{"id":40984,"date":"2020-09-18T17:30:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?p=40984"},"modified":"2020-09-23T18:14:40","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T18:14:40","slug":"casinos-operators-players-returning-to-live-tournament-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/casinos-operators-players-returning-to-live-tournament-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"RETURN TO THE FELT: Casinos, Operators, &#038; Players Reviving the Live Tournament Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong>Coronavirus pandemic<\/strong> has led to an unprecedented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>online poker<\/strong><\/a> boom. Every operator has reported <strong>massive turnouts<\/strong> and that has continued for months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, many players may be craving the feel of some chips in their hands and the fun of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/games\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>live tournament<\/strong><\/a>. After months of cancellations and postponements around the world, live tournaments seem to be slowly returning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A full slate of events still may be months away. However, Coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations are declining in many countries and live events are slowly gaining some traction.<\/span><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--><\/style>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot; &quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"888poker_hits_tournament_trail_hopes_to_lead_efforts_at_returning\">888poker hits tournament trail, hopes to lead efforts at returning<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the first operators to get back in the live tournament game has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/reviews\/888-poker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>888poker<\/strong><\/a>. The company held its first live series since the pandemic on <strong>Sept. 1-7<\/strong> at <strong>Olympic Park Casino<\/strong> in Tallinn, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Estonia<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The series featured 15 events with an <strong>\u20ac888 Main Event<\/strong> that\u00a0 brought in 91 entries for a <strong>\u20ac71,320<\/strong> prize pool. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Latvia&#8217;s <strong>Edijs Laugals<\/strong> took the title for \u20ac19,982.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other events held in a COVID-19 environment, numerous precautions were in place. An<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong> 888<\/strong> executive says all upcoming live events will be in line with scientific advice of local governments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Company officials are constantly monitoring the health situation in each country, adjusting plans as needed for a safe environment.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">888 sees the Estonia series as a good start and hopes this expands to some of its bigger signature events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-41002\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/888poker_tallinn_main_recap.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/888poker_tallinn_main_recap.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/888poker_tallinn_main_recap-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/888poker_tallinn_main_recap-768x441.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The Tallinn event is an important step toward bringing live poker action back for fans around the world,\u201d an 888poker rep said, &#8220;and we are happy that 888poker will be one of the first brands to host such an event.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt will also be an important milestone for both our brand and our players as we work toward future events like the 888poker LIVE Sochi weekend and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>London Festival<\/strong><\/a>. We hope to run these in the coming months, in full compliance with government guidance.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Estonia, players found a similar experience as past events including brand ambassadors onsite. Buy-ins ranged from <strong>\u20ac55 to \u20ac2,000<\/strong> with most events in the <strong>\u20ac55 to \u20ac220<\/strong> range but without guarantees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTogether with affordable buy-ins and our great structure to assure the best live poker experience for all players,\u201d the 888poker executive said, \u201cwe hope that our 888poker Live Tallinn event will be the starting point for getting live poker back in the new-normal state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"wpt_sees_nice_results_with_series_in_japan\">WPT sees nice results with series in Japan<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?s=WPT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>World Poker Tour<\/strong><\/a> regulars have had to make due with international events via partypoker in recent months. Events like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/blastoff-wpt-partypoker-woc-players-earn-six-figure-scores-via-satellite-entries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>World Online Championships<\/strong><\/a> have attempted to fill the void and even award official WPT titles, prizes, and <strong>Tournament of Champions<\/strong> packages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the US, the tour has partnered to promote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/nj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>New Jersey<\/strong><\/a> events with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/reviews\/pokerstars-nj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>partypoker US Network<\/strong><\/a>. However, the company held the live <strong>WPT Japan<\/strong> on Aug. 10-16 at the Hotel Gajoen in <strong>Tokyo<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tour considers the tournament series a \u201cSpecial Event.\u201d Gambling is illegal in Japan, so players are invited or qualify through local events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like other live series have reported recently, demand was high. The main event attracted a record <strong>726 entries<\/strong>, up about <strong>35%<\/strong> from last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It also serves as an excellent example for health and safety standards since it is the first live event in post-COVID era,\u201d <strong>WPTDeepStacks<\/strong> director <strong>Cathy Zhao<\/strong> said.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40985\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40985\" style=\"width: 1750px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-40985 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1750\" height=\"1168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout.jpg 1750w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WPT-Japan-PokerScout-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40985\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The scene at the recent WPT Japan event. (photo courtesy Japan Poker Union)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numerous safety measures were in place to ensure a safe environment. That included:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Thorough cleaning<\/strong> and the use of masks throughout the hotel<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mandatory <strong>mask usage<\/strong> during the tournament<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Temperature checks<\/strong> prior to entering the tournament area<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Disinfection<\/strong> measures at the entrance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acrylic partition <strong>dividers and social distancing<\/strong> at registration counters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited numbers of people in the smoking area<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBring your own\u201d bottled drinks only<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another WPT event is also on the horizon in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/asia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asia<\/a>. The tour and its partner, the <strong>Chinese Texas Hold\u2019em Poker Association<\/strong>, plans to proceed with WPTDeepstacks Taiwan in December.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTaiwan has a thriving local poker market and to date has successfully handled COVID-19,\u201d Zhao said. \u201cSo the event can proceed even if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">international<\/a> travel restrictions remain in place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite those events, no US tournament dates have been announced. WPT officials continue to work with partner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/casino\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">casinos<\/a> on when some of those postponed events might return.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"returning_tournaments_seeing_massive_numbers\">Returning tournaments seeing massive numbers<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is still a long way to go for the live tournament scene. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/online\/wsop\/\"><strong>World Series of Poker<\/strong><\/a> in Las Vegas was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/blog\/world-series-of-poker-moved-to-fall-more-online-events-added-for-summer\/28660\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">postponed to the fall<\/a> and no date has been announced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there has been some progress. In the US, the <strong>Mid-States Poker Tour<\/strong> became one of the first tours to return to the felt in <strong>August<\/strong>. The MSPT held a <strong>$1,100<\/strong> tournament at <strong>Grand Falls Casino<\/strong> in Larchwood, Iowa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The event attracted <strong>538 entries<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/blog\/comeback-quest-live-poker-tournaments-begin-returning-with-safety-protocols-challenges-still-ahead\/31218\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">smashing<\/a> the event\u2019s previous record of <strong>238<\/strong>. That total set a state record for an event priced at <strong>$1,000<\/strong> or more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/nevada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Las Vegas<\/strong><\/a>, the Venetian\u2019s Deepstack Showdown is currently running and continues through <strong>Sept. 27<\/strong>. The festival features 32 events and a total guarantee of <strong>$400,000<\/strong>. Not quite sure what to expect, event organizers lowered normal guarantees for the series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, turnout has been massive with most tournaments easily topping guarantees. For example, the <strong>$250 SuperStack<\/strong> on Sept. 13 guaranteed $10,000. However, <strong>254 entries<\/strong> produced a prize pool of <strong>$52,070<\/strong>. Other events have seen similar results.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"525\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations to Mehdi Saleh of Tempe, AZ who was the outright winner in our 6:10 PM DeepStack Showdown Event #11 $125 NLH MonsterStack $2K guarantee <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VenetianPoker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@VenetianPoker<\/a> beating out 112 players. <\/p>\n<p>Mehdi takes home the bronze DeepStack Showdown Champion coin and $3,193. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SyAsRmkFi8\">pic.twitter.com\/SyAsRmkFi8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Venetian Poker Room (@VenetianPoker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VenetianPoker\/status\/1305557238661046272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 14, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Venetian reopened for business on <strong>June 4<\/strong> with the poker room opening a day later. Like most casinos reopening <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">around the world<\/a>, the casino has put major safety measures in place.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That includes mandatory mask usage and Plexiglass dividers between players. The new series came after seeing nice turnouts from players and other festivals are already in the works.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur one-day poker tournaments have seen tremendous support even with lower guarantees since we resumed on July 24,\u201d tournament director Tommy LaRosa told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/blog\/back-in-business-venetian-launches-first-major-las-vegas-live-tournament-series-since-casino-shutdowns\/30825\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USPoker<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--><\/style>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot; &quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"casinos_reviving_live_poker_festivals\">Casinos reviving live poker festivals<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other operators are stepping up to grow the returning live tournament scene. In the US, the <strong>Seminole Hard Rock<\/strong> casinos in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uspoker.com\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Florida<\/strong><\/a> have reopened poker rooms in Tampa, Coconut Creek, and Hollywood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The casinos offer a vibrant poker scene with regular events on the WPT and WSOP Circuit. All three properties reopened in <strong>May<\/strong> and <strong>June<\/strong>, and have seen nice demand since getting cards back in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Florida has seen greatly declining COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations in recent months. That has been a shot in the arm for live poker players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/games\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Daily tournaments<\/strong><\/a> resumed at the Hard Rock properties on <strong>Aug. 1<\/strong>. Those events have seen nice results and now the Seminoles are adding some festivals to the mix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first of those begin in <strong>October<\/strong>, with Hard Rock\u2019s \u201c<strong>Safe &amp; Sound<\/strong>\u201d program in place. That includes high cleanliness standards, mandatory masks, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"other_online_operators_also_scheduling_live_events\">Other online operators also scheduling live events<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The live tournament arms of online poker operators have also been slowly moving back to offer live series.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/reviews\/party-poker\/\">Partypoker<\/a> LIVE<\/strong> returns to action <strong>Sept. 18-27<\/strong>. The Eurasian Poker Tour returns to the Casino Altai Palace in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Altai Krai<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Russia<\/strong><\/a>, with 29 events and more than <strong>$120,000<\/strong> guaranteed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The series features a $40,000 guaranteed Main Event and also hosts the <strong>Russian Poker Championship<\/strong>. Other partypoker LIVE events are currently postponed, but more could be added in the coming months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-41003\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/pokerstars-live-sochi-2020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"719\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/pokerstars-live-sochi-2020.png 719w, https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/pokerstars-live-sochi-2020-300x141.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russia will also play host to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/reviews\/pokerstars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PokerStars<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 return to the live felt. The company hosts the <strong>European Poker Tour<\/strong> Sochi event Oct. 2-11 at the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marriott Hotel and Casino.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The festival boasts 25 events and a <strong>$1.6 million<\/strong> guarantee. That\u2019s not the only PokerStars Live event in the works. Two events on the PokerStars <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/spain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Spanish Poker Championship<\/strong><\/a> series will be held in October and November in Marbella and Peralada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many in the industry are watching to see how some of these events turn out. There are certainly some struggles and adjustments ahead. But many players and tournament operators are ready for the challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Lead image courtesy Japan Poker Union<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented online poker boom. Every operator has reported [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":41005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"vebbtech_seo_disable_yoast":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_author":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_date":false,"vebbtech_seo_hide_factchecker":false,"vebbtech_seo_fact_check_enabled":false,"vebbtech_seo_post_reviewer":0,"vebbtech_seo_post_review_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[34,70,16,69,17,56],"class_list":{"0":"post-40984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-category","8":"tag-888poker","9":"tag-live-poker","10":"tag-partypoker","11":"tag-poker-tournaments","12":"tag-pokerstars","13":"tag-wpt"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Casinos, Operators, &amp; Players Returning to Live Tournament Scene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After months of cancellations and postponements around the world, live tournaments are slowly returning. 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