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World Series of Poker® Main Event ® to Return
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) announced plans to host 2020’s hybrid online and live version of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold-Em World Championship, known better to poker players and fans as the Main Event. The Main Event will begin for international players on Sunday, Nov. 29 and domestically on Sunday, Dec. 13.
Due to travel restrictions and out of an abundance of caution for player safety, this year’s format will be unique, where early round play will begin online with one entry on WSOP.com or GGPoker.com, before shifting to a live setting for final table action on two continents. Each “bracket” will pay out prize money to tournament entrants independently. The final table will be a world’s first, as an ultimate heads-up duel for the World Championship, where $1 million in prize money will be on the line courtesy of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) and GGPoker. The Main Event will be held consistent to the traditional “freeze-out” standards of the Main Event, offering only single entry, as well as the longest levels and deepest stacks ever offered on the online platform.
All in-person tournaments, domestic and international, will be subject to special COVID rules and procedures, the details of which will be published at a later date and will require players to undergo a required health screening prior to live participation. All participants must agree to abide by all applicable rules.
U.S. residents will be able to play the Main Event on the WSOP.com platform in either New Jersey or Nevada beginning on Sunday, Dec. 13. The $10,000 event is expected to take two full days to reach the final table, with play being suspended for an overnight break after approximately 12 hours of action. The tournament will be paused when play hits the final table, with the final nine players traveling to Las Vegas for the TV taping and culmination of the tournament to take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, subject to applicable regulatory approval.
Dates for Domestic Tournament:
Day 1 – Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020
Day 2 – Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, Play down to 9 players
Final Table – Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Monday, Dec. 28, Play continues to a winner; prize monies paid
International residents eligible to use GGPoker’s popular online poker platform will have three dates from which to choose their starting flight. Similar to the traditional offline events, players may only choose one date of play. Similar to the domestic flight, and subject to casino availability, play will be paused for the final nine contestants who will report to King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic to play their final table in a live TV taping. Should travel restrictions or a casino shutdown prevent the live portion from moving forward in December, organizers reserve the right to continue the tournament play online or reschedule to a later date.
Dates for International Tournament:
Day 1A – Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020
Day1B – Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020
Day 1C – Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020
Day 2, Play down to 9 players, Monday, Dec. 7
Final Table – *King’s Casino, Tuesday, Dec.15, Play down to a winner
*Subject to local regulatory approval
Finally, the winner of the Domestic Tournament and the winner of the International Tournament will meet at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, subject to applicable regulatory approval, for a televised showdown on Wednesday, Dec.30, 2020. In addition to any prize monies won by entrants in their respective tournament, WSOP and GGPoker have committed an additional sum of $1 million to the winner of the Heads-Up match along with the Main Event championship bracelet and the title of 2020 World Champion. *Note, should the international winner be under the age of 21 and thereby ineligible to play in the state of Nevada, organizers reserve the right to change the date and location of the Heads-Up match.
Heads-Up Championship of Domestic Winner vs International Winner:
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas*
A comprehensive list of satellite events allowing qualification for as little $1 will be available on both WSOP.com and GGPoker.com. There will also be weekly free-rolls offering $10,000 seat entry for multiple weeks leading up to the tournament.
To welcome visiting players, Caesars Entertainment will offer special Main Event room rates at several resorts in Nevada and New Jersey. Additionally, new options to deposit money into a WSOP.com account and cash out in person will be available for the first time at Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, NV. For more information about special hotel rates, and cash at the cage locations, visit wsop.com/mainevent.
Note, players are allowed to create and/or fund their online poker accounts prior to arriving within the state borders of Nevada and New Jersey. However, they must be geolocated through a CPU of mobile device to be within the state borders to be able to commence any gaming activity. New players may require document verification and are highly encouraged to register early.
As has been the case each year since 2003, ESPN will air coverage of the 2020 WSOP Main Event featuring Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.
“There must be a World Champion in 2020,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. “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.”
Added GGPoker Head of Poker Operations Steve Preiss, “We’re very happy to continue to deepen our relationship with WSOP. It was a huge summer of record-setting action on GGPoker and we’re excited to offer players access to the biggest tournament of all.”
To stay up to date on the latest WSOP news, visit: www.WSOP.com.
SOURCE Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
Latest News
Clarion Gaming film Virtual Tour showing scale of opportunity for ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors in Barcelona
Ahead of January 2025’s relocation to Barcelona, ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors can share Clarion Gaming’s ‘Vision of the possible’ courtesy of a specially commissioned virtual tour and exhibitor orientation video which can be viewed at: youtube.com
The 10-minute exhibitor film which is narrated by Clarion Gaming Managing Director Stuart Hunter takes viewers on a tour of the venue beginning with an introduction to Fira Gran Via’s integrated metro station which is located between the El Prat international airport (12km) and the historic city centre (3km) and has the capacity to take huge volumes of attendees directly to the heart of the spacious dedicated registration area at the south entrance.
Viewers are then taken on a journey along the elevated arterial walkway which provides a unique bird’s eye view of the 120,000 sqm exhibition space before accessing the contemporary designed meeting areas and plentiful break-out spaces requested by exhibitors, on to the ultra-modern and scalable conference facilities and the venue’s three ‘Sky Gardens’ which facilitate the delivery of a memorable indoor/outdoor festival experience.
The video also explains the new visitor-friendly show floor which has been designed to easily identify the gaming verticals of interest and in the process ease navigation through the five halls that the 2025 editions of ICE and iGB Affiliate will occupy.
Introducing the video Stuart Hunter said: “This is the latest in a series of orientation initiatives which we started in October 2023. This video which is aimed at ICE and iGB Affiliate exhibitors, partners and sponsors will be followed by a dedicated visitor tour to help prepare for this exciting new chapter.
“As a team we could not be more excited about the opportunities offered by our new home at Gran Via and new host city of Barcelona: the film sets-out the size of the opportunity that we have as an industry and shares a compelling vision of what’s possible.”
ICE/iGBA 2025 will use circa 120,000 gross sqm of The Gran Via (ICE 2024 utilised 100,000 gross sqm in London) across Halls 1 (iGB Affiliate) and 2-5 (ICE). An additional 160,000 sqm has been reserved exclusively for ICE/iGBA across the five-year tenancy. The Convention Centre which is located in Hall 8 comprises a modular and versatile space with seating for between 3,000 and 12,000 people.
Latest News
José Garcia promoted to General Manager for Innovative Technology Spain
The Spanish branch of Innovative Technology (ITL) have announced that a long-standing member of the team has been promoted to General Manager. José (Pepe) García Escudero previously held the role of Business Development Manager for the region.
ITL Spain has had an office in Barcelona since 1996, headed up by Sales Director Mustapha Hadj-Ahmed. They provide both cash validation equipment and biometric technology to various market sectors including, gaming, amusement, kiosk and retail.
Commenting on José’s promotion Mustapha said, “I would like to congratulate José (known to most of his customers as Pepe!) on this well-deserved achievement. I have worked with him since he joined the company seven and half years ago and he is hard working, a real team player and has an excellent eye for spotting new opportunities. José will be responsible for overall operations as well as continuing his business development tasks. I am sure he will excel in his new role and I am confident he will lead our talented team to new heights! I look forward to exciting and prosperous times ahead.”
Pepe added, “I am so pleased to be given this fantastic opportunity and to play a more operational and managerial role in the business. Each member of the team here in Spain are a key part of our success, and the reason we are known for being a leading provider of cash handling equipment. I am excited to get started and see the business grow even further as we continue to serve our valued customers and develop our technology to response to the changing needs of the market.”
Concluding Mustapha said, “José will be heading up the team at the FIJMA show in Madrid on 7th – 9th May 2024 on stand A49, so if you are attending the show come and say hello!”
Asia
Team ATK Oshun excels at 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024
Mind Sports South Africa’s (MSSA) 2024 Online Championships held on 13 April 2024 showed sterling results.
The championship was yet another chance for many esports athletes to qualify for MSSA’s National Team Trials to be held on 25 May 2024 at which the team will be selected to officially represent South Africa at the African Qualifiers which lead up to IESF’s 16th World Esports Championships to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October and November 2024..
All Registered Players who have finished in the top three places, or the top 20% – whichever is greater, are entitled to enter trials.
However, it must be remembered that all players must have a valid passport to participate in the National Team Trials.
It was indeed exciting to watch just how much all the female teams have improved.
Team ATK Oshun (ATK Club Sport) being a female team astounded all with their skill and sportsmanship. The team demolished all ATK Club Sport opposition to ultimately won the premier event overall and qualify for the National Team trials to be held on 25 May 2025.
IESF’s 15th World Championships will be played to the following titles:
- Counter-Strike 2
- Counter-Strike 2 – Female division
- DotA 2
- eFootball
- Mobile Legends, Bang Bang
- Mobile Legends, Bang Bang – Female division
- PUBGM
The high standard of play saw 37 Registered Players from six provinces being awarded Provincial Colours. Only Limpopo, Free State, and Northern Cape did not have Registered Players who did not earn provincial colours.
Title | Name of player/team | Club | Provincial Colours awarded |
Clash Royale – Premier | Johan Coetzee | Middies | Mpumalanga |
Clash Royale – High School | Aryan Maharaj | PR0NHS | |
Counter Strike: 2 | ATK Oshun | ||
Kaylee Ludick | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Jessica Eleez Greeff | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Christin Brazier | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Megan van der Westhuizen | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
Kayhla Rose Calder | ATK Club Sport | Gauteng | |
DotA – Premier | ZAG DOTA 1 | ||
Suhail Khan | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
Travis John Waters | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Mark Kilian Lehle | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
Mohammad Dhooma | ZAG Academy | Eastern Cape | |
Nicholas Dammert | ZAG Academy | Gauteng | |
eFootball – Premier | Aslam Parker | PES Society | Gauteng |
FIFA 24 – High School | Daiyaan Hendricks | PES Society | Western Cape |
Mobile Legends – Premier
|
Mavericks | ||
Matthew Tatalias | Mavericks | Gauteng | |
Damian Bransby | Mavericks | Western Cape | |
Preshan Pillay | Mavericks | Gauteng | |
Mohammad Azhar Ansari | Mavericks | KwaZulu Natal | |
Taygan Gabriel | Mavericks | KwaZulu Natal | |
Luke Green | Mavericks | Western Cape | |
Mobile Legends – Premier – Female
|
AHG | ||
Je’nielle Cavanagh | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Inez Pringle | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Salma Parker | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Ra’isha Prout | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Fatimah Prout | PES Society | Western Cape | |
Mia Anthony | PES Society | Western Cape | |
PUBGM
|
Team uEnvy | ||
Richard Henry | ZAG Academy | Eastern Cape | |
La-eeq Arendse | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Kyle Dudley | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Clayton Leak | ZAG Academy | Western Cape | |
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – Premier | Nathan Strange | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | |
Rocket League – Premier – 1 v 1 – High School | Luther Peens | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | |
Street Fightter V – Premier | Marnus van der Merwe | Hoërskool Klerksdorp | North West |
Tekken 8 | Stasch Cloeta | Team PlayBell | Western Cape |
Valorant – Premier
|
TuksValorant | ||
Tapiwanashe Keith Matema | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Kyle Halvorsen | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Jaden Connor Swarts | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Ronald James Tyler Wheeldon | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Alejandro Luca Sartini-Kruger | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Armand Pierre van der Colf | TuksEsports | Gauteng | |
Sportsmanship Award | Je’nielle Cavanagh | PES Society |
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