High stakes legend Daniel Negreanu says that this year’s World Series of Poker will not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The notion that we will have a WSOP in 2020 seems very unlikely. Also unlikely that you will see NBA/NHL playoff games with fans in the stands.
Read this thread: https://t.co/u9PgQ9o9BB
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) March 7, 2020
The Canadian tournament star tweeted his opinion as the situation regarding the virus outbreak continues to worsen with no end in sight.
Daniel Negreanu Taking It Seriously
The coronavirus pandemic is causing abject chaos across the sporting world. Events in countless disciplines are being cancelled and postponed almost daily.
The poker world is also starting to suffer. Tournaments in Malta have been shelved and also the prestigious Triton Super High Roller Jeju has fallen by the wayside.
We reported last week that the iconic King’s Casino, Rozvadov, Czech Republic has closed its doors to Italian residents.
Could it really be a possibility that the World Series of Poker doesn’t happen this year?
Normal people appear to be polarised in their opinions on the situation. There’s either panic or an urge to tell everybody to shut up and carry on with their lives. Very little in between.
https://twitter.com/shipit757/status/1236373975237877762
Negreanu’s Twitter post shows exactly the same kind of behaviour.
Panic Stations
Attitudes towards this pandemic seem more to do with personality than knowledge of the subject – and it is now officially a pandemic as classified by the World Health Organisation.
People with laissez faire attitudes to life in general don’t seem to care much. On the other hand, those who are born worriers are shouting from the rooftops.
There is little we can do except to listen to the experts and to follow their advice.
Last night US President Donald Trump signed emergency legislation banning travel from European countries for a 30-day period. This shows right away that a WSOP cancellation is at least a serious possibility.
For now Italy remains in almost total lockdown to try and halt the spread of the virus. However, it may be too little too late given the ease of travel within the European Union.
The European situation is rapidly worsening and a travel ban makes sense, but with the majority of players at the WSOP normally being North American residents this lends credence to the event going on as planned.
In this situation, it will however be seriously decimated with numbers set to fall way below expectations.
Many Americans will also choose to stay away for reasons of health protection and a poker festival that is expected to fall short of expectations.
Agreeing With Doug Polk For a Change
Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk are far from best buddies. Their social media spats over the years makes it clear their relationship is not a good one.
In this case, however, they are both thinking along the same lines.
Ohh stop. You and your best friend Doug Polk are such wieners. The world isn’t going to end. There will be a WSOP this year. Stop scaring away people that would normally come to Vegas and patronize our town. 🙄
— Chase Johnson (@ChaseAce55) March 7, 2020
Polk tweeted,
“I want to bet on -150 A single WSOP scheduled live event WILL BE played in Las Vegas between May – July (You get +150 no events will be played)”
The crux of the matter of whether or not the 2020 World Series of Poker could face cancellation will come down to attitudes in the USA itself.
Will Americans start to lock themselves behind closed doors? Or will they feel confidence in their government and carry on as normal.
There is still a couple of months to see how this all plays out. The medical community is working hard to put together a containment strategy and we could easily see everything under control once more.
For updates on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the live poker tournament scene check out the latest poker news.
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