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2020 Poker Millionaires List Shrinks Due to Coronavirus

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Phil Ivey Poker Millionaire

A stat that I have been tracking for the last couple of years is the number of poker millionaires created during each year. The record for the number of players cashing for a total of $1 million or more during a calendar year has been broken each year for the last three years. It appears that the streak is about to be broken.

So far this year, only 21 players have cashed for $1 million or more. The reason is simple – the COVID-19 pandemic. While online poker is currently booming due to the pandemic, live poker is shut down in many parts of the world. This is hindering the number of players cashing for six-figures or more.

Timothy Adams Presently Leads 2020 Money List

2020 is proving to be a memorable year in the wrong ways. No matter what happens, this year will be the Year of the Coronavirus. Many people are out of work and isolated in their homes. This includes poker players.

In some areas of the world, poker players can simply transition to online poker and continue making money. The options in areas like the United States are somewhat limited to non-regulated online poker rooms.

The pandemic has shut down many live poker events, and this has impacted the 2020 Money List. At present, there are 21 players with earnings of $1 million or more in the year. Leading all players is Timothy Adams.

Adams only has six cashes this year, but three of them are victories with two being Super High Roller Bowl titles. After finishing 6th in the Aussie Millions $25k Challenge and 7th in the $100k Challenge, Adams won Event #3 of the Australian Poker Open.

Adams then went on to win Super High Roller Bowl Australia for $282,386. In March, he finished 5th in a $25k NL event at the partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi and then won Super High Roller Bowl Russia for $3.6 million. Adams has a combined $5.85 million in earnings this year.

Six Other Players With Over $2 Million in Winnings

After Adams, the next closest opponent is Kahle Burns with $2.9 million in earnings. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner won the $25k High Roller at partypoker MILLIONS UK and finished runner-up in the $10k High Roller.

He then won the $100k Challenge at Aussie Millions and finished runner-up in the Super High Roller Bowl Australia behind Adams. Burns has $2.9 million in earnings in 2020.

The next four players are separated by less than $300,000. Mikita Badziakouski continues his winning ways in 2020, earning $2.67 million. Right behind him is Paul Phua who won two events at partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi. He has $2.59 million in earnings for 2020.

Poker Central head honcho Cary Katz has played well this year and has $2.4 million in earnings to show for it. Christoph Vogelsang also has $2.4 million in earnings for 2020. Finally, Michael Addamo has $2.11 million in earnings.

Most Millionaires Are High Rollers

As has been the case in past years, a disproportionate number of poker millionaires this year are high rollers. However, thus far it appears almost all players with over $1 million are high rollers. You’ll even notice that Phil Ivey has cracked the millionaire’s list yet again with $1.69 million in earnings. He plays high roller tournaments exclusively.

The big question now remains how much this list will change for the rest of 2020. We can safely say that there’s no chance that last year’s record will be broken because it is unlikely we will see many poker rooms reopen before June.

Furthermore, the 2020 World Series of Poker is still undecided and if that doesn’t run, the number of poker millionaires will be cut drastically. There is a good chance that we could see the number of poker millionaires drop to pre-2010 levels thanks to the pandemic.

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