"Push" means the WSOP organizers get the WSOP on as scheduled with the exact schedule that they already have in place.

"Fold" means the WSOP is totally canceled or postponed.

I hope the decision makers don't see this as a push/fold short stack situation because it certainly is not. It is more of a showdown value deep stack scenario.

If the WSOP can go on as scheduled but in entirely different form, it can still be called a win. The main thing is to keep large crowds out. This is done by eliminating high turnout events of buy ins 5k and under while definitely keeping 10k (and especially 25k) events on.

Then really go all in and double down (quadruple down) on the online events.

In short, high buy ins, small crowds, online!!!

Many big shows have gone down. With the WSOP, the show can go on. Major win for the industry. Poker can be a role model for the rest of society. But the organizers have to demonstrate flexibility and creativity. The stacks are deep. Play accordingly. No push/fold. No all or nothing. The stakes are the highest ever.

I'm starting to really get the feeling you're unable to go to Vegas and just want the WSOP to be online. Not gonna happen buddy, but I admire your commitment.

No, I really don't, but I'm impressed how a single person can spew this much bullshit.

Italy just closed down half the ****ing country and lot of you guys still think the WSOP is going to happen

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/08/ital...opulation.html

Not making these posts for personal benefit. I'm thinking of the big picture - the poker community, at large; the common good. It is impossible for the WSOP to go on exactly as planned. And it is not necessary for it to be totally canceled.

The game can go on. But it can't have masses of people within physical proximity of each other. There is an equilibrium somewhere.

I think if they are cancelling or modifying we will hear from them by the end of the month, leaving a 60 day advance notice for people to change their plans.

If we hear nothing by the end of this month then as long as things don't get much worse from that time forward, everything will go as normal.

Any online alterations would still only apply to players physically located within the states of Nevada and New Jersey. There's no geo-location/transaction support/due diligence/regulatory framework for WSOP online poker games outside of NV/NJ/DE, or ring-fenced Pennsylvania (which is PokerStars-only at the moment).

Then there's the payment processing. The tweets below are from July 2019.

If it took multiple weeks to get a few "k" sorted out with PayPal...

Full Discussion: from Post #501 Unofficial WSOP-NV Thread (2+2 Internet Poker sub-forum)







The software also seems a bit wonky? Not sure if these issues have continued to occur or if this was a one-off?



From what's been reported, WSOP dot-com is basically a 2.5 out of 10 stars online gambling service?

With one full star awarded b/c Bill Rini no longer works for the company?

If the product quality were up to modern-day standards (and operated legally out of regulated NV/NJ instead of Antigua) that might be one thing. But even then, for the most part countries aren't going to be encouraging their citizens to gamble online as some sort of coping mechanism during the coronavirus. Ring-fencing of major markets will gradually increase for many forms of e-commerce going forward I believe -- not the other way around.

Having reviewed the hour by hour average temperatures in LV in May/June/July, I am now aware that at 7 pm is it still scorching hot.

2 am to 10 am looks like the only bearable period of a 24 hour day, with temperatures in the 22 to 27 degree range, so outdoor poker with digital tables is possible but only if players would accept an upside down sleep schedule for the series.

The problem with the above, even if players would be prepared to play 2 am to 10 am is that if we reach the point where such drastic measures are the only solution for the WSOP to go ahead, then it also means that a big percentage of players simply won't go if it involves the confined spaces of using air travel, so numbers will be decimated anyway.

It is not looking good.

Even poker players who can brush off risk way better than most other people are going to realise that there is always next year and that the risk reward profile of travelling to and playing in the WSOP is a bad one for their long term poker and life EV.

I have another question: You guys do understand that for like 99,8% of healthy, <65yo people even contracting corona just means a couple coughs and maybe a day of slight fever, if anything at all? And no, this number is not made up. 80%+ even don't get any symptoms at all.

You take much bigger risks than this every single time you leave the house (and at the table). And if you're old or immunocompromised, then going to the WSOP is an increased risk for you regardless of corona and you should take precautions anyways.

From my bubble / viewpoint from what I've seen it seems poker players are more concerned and reacting the most compared to anyone else, though obviously someone working in a office / store/ regular job daily cannot just stay home whereas a poker player can just not leave the house for a month easily.

that's what I thought at first now I'm reading about high reinfection rates, nervous system infections, and permanent lung damage caused by corona and I've been staying at home.

I agree with this plan. There's no reason a trimmed down version of the WSOP can't go on. However, I'd scrap the $10k main event..or rather would up the buy-in to some amount between $25k and $100k. Seems like a good time to test out a smaller field main event which would likely result in more big names at the final table and make it less likely that some no-name that nobody cares about wins it as has been the case year after year.


Really? I'd think the opposite regarding cancelling. I'd think they'd try to wait and hope it gets better so that the event can go on but eventually will have to give in to pressure.

Are they innovative enough to pivot quickly to modify the events?

I always play poker in the middle of the night but there is no way in hell I'm going to play in below freezing temperatures, especially when I'm trying to enjoy the Vegas summer heat.

I suggested earlier in the thread that the LIVE Main Event have a buy in of 100k while the ONLINE Main Event have a buy in of 10k. The two champions meet each other heads up a few months later - at 10-20-2020 for the "Undisputed World Series of Poker 2020" title.

The wait period between the end of the two main events and the moment the two main event champs face each other months later can result in a lot of publicity and anticipation that could bring in the next poker boom. This was the whole logic behind the "November 9".

Crisis is opportunity....but only AND ONLY if there is flexibility, creativity, and agility.

The more I think about it, the more I feel it would be totally nuts for any player to book a trip to Vegas for this year's WSOP, and anyone already booked I would advise to scramble out of it ASAP for as little a financial cancellation penalty as is possible.

(Discounting the enjoyment/great life experience factor), in a normal year there are very few players whose EV including travel and accommodation expenses is positive.

The only players' who do have a positive EV are those who are very good at MTTs and play a big schedule and/or big buy ins and players who are decent/good/very good at MTTs, don't play a big schedule/big buy ins, but have a decent sized or big edge in the cash games there.

It will take so little for casinos to be temporarily shut down due to a hotel guest contracting the virus that this seriously jeopardizes the quantity of available cash games.

Also, if such things happen it will also mean a lack of available accommodation in Vegas so people who book their accommodation 1, 2, 3 weeks in advance will have trouble finding any.

Of course the whole virus situation could plateau and start to decline in April or May but it is a big gamble to hope for that and if you are wrong there will be a multitude of potential negatives affecting you and the chances of a successful and happy experience at WSOP 2020.

Unless they are currently within a window where they can cancel cheaper than they will be able to in the future, and that window is closing soon (and I think this would be rare), this is terrible advice.

First of all, if there is no financial reason for them to do so now, why would they? Why not wait and see what happens?

Secondly, if things get worse, it's possible that cancellation or change options become available, that aren't currently.

This is what lead to your original problems ITT. Maybe you should stop.



Perhaps you and MIkey started with the same root problem The issue is not that you personally will most likely not die if you get it its the infection rate and spreading the virus.

A group of people contacting the virus in China has lead to 100,000+ cases worldwide and way more than that not yet reported and yet to come.

Try to wrap your head around all that and tell me again about how getting infected at WSOP, taking it back to your hometown to infect others some of who will be > 65 and will die. But I guess that is OK as long as you are young and healthy, cause you know for you, its just a cough.

Italy just locked down millions of people. Most countries and US States are now reporting their first cases. Buy yeah, I am sure by the end of this month everything will stabilize and we'll be back to normal.

Shuffle up and Deal.

This reminds me of a silly exchange I was involved in with another poster earlier in the thread. He also took a post and completely misinterpreted its meaning like this. I have no idea how you got anything like this out of what parisiron said.

+1
The people buying into this mass hysteria are absolutely rediculous

Lou, have you refrained from all human interaction up to this point in your life because some other people might die of the flu?

maybe I misunderstood but seemed like he was asserting that if its true that Covid issue does not get worse past end of March, then all will be fine and WSOP will go on as planned.

I guess thats true, IF you believe that this will all stabilize by end of month.

Does anyone believe this is going to stabilize by the end of this month. I dont think it will. That was my point.

Nope. But also have never caught the flu from someone who wasn't obviously already infected. you see the difference.


EDIT: Just saw the Matt Glantz twitter posts above. Dont know if he is joking or serious, either way... what a moron

lol
You’re more creative than I was

CoVID-19 is seriously under-reported and under-tested in the U.S. currently. The CDC website currently shows these statistics for the U.S. as of March 7th:

Total cases: 164
Total deaths: 11
States reporting cases: 19

At the same time, the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington held a press conference on March 7th and reported the following:

Since Feb 19, the date the first resident who has since tested positive was transferred to hospital:
54 of their 120 residents were transferred to hospital.
15 have died in hospital, including 13 that tested positive.
(No count given how many of the other 39 at hospital tested positive.)
11 others have died at the Center, but there have not yet been test results (post-mortem) for them.
Currently, there are 63 residents at the Center, including 6 showing symptoms.
The Center received a total of just 45 test kits, on March 5th.
70 out of the 180 employees associated with the Center are currently showing symptoms and have been asked to stay home.

So there are likely 20+ deaths and 120+ infections associated directly with the Center, while the CDC reports 11 deaths and 164 cases total for the country. Mind-boggling.

The math says it is +EV to cancel the WSOP:

What’s your risk of dying of COVID-19 - or inadvertently allowing the death of someone in your community?

Like SXSW, which was cancelled, a WSOP cancellation will only happen if it's forced upon Caesars by the local, state, or federal government.

Which might happen. But Caesars won't voluntarily do it.

You heard it here first.