Unfinished business
The World Series of Poker has announced that there will be a $10,000 Main Event this year, after all. Though the 2020 WSOP Online was already held this summer, it appears that a new, hybrid online/live version of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship will be considered the “official” Main Event.
There must be a World Champion in 2020.”
As was the case for the WSOP Online, this new Main Event will be played on WSOP.com in the United States and GGPoker.com in the rest of the world. The final table of each portion will be contested live at regional casinos and the winners of each will compete in Las Vegas in a final heads-up match.
“There must be a World Champion in 2020,” said World Series of Poker executive director Ty Stewart in Friday’s announcement. “Poker’s history is too important. It’s a unique format for the Main Event, but this is a unique year. We want to keep players’ health and safety top of mind and still deliver a great televised showcase for the game we love.”
The WSOP proudly announced the revamped Main Event on Twitter:
Like the traditional Main Event, this will be a $10,000 buy-in freezeout and the ultimate winner will be named the 2020 World Champion.
Hybrid format produces two winners
The vast majority of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship will take place online. It will begin on GGPoker at the end of this month with three starting flights. Day 1A will be held on Sunday, November 29, Day 1B will be on Saturday, December 5, and Day 1C will take place on Sunday, December 6.
On Monday, December 7, the survivors from the three flights will battle down to nine players. Those nine will complete at a live final table on Tuesday, December 15 at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, on the German border.
only people located in Nevada and New Jersey can take part
In the United States, there is only one Day 1, taking place on Sunday, December 13. As this portion of the WSOP Main Event is on WSOP.com, only people located in Nevada and New Jersey can take part. State residency is not required, so players can travel to one of those states to participate, just like they might in a normal year with the traditional WSOP in Las Vegas.
Day 2 of the “Domestic Tournament” will be the following day. Once nine players remain, the tournament will be paused. The final table will be held two weeks later on Monday, December 28 at the Rio in Las Vegas, which will have just reopened less than a week earlier.
Heads-up showdown at the Rio
The winners of the International Tournament and Domestic Tournament will then be flown to Las Vegas for a heads-up battle at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Wednesday, December 30 to determine the 2020 World Champion. In addition to the prize money won in their respective tournaments, the winner will receive an additional $1m.
In addition, because of lower age requirements at casinos outside of the United States, it is possible that the winner of the International Tournament will be under-21 and therefore not allowed to gamble in Las Vegas. In that case, the WSOP reserves the right to move the heads-up match elsewhere.