2020 WSOP Schedule Continues To Remains Intact For Now

Several major poker events have already been dropped from the calendar due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, but the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has remained undecided on whether or not the poker festival will take place as planned.

In an interview on a French radio show, WSOP Director Gregory Chochon said they are currently considering all possible scenarios, but it’s too early to make a final decision, adding they wanted to take their time as COVID-19 is a developing case and the situation changes on a daily basis.

This year’s edition of the world’s most prestigious and longest-running poker festival returns to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on May 26 to July 15.

When the coronavirus outbreak began to spread in January, a number of poker tournaments were cancelled. Some of these included the Jeju leg of the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series as well as multiple Asian events hosted by the World Poker Tour (WPT).

Conscious Poker by Alec Torelli

 

During this time, WSOP’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky assured everyone that this year’s schedule remains intact as they continue to monitor the situation. While the coronavirus epidemic has increased significantly in the last two months, the WSOP is yet to make a decision.

The WSOP attracts thousands of players from more than 100 countries all over the world, but majority of the numbers account for American players. As of this writing, there are more than 14,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in the US, including 217 deaths.

Chochon spoke with Steven Liardeaux and Daniel Riolo of the RMC Poker Show this week and admitted that the US could soon suffer the same fate as Europe, which has now become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Chochon said they do not want to make a premature decision on 2020 WSOP as a lot of new developments can still take place by the end of May. This being said, the events and schedules remain as is, with no plans to postpone or cancel the festival.

WSOP Schedule Remains The Same

Chochon assured everyone that they have the capability to issue a quick response or make slight changes and find solutions should the festival push through with permission from US authorities.

He said the situation is quite similar to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9. Chochon said they need time for reflection to make the best decision. For now, there are no changes to the schedule, and the guarantees will still remain.