With the coronavirus still affected the world, including the United States, poker tournament organizers are having to find ways to still offer events without a land-based venue. For the World Series of Poker, the brand has already switched to online gameplay. They have now announced that the Global Casino Championship (GCC) season ender will now take place online.
Details of the GCC
The GCC was set to take place in August at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. However, due to social distancing and travel restrictions, the event will move online to the WSOP website. Instead of taking place on August 11th to the 13th, the tournament will begin on September 13th.
Players who have qualified to take part will be given an invitation to play online. Players who won WSOP Circuit Main Events and Casino Championships or those who are in the top 50 points earners are able to participate.
However, players will have to get to Nevada or New Jersey to take part. This may prove difficult for some, but hopefully enough players will be able to travel by September so that the GCC will be a success online.
Between all the qualifying possibilities, a total of 128 players are able to compete. The online version will still provide a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. The Online Circuit Event will also have two more seats on offer, and another 13 players will be able to qualify from a Season Finale online circuit event. This would bring the total participant number to 143.
Any player who won a WSOP Circuit Ring or finished in the top 100 in the WSOP Player of the Year rankings can also compete. However, they must pay the $10,000 buy-in.
According to Ty Stewart, the Executive Director of the World Series of Poker, the WSOP wanted to do right by the players and see the prize money up for grabs that was promised. The WSOP is hoping that by having an East and West Coast destination it will make the event viable for players to qualify.
Season Finale Qualifying
Because the WSOP Circuit has been affected by the coronavirus, the brand is hosting the Season Finale Online Circuit Event from June 3rd to the 14th. The 13 spots available will be awarded during these events. Twelve of the spots will go to the winners of each even while one will go to the Casino Champ.
Buy-ins in the Season Finale will vary, starting at $215 and going as high as $1,000. Players can choose to compete in as many Season Finale events as they like in the hopes of earning a spot in the GCC.
Players have plenty of time to qualify as well as get ready for the September event if they earn a spot. We shall see in the fall how many players actually compete. Hopefully, the entire 143 will be able to take the virtual felt to compete for the first-place finish and bragging rights for 2020.
