Prize money of over 2.5 million US dollars
The global poker community was astonished when it was announced in mid-November that the 2020 WSOP Main Event would be held in Rio. Due to the pandemic, the path there was anything but usual, but with Joseph Herbert (USA) and Damian Salas (Canada), the last remaining opponents in the fight for the poker world championship have now been determined. Both will compete against each other in a TV heads-up duel in a few days, which will also take place in Rio.
The winner of the duel will not only be able to call themselves the poker world champion, they will also receive one of the highly coveted WSOP bracelets and a prize pool of a whopping $1,553,256. In addition, WSOP has sponsored another million dollars in prize money. In advance, 706 players played on wsop.com for a share of the prize pool (6.7 million US dollars) and a place at the final table.
A similar division was also played at the new WSOP online partner GGPoker. Two final tables, each consisting of nine players, were then convened in two legendary poker casinos (Rio and King’s Casino). How serious the situation is in times of Corona is shown by the disqualification of the three-time bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva (USA) due to a positive Covid-19 test. He received the minimum payout of $98,813.
The two opponents are not unknown in the poker world. Herbert has already won over $660,000 in prize money. He caused a stir in advance when he declared that he was playing the tournament for his mother, who died of a pulmonary embolism in the summer. Salas, on the other hand, rose to prominence at the 2017 WSOP when he reached the final table and played with stars like Scott Blumstein, Antoine Saout, Benjamin Pollak, Ben Lamb, Jack Sinclair and John Hesp. He reached seventh place and won $1.4 million.
Heads-up already postponed once
Actually it should TV heads up will be held in the Rio on December 30th, but due to Corona it has now been postponed to January 3rd. The background is that the winner of the final table at the King's Casino in the Czech Republic, Damian Salas, was refused entry into the USA. This is despite Salas claiming to have presented the authorities with a WSOP summons and a negative Covid-19 test.
According to his own statements, Salas wanted to travel to Las Vegas via Dallas on Saturday (December 26th). Just 15 minutes before he wanted to leave for the airport, he received a message that the documents mentioned were not recognized in Dallas. Consequently he received instructions to rebook his tickets and he was also supposed to fly via Miami. The test was not recognized there either, but he was still allowed entry. His arrival date was December 31st.
WSOP and GGPoker optimistic
According to WSOP director Ty Stewart, fans can now look forward to an exciting duel on January 3rd. There must also be a world champion in 2020, the history of poker is too important. The unique format fits a unique year full of unprecedented challenges and hurdles. The health and safety of the players will continue to be the top priority, but a great TV experience can still be expected.
Steve Preiss from GGPoker also commented positively. The relationship with the WSOP could now be further deepened. Fans and players can expect a brilliant main event and poker action at a new record level. It remains to be seen for now whether this will happen – or whether the corona crisis will have further surprises in store.
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