Poker players never have to worry about tropical storms impacting the WSOP each summer in Las Vegas. But this year, due to COVID-19, the series is being played online, on GGPoker, and many American players traveled to compete in Mexico where a slew of rough storms caused some troublesome power outages.
Strangely enough, this isn't the first time a power outage has affected a World Series of Poker event. On Day 6 of the 2018 Main Event, the lights inside the Rio Convention Center went off mysteriously, forcing play to halt. ESPN's camera crew was called upon to shine lights on the tables that were in the middle of a hand so the they could be completed. Play was eventually postponed for the evening as the power outage lasted through the night.
Last year during the series, an earthquake struck, causing some commotion inside the Amazon Room at the Rio. Players hurriedly exited the massive conference room as they were all unsure exactly what had just happened. Everyone would soon return to their seats. But this year's weather conditions were a bit different as many players lost power throughout the evening and, as a result, were unable to log back into the GGPoker site.
Negreanu, poker vloggers lose power
Hurricane Genevieve struck parts of Mexico, including Cabo where numerous American poker players traveled to compete in the GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelet Series. That includes Daniel Negreanu, who is staying at a beachfront property.
After the power outage, Negreanu and his wife Amanda were forced to stay overnight in a hotel so that "Kid Poker" could compete in the $500 limit hold'em WSOP event. He's been streaming his WSOP online action daily on YouTube but was unable to do so on Thursday.
The power returned at his rental property on Thursday so he returned. He shared a video of the windstorm picking up just before the hurricane hit.
Poker vloggers Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme are also staying at a home in Cabo near the beach. They, like Negreanu, also lost power during the series.
Neeme sold action on his $800 pot-limit Omaha tournament. So, to be fair to those who had a piece of him, he refunded the money since he was unable to complete the tournament due to the power outage. Owen took a video of the hurricane after it hit Cabo.
The storms in Mexico have calmed down since and most homes have regained power. So, it's back to the virtual felt for these poker pros and the rest of the bracelet hunters on GGPoker this summer.
The World Series of Poker Online Bracelet Series runs until Sep. 6, with the $5,000 Main Event already underway. Barring another tropical storm causing a power outage, Negreanu anticipates live-streaming his Main Event action on Friday.
