As the second wave of COVID cases crashes into the populous areas around the world, it drags hopes of public events and reopenings kicking and thrashing back out to the proverbial sea.
Good thing poker tournaments can be held online and at least governing bodies are starting to allow closed campus events – without a live audience.
World Series of Poker
The 2020 World Series of Poker was scheduled for May 26th at the Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada. But it was postponed. The 51st installment of this grand event was put on pause … but now it’s looking like we are finally underway!
The WSOP resumed on July 1st with an online format and should run through September 6th. Welcome to the new normal, I guess. The bright side is if we see more and more virtual play, start by using sites like Bovada to practice your skills will continue to be advantageous.
The WSOP opened with the $500 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em Kick-off. Jonathan Dokler of Ohio won the event, taking home a little more than 130k! Justin Turner of VA, came in the runner-up spot snagging a bit more than $80K.
The 8-hand Deepstack with a $1k buy-in followed immediately after and again, Americans ran the table. The top five were Louis Lynch $168,586, Ryan Ko, $104,242 Kevin Garosshen $73,424, Daniel Fischer, $52,383, and Sean Prendiville, of Ireland, $37,890 – the only non-US contender.
Events Starting as of Monday, July 6th through 1st Half of July:
- Mon. July 6th, WSOP.com – PLO8 6-Handed $600
- Tue, Jul 7th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em Knockout Deepstack
$800
- Wed, Jul 8th, 3:00 PM 1 DayWSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout $500
- Thu, Jul 9th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max $1,000
- Fri, Jul 10th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack $600
- Sat, Jul 11th, 1:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack 6-Handed $500
- Sun, Jul 12th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – The BIG 500 No-Limit Hold’em $500
- Mon, Jul 13th3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Freezeout $1,500
- Tue, Jul 14th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em High Roller $3,200
- Wed, Jul 15th, 3:00 PM 1 Day WSOP.com – PLO 8-Max HR $1,000
- Thu, Jul 16th, 3:00 PM1 Day WSOP.com – No-Limit Hold’em Turbo $500
2020 Bay 101 Summer Open – Cancelled
The San Jose, California tournament was scheduled to start Monday, July 6th but was canceled. This is a shame because it looks like they are not planning on scheduling this year’s event at all. The Bay 101 Casino events are always fantastic. You can find here the new dates.
2020 MSPT Regional Indiana
If you’re a fan of MSPT, the regionals in Evansville, Indiana are still on. The chips will get stacked on July 15th and players will count their chips and bluff each other until July 19th.
2020 Potomac Summer Poker Open
The MGM National Harbor in Maryland will host the Potomac Summer Open from the 22nd of July through the 3rd of August. This will be a beautiful event and the Casino has undergone measures to keep everyone at the tournament safe.
Stay tuned for more updates on events. Hopefully, the events that are scheduled to run don’t end up getting canceled as COVID numbers continue to spike. These events include the MSPT Iowa, the 2020 July Guarantee at Lucky Chances Casino in Colma, CA, the LIPS Vegas Queen Summer Series, the 2020 Triton Poker Super High-Roller Series in London and the APPT in Manila.
Looking to upgrade your game? Check out our Poker Strategy tips.