. Low-cost events, mid-tier tournaments, high rollers, freerolls and micro-stakes satellites all feed into the same ten-day programme.
The Main Event uses mystery bounties and multiple flights
The $250 Main Event is the headline tournament because of its $300,000 guarantee and flexible qualification structure. Day 1 flights run throughout the remainder of the month, giving players repeated opportunities to reach Day 2.
Mystery bounty rules add another layer. In this format, knockout prizes become an important part of the tournament once the bounty phase begins. A player does not need to reach the final table before potentially winning a meaningful bounty, which changes the incentive around some all-in decisions.
The source does not provide the exact bounty distribution, so the safest way to describe the format is simply that large prizes can become available before the final table. What is confirmed is that the Main Event is built around that mechanic and will bring all surviving Day 1 players together on September 28.
The final table follows on September 29, which is also the last day of the XL Autumn Series. That timing gives the festival a clear closing event rather than scattering the most important tournament across the middle of the schedule.
A $25 Mini Main Event opens another route
Players who do not want to spend $250 on the Main Event have a much cheaper alternative. The Mini Main Event costs $25 and carries a $50,000 guarantee. It also uses the mystery-bounty format.
Its Day 1 flights begin on September 20, the first official day of the series. The tournament then plays down to a winner on September 28. That places the Mini Main conclusion on the same day the full Main Event reaches Day 2.
The relationship between the two tournaments is one of the stronger features of the schedule. Both use multiple flights and mystery bounties, but the Mini lowers the buy-in to one tenth of the Main Event cost. Players can therefore choose between similar structures at very different price points.
The $50,000 guarantee is also substantial relative to the $25 entry. The source describes it as generous, and the figure gives lower-stakes players a meaningful championship-style event without requiring a high buy-in.
Opening events and high rollers fill out the schedule
The festival begins with a $109 Mystery Opening Event on September 20 that carries a $100,000 guarantee. That makes the first day important even for players who are not focused on the Main Event flights.
There is also a $525 high roller on opening day with a $25,000 guarantee. Later in the series, a $320 High Roller is scheduled for September 24 and a $1,050 Super High Roller for September 27. The latter two tournaments have $50,000 in combined guarantees.
Those events give the schedule a clear range from low-cost daily tournaments to four-figure buy-ins. The high rollers are relatively limited in number, which matches the broader structure of a series where most buy-ins remain at $55 or below.
The source does not list all 41 events individually, so the most useful way to understand the schedule is through these anchor tournaments: the Opening Event, the Mini Main, the $300K Main Event and the three higher-buy-in contests.
Freerolls and one-cent satellites widen access
888poker is also using freerolls and satellites to lower the cost of entry into the larger tournaments. Every day of the series includes freerolls that do not require a ticket. Those events can award tickets into Main Event satellites, creating a path from a free entry to the $300,000 guaranteed tournament.
Real-money satellites will also run around the clock with buy-ins starting from $0.01. That is the lowest-cost route mentioned in the source and allows players to begin with a very small entry before attempting to advance through qualification stages.
Satellite structures are important in a series like this because they connect the different bankroll levels. A player who would not directly pay $250 for the Main Event can still try to reach it through lower-cost steps.
The source does not claim that qualifying through satellites is easy, and it would be misleading to frame it that way. What it does show is that the schedule gives players several ways to chase Main Event seats rather than relying only on direct buy-ins.
What stands out in the 2026 XL Autumn Series
The most obvious feature is the balance between scale and accessibility. Forty-one events across ten days is a substantial schedule, but most buy-ins are kept at $55 or less. At the same time, the Main Event offers a $300,000 guarantee and the high-roller tier reaches $1,050.
Mystery bounties are another recurring theme. Both the full Main Event and the Mini use the format, while the $109 opening tournament is also a mystery-bounty event. That gives the series a consistent identity rather than presenting 41 unrelated tournaments.
The calendar is also compact. September 20 to 29 gives players a concentrated festival rather than a month-long grind. Day 1 flights for the Main Event begin early, Day 2 lands on September 28 and the final table ends the series on September 29.
For players following the schedule, the key dates are therefore straightforward: September 20 for the official launch and Opening Event, September 24 for the $320 High Roller, September 27 for the $1,050 Super High Roller, September 28 for Main Event Day 2 and the Mini Main conclusion, and September 29 for the Main Event final table.
Taken together, the structure makes the 2026 XL Autumn Series a festival built around one large championship event but supported by many lower-cost ways to participate. The $300,000 Main Event provides the headline, while the Mini Main, freerolls, satellites and affordable daily events make up most of the schedule around it.
The key dates are easy to map out
For players following the series rather than entering every tournament, a small number of dates define the schedule. September 20 is the official opening day, with the $109 Mystery Opening Event, the first Mini Main flights and a $525 high roller. September 24 brings the $320 High Roller, while the $1,050 Super High Roller is scheduled for September 27.
September 28 is the busiest championship day. Main Event survivors from the many Day 1 flights return for Day 2, and the $25 Mini Main is scheduled to play down to a winner. One day later, on September 29, the main $250 mystery-bounty tournament reaches its final table and closes the festival.
That structure gives the ten-day series a clear rhythm. Early and middle days are used for qualifying and side events, while the final two days concentrate attention on the two Main Events. Players using freerolls or low-cost satellites also have repeated chances to qualify before those final stages, which is why the schedule can support both casual participation and a large headline guarantee.
How the schedule gives different bankrolls a similar festival experience
One of the more deliberate parts of the 2026 schedule is the way the same basic festival experience appears at several price levels. The $250 Main Event and $25 Mini Main both use multiple starting flights and mystery bounties, while lower-cost satellites can feed into the larger tournament. Players are therefore not separated into completely different products just because their buy-ins differ.
That design matters in an online series because participation is spread across many events rather than concentrated in a single tournament room. A player who begins with a freeroll or one-cent satellite can still be following the same Main Event structure as someone who buys in directly. At the other end of the schedule, high rollers at $320, $525 and $1,050 give bigger-bankroll players additional targets without turning the whole festival into a high-stakes series.
The dates also keep the hierarchy clear. The opening event creates an immediate $100,000-guaranteed attraction, the high rollers are spaced through the middle of the festival, and the two Main Events move toward September 28 and 29. That sequencing prevents the headline tournaments from competing with each other on every day.
The result is a schedule where the $300,000 Main Event remains the centrepiece, but the rest of the series still has a clear purpose. Freerolls create entry points, satellites connect bankroll levels, the Mini Main mirrors the flagship format, and the high rollers give regulars a reason to stay engaged through the full ten days.