This week’s poker news starts us off with further details on the changes for a couple of major poker events. One has moved online while the other has moved to later in the year. Here’s what you should be aware of.
World Series of Poker Postponed Until Fall
The 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the latest major poker event to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The development was likely not a surprise to most poker enthusiasts as a lot of other spring events have already been either pushed back or canceled. Now players will have to hope that the WSOP run in the fall of this year as organizers have tentatively planned.
In the meantime, WSOP.com will be announcing an expanded slate of online tournaments, along with its official schedule of events moving online with help from some of the world’s biggest casino companies.
WSOP officials had been keeping an eye on the outbreak of the new coronavirus since the new year and when it was declared a pandemic, a slew of EPT and WPT poker events were canceled. Professional sports leagues like the NBA and NHL were also suspended. When events like the Olympics and Wimbledon became unlikely to move forward, the WSOP announcement was inevitable.
The event has been running for 50 years and this will be the first time it will be scheduled for the fall, potentially conflicting somewhat with WSOP Europe, which is also scheduled around that time.
Malta Poker Championships Move Online
Speaking of poker tournaments adjusting, the Malta Poker Championships have decided to move online. With bans on large gatherings being a part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, many poker events have been postponed or canceled. However, the Malta Poker Championships will go on in May as planned, from the 22nd to the 27th, but with a new online platform designed by Qufan Internet Technology.
The main event will feature a prize of 30,000 euros, while partner Hendon Mob’s tournament within the tournament will award its winner 10,000 euros. Several other events will run as part of the festival, including the “Queens of Pokio” tournament for female players. More details will be released this month.
Neither the organizers, nor Pokio will charge any fees for the poker tournament, and all events will be rake-free. Organizers are planning one tournament with a rake, however, and it will benefit a fund meant to provide financial assistance to live dealers who are currently out of work.
GG Poker Signs “Elky” Grospellier As New Ambassador
Triple Crown winner Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier has signed on to be GG Poker’s newest ambassador. The French poker pro has won over $14 million in his career and joins an already star-studded group of GG Poker Ambassadors including Bryn Kenney, Daniel Negreanu and Felipe Ramos.
Grospellier first made a name for himself in esports as a professional Starcraft and Warcraft player before blowing up in the world of poker, winning championships on the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and completing the prestigious Triple Crown by capturing the World Series of Poker bracelet in 2011.