The number poker tournament and series cancellations related to the coronavirus outbreak around the world are increasing by the hour. Just since yesterday, another dozen or so events have been cancelled or postponed.
The initial cancellations happened in Europe and Asia, but as the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States increased, more poker tournaments accompanied it. Some venues and tour operators are cancelling due to an abundance of caution, per recommendations of the World Health Organization. Others are making these moves in conjunction with state governments that are restricting gatherings of people.
No matter the reason, the cancellations continue to accumulate.
Prior to This Update…
Casinos and poker rooms, tournament organizers and casino managers are all using different terms: cancelled, postponed, to be rescheduled. At this point, most of the intentions regarding these events are merely speculation, as no one knows how long the outbreak will continue.
With that, these are the poker tournaments and events that are not running as scheduled, ones we knew about when we published yesterday’s notice (in alphabetical order):
--888poker LIVE Bucharest--APT Vietnam--Barriere Poker Tour Ribeauville--Bounty Poker Tour in Estonia--Colorado Poker Championship Spring Series--Daytona Beach $50K GTD in Florida--Golden Poker Tour Marrakech--Irish Poker Open--PartyPoker MILLIONS Cyprus--PokerStars Lex Live 3 in London--PokerStars Road to PSPC in France, Germany, and Spain--Siege of Malta--Triton Poker Jeju--Unibet DeepStack Open in Aix de Provence --Winamax Grand Final in Madrid--WPT and PartyPoker LIVE Barcelona--WPTDeepStacks Maryland--WPTDeepStacks European Championship Deauville
Interestingly, while most poker players tend to support the cancellations in the name of player safety, one player went beyond to suggest that all live poker must stop immediately.
https://twitter.com/RealKidPoker/status/1237918602335928320?s=20
That may be inevitable, judging by the speed of closures this week, but it remains to be seen.
Cancellations in Last 24 Hours
In alphabetical order, these are the cancellations (or postponements) announced in the past 24 hours.
APT Sydney
The Australian Poker Tour decided to cancel its upcoming APT Sydney series at Bankstown Sports Club. The small series was scheduled for April 1-5. The Aussie government’s recommendation to refrain from large gatherings prompted the move.
https://twitter.com/AusPokerTour/status/1238465433994317824?s=20
HPT Mini Series
The Heartland Poker Tour just kicked off at Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio, when the decision was made to cancel the rest of the events at that tour stop.
https://twitter.com/HPTPoker/status/1238184376288100356?s=20
Merit Poker Top Guns
Cyprus’ Merit Crystal Cove Casino planned to host its Merit Poker Top Guns series from March 18-30 with two Main Events and more than $2.5 million in guarantees. Merit Poker cancelled the entire series “until a clearer picture about the spread of the coronavirus, and the ability to safely hold the events, can be determined.”
https://www.facebook.com/merit.poker/posts/2486387684944397
RunGood Poker Series
The latest stop on the RGPS tour was to be at the Horseshoe Bossier City in Louisiana from March 31 through April 5. CEO Tana Karn noted that the team intends to reschedule it, and they are monitoring other tour dates on the schedule as the situation continues. Karn noted that the move to cancel was not in fear but “doing our part to come together as a nation to decrease the length of the threat we are facing. One poker family. Let’s protect it.”
https://twitter.com/RunGoodGear/status/1238171487359700992?s=20
Seminole Hard Rock Escalator IV Series
The Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida was in the midst of its Escalator IV Series. Event 4 was hosting its third and final flight when the card room manager decided to stop the series after that day. Players were awarded payouts based on chip counts at the end of their starting flights and a voucher for a free nigh at the Seminole Hard Rock’s hotel for use at a later date.
https://twitter.com/SHRThePokerRoom/status/1238256817404338176?s=20
US Poker Open
This Poker Central-hosted series for high-stakes players was scheduled for March 19-31 at the PokerGO Studio on the Las Vegas Strip. To protect the health and safety of the players and everyone attending and producing the tournaments, Poker Central postponed the series.
https://twitter.com/PokerCentral/status/1238179197828423680?s=20
WPT Venetian
The next stop on the World Poker Tour’s main tour was to be at the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip from March 13-17. However, it will not be there. The WPT looks forward to rescheduling this event.
https://twitter.com/Kevmath/status/1238262191285026820?s=20
WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam
As the action at WPTDS Amsterdam played out at Holland Casino, the series was into the first day of the Main Event on Thursday when it stopped. The Dutch government announced that all gatherings of more than 100 people were no longer permitted, and the Holland Casino Group stopped the tournament and offered a full refund to players.
https://twitter.com/DegenOnTour/status/1238159585518682114?s=20
WPTDeepStacks Thunder Valley Championship
Just after the WPT Main Event concluded, Thunder Valley Casino in northern California announced that the entire WPTDS Championship series scheduled for March 19 through April 7 was postponed.
https://twitter.com/TVPokerRoom/status/1238261279372070912?s=20
WSOP Circuit Bicycle Casino
This news came from the Bicycle Casino, not from the World Series of Poker. The Bike decided to postpone the remainder of its WSOPC tournaments to “protect the well-being of our players and employees.” The series started on March 7 and was due to run through March 18.
https://twitter.com/BicycleCasino/status/1238343780308103169?s=20
Wynn Spring Classic
The Wynn in Las Vegas kicked off its spring tournament series on February 17. The finale was scheduled to run through March 18. However, in the midst of a NLHE event that started on March 12, poker room management decided to stop the series with the sole exception of the $1,100 tournament that already began. The room will continue its cash games, though.
https://twitter.com/Kevmath/status/1238262342871285760?s=20
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