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2020 World Series of Poker Delayed Until Fall

James Guill

As reported previously, major poker events around the world have been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some events have been canceled, others delayed, and some tournaments have even moved online.

One event that had stubbornly held onto the idea of playing as scheduled was the World Series of Poker. However, officials at the WSOP have finally made the difficult decision to delay the 2020 WSOP. According to a press release by the WSOP on Monday, the 2020 World Series of Poker will be delayed until sometime this Fall.

World Series of Poker Delayed Until Fall

The 2020 World Series of Poker was one of the few upcoming poker events that were still “on schedule” as recently as Friday. Many have spoken out against holding the series, with many claiming that Caesars needed to take player and employee safety into account rather than chase money.

Originally, WSOP officials had stated they would not make a decision on whether to cancel the series until May. However, with the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continuing to rise globally, officials made the call early.

According to a press release on Monday, the WSOP will be delayed until the Fall. No date was given in the press release. This announcement was inevitable as things are too unpredictable globally. Australia is closing casinos for six months while other countries are still on lockdown. While some countries are beginning to see a decline in the number of infections, the United States is one where cases continue to climb.

WSOP to Hold Online Competitions This Summer

During the press release, WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart made the announcement that “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 partnership with international operators, which will allow players to chase WSOP glory from their homes.”

What this means remains to be seen. The WSOP is already holding Circuit events online. Events award WSOP-C rings to winners. One has to wonder if the WSOP is making plans to hold bracelet events while waiting for the eventual fate of the live series.

If the series does hold online bracelet events, this could be done in a couple of ways. The first is to partner with 888 poker to hold bracelet events open to international players. 888 has a popular online casino and online poker room and is a sponsor of the WSOP worldwide.

The other option is to hold bracelet events through WSOP.com in America. Presently, players can play at WSOP.com in Nevada and New Jersey. Online bracelet events are presently exclusive to WSOP.com in Nevada. However, players could play satellites to the World Series of Poker in both Nevada and New Jersey.

Some Adjustment to Schedule Likely

Due to the move to the Fall, a schedule with fewer events is likely. Over 100 events are on the original schedule but don’t expect that Fall version to have that many.

If we were to predict a schedule for the Fall, expect a schedule of about half of what is presently on WSOP.com. If the WSOP offers bracelet events online this summer, the schedule may be trimmed down further. Don’t expect a schedule of events until sometime around July.

Another interesting tidbit on the press release is that WSOP Europe is still on the schedule for the Fall. One has to wonder if the WSOP will try and maybe combine the two events. The only other solution would be to hold the events back-to-back to prevent overlap.

Some still think that WSOP will eventually cancel the 2020 WSOP, depending on how the pandemic progresses. We will keep you updated on this story as future developments unfold.