200 players punched their ticket to the Pickle Money Ball National Championship at this week’s East Coast Regional at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Top 4 finishers in each division earned free entry into next summer’s massive tournament in Las Vegas, which will feature the largest total amateur payout in pickleball history of more than $1 million.

The tournament will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from July 26-31, 2027.

In addition to guaranteeing themselves a spot in the National Championship, the top finishers this week also took home plenty of cash. There were more than 550 players competing for a share of the $625,000 total prize pool, with the first-place finishers in each division earning $2,000 per player. Each division also paid out to the Top 16 spots, so many players in the field walked away with at least some money in their pocket.

This week’s stop in Fort Lauderdale was the last Pickle Money Ball Regional of 2026, and it was the tour’s largest event yet.

The Kitchen Team was on-site all week and we talked to several players about their experience.

‘Absolutely going to Vegas’

Even though it’s still several months out, players are already circling their calendars for next July.

And the winners this week will have a great opportunity to parlay their winnings into an even bigger payout at the National Championship.

“I will absolutely being going to Vegas — I’m so excited for the opportunity,” said Rangin Hassan, who won gold in women’s doubles 3.999 and under and earned $2,000. “I was very fired up to get the win and we just had a great event overall.”

Luke Schmidt qualified into the Fort Lauderdale event through a local Friday Night Lights tournament at The Fort earlier this year. His entry fee for that qualifier was $100, and he turned that into a second place finish in men’s doubles 3.999 and under this week — good for a $1,625 payout PLUS free entry into the National Championship, where he will have a chance to earn even more.

“I loved this event,” he said. “Everything was run smooth and we played pretty well.”

Romina Casanova won her division — 4.49 and under mixed doubles — and earned the max payout of $2,000.

“You will 100% see me in Vegas,” she said. “I love that Pickle Money Ball is growing and giving us these opportunities to play and earn money.”

Pickle Money Ball schedule

Pickle Money Ball shows no signs of slowing down heading into 2027. They’ve announced a ton of events already for next year, and there are still a couple events left in 2026.

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There is a “Super Series” event in Seattle next month that serves as a qualifier for the West Coast Regional in Mesa, Arizona, in February.

  • Entry for the Seattle event is $100 per division.
  • Top finishers earn free entry into the Mesa event.
  • Top finishers in Mesa earn free entry into the National Championship.

That means many more players could potentially run the same play Luke Schmidt ran this week — qualify for a regional for a small investment, then earn a free roll to Vegas from there.

Here are all of the Pickle Money Ball events currently on the schedule:

Pickle Money Ball 2027 schedule.