'ABEMA Queen Of Poker' 3rd Tournament Confirmed! Free Exclusive Broadcast Starts Saturday, April 11, 2026
ABEMA will exclusively broadcast the 3rd season of 'ABEMA Queen Of Poker' starting April 11, 2026. A record 12 active female poker players will compete in a high-level mind sport battle.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 4, 2026 at 03:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 18:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 02:51 (416h 21m after Collected)
The new future TV 'ABEMA' has announced that it will hold the 3rd edition of the original poker tournament 'ABEMA Queen Of Poker' and broadcast it exclusively for free starting at 22:00 on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Poker is currently said to have a competitive population of over 100 million people worldwide, with large-scale world tournaments held regularly. As the ultimate mind sport requiring intellect, physical stamina, concentration, patience, decision-making skills, and luck—where players read and deceive each other—it is gathering further attention in Japan, seen in the expansion of physical venues and smartphone games.
'ABEMA Queen Of Poker', which has now decided to hold its 3rd edition, is an 'ABEMA' original poker tournament where a record-high 12 of the strongest active female poker players compete for the title of 'Poker Queen'. Past winners include the first queen Hikaru Uranishi and the 2nd edition winner, professional Sashimi, setting expectations for another high-level battle worthy of this lineage.
Continuing from the previous installment, the program will closely follow each player's introduction and their state before and after the matches, alongside the games themselves. Including review sessions where players look back at specific play scenes right after the match, the show will comprehensively deliver the agony and conflict unfolding behind the scenes.
For this tournament, continuing from last time, professionals active overseas like Chome, along with Chinatsu Haneda, Ayana Taniguchi, Yukako Hiroi, Mayonnu (Mayuko Morita), and Mayu Yamase will appear. Joining them are six new participants: Sumire, who placed 7th in the 2025 WSOP Ladies Championship; Miyu Nakagawa, a former idol and professional Mahjong player; Mao Akutsu; Kanna (Kanna Togawa); Chipyon (Chihiro Fujiwara); and Yumena Nishino. A fierce battle will unfold among these 12 strongest active poker girls.
Match commentary will be provided by poker theory researcher Amu, with play-by-play by Tetsuya. For the final broadcasts of #11 and #12, comedian Naoto Ikeda from Rainbow will appear as a guest to witness the outcome of the fierce battles. Ikeda commented on the broadcast decision, saying, "While it's a pure poker show, I want everyone to feel the seriousness and clashes that resemble a reality dating show among poker girls." Additionally, in episode #1, comments will arrive from comedians known for loving poker, Kan Yamazoe of Aiseki Start and Wada Manju of Nelsons, as well as professional poker players Shiina Okamoto and Misawa, who compete worldwide. Anticipation is high for the new season, with Yamazoe passionately exclaiming, "It's extremely interesting!"
So far, 'ABEMA' has broadcast various competitions, including live broadcasts of the professional mahjong league 'M League' on the 'Mahjong Channel' and regular 'ABEMA' original matches on the 'Shogi Channel'. Through broadcasting, we aim to increase awareness of the competitions themselves and acquire new fans by planning content that allows more people to easily enjoy the new sports genre of 'mind sports'. We will continue to strengthen the creation of diverse programs, including sports, and expand features, while proactively providing attractive content unique to 'ABEMA'.
■ Naoto Ikeda (Rainbow) Full Comment
(Image omitted)
Poker is currently said to have a competitive population of over 100 million people worldwide, with large-scale world tournaments held regularly. As the ultimate mind sport requiring intellect, physical stamina, concentration, patience, decision-making skills, and luck—where players read and deceive each other—it is gathering further attention in Japan, seen in the expansion of physical venues and smartphone games.
'ABEMA Queen Of Poker', which has now decided to hold its 3rd edition, is an 'ABEMA' original poker tournament where a record-high 12 of the strongest active female poker players compete for the title of 'Poker Queen'. Past winners include the first queen Hikaru Uranishi and the 2nd edition winner, professional Sashimi, setting expectations for another high-level battle worthy of this lineage.
Continuing from the previous installment, the program will closely follow each player's introduction and their state before and after the matches, alongside the games themselves. Including review sessions where players look back at specific play scenes right after the match, the show will comprehensively deliver the agony and conflict unfolding behind the scenes.
For this tournament, continuing from last time, professionals active overseas like Chome, along with Chinatsu Haneda, Ayana Taniguchi, Yukako Hiroi, Mayonnu (Mayuko Morita), and Mayu Yamase will appear. Joining them are six new participants: Sumire, who placed 7th in the 2025 WSOP Ladies Championship; Miyu Nakagawa, a former idol and professional Mahjong player; Mao Akutsu; Kanna (Kanna Togawa); Chipyon (Chihiro Fujiwara); and Yumena Nishino. A fierce battle will unfold among these 12 strongest active poker girls.
Match commentary will be provided by poker theory researcher Amu, with play-by-play by Tetsuya. For the final broadcasts of #11 and #12, comedian Naoto Ikeda from Rainbow will appear as a guest to witness the outcome of the fierce battles. Ikeda commented on the broadcast decision, saying, "While it's a pure poker show, I want everyone to feel the seriousness and clashes that resemble a reality dating show among poker girls." Additionally, in episode #1, comments will arrive from comedians known for loving poker, Kan Yamazoe of Aiseki Start and Wada Manju of Nelsons, as well as professional poker players Shiina Okamoto and Misawa, who compete worldwide. Anticipation is high for the new season, with Yamazoe passionately exclaiming, "It's extremely interesting!"
So far, 'ABEMA' has broadcast various competitions, including live broadcasts of the professional mahjong league 'M League' on the 'Mahjong Channel' and regular 'ABEMA' original matches on the 'Shogi Channel'. Through broadcasting, we aim to increase awareness of the competitions themselves and acquire new fans by planning content that allows more people to easily enjoy the new sports genre of 'mind sports'. We will continue to strengthen the creation of diverse programs, including sports, and expand features, while proactively providing attractive content unique to 'ABEMA'.
■ Naoto Ikeda (Rainbow) Full Comment
(Image omitted)