COVID-19 takes down another popular poker tournament
More than being the latest event that has been impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been the last one to make a decision that everyone knew was inevitable. Yesterday, the WSOP announced in a press release the postponement of the 51st annual WSOP series, the biggest live poker series in the world. According to the organizers, they are still looking for new possible dates, but most likely, the series will take place sometimes during fall.
Since its inception in 1970, the WSOP has never been fully canceled.
"We are committed to running the World Series of Poker this year but need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while prioritizing guest and staff well-being," said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart in the release. "In the interim, official WSOP competitions are expected to be played online this summer, and we will soon announce details of an expanded series of tournaments to be played on WSOP.com and through partnerships with international operators, which will allow players to chase WSOP glory from their homes."
Along with confirming that the series will be postponed, the organization also stated that there might be changes in the current schedule that was published previously. This year's tournament schedule was to bring a record of 101 gold bracelets to be distributed to winners, as per February's scheduled release, but those events might be adjusted a little. The WSOP did confirm in the press release that at least the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Main Event - typically known as the poker's world championship - will be included.
After this last release from WSOP, the next live event still scheduled for this year will be the finale of the year-round WSOP Circuit, as part of the Global Casino Championship. It will take place at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina from August 11 through August 13.
