
With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down live poker events for most of 2020, poker fans quickly realized that the WSOP Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas wasn’t going to happen, at least not the way it always had in the past. Over the summer, the WSOP held a special “Season Finale” Online Circuit Event from June 3-14. It was very successful, since many more players could compete online without the expenses associated with the usual 101- live event.
Now, it seems that WSOP executives are planning to try a mix of live and online tournaments in a 2020 Main Event. Of course, the thousands of players who competed in the Season Finale this summer thought that was the Main Event, but now there is another one. It is officially called the 51st WSOP 2020 Man Event and will combine online and live poker in the US and internationally. It will be a more traditional event, more closely mimicking the one in Las Vegas each year. It will require a $10K buy-in ($9,600 + $400) and offer no reentries. Players will receive 60K chips and play 30-minute levels.
Unfortunately, players in the United States must be located in either Nevada or New Jersey in order to participate in the tournament on WSOP.com. The schedule is as follows:
Sunday, December 13, noon PST: Day 1 with 20 levels of play (6 hours of late registration)
Monday, December 14, noon PST: Day 2 to play down to 9 at the final table
Monday, December 28: Final table play to a winner
The US final table will play out live at the Rio All-Suite Hotel &Casino in Las Vegas and be filmed by ESPN. However, if any player tests positive for Covid-19 prior to play, it will disqualify that person from competing at the final table. That person will receive ninth-place money.
For more details, check out the Player’s Guide at wsop.com/online-players-guide/?sf239998309=1