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PokerStars PSPC and EPT Barcelona Delayed

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PSPC 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the poker world. Events such as the World Series of Poker have been delayed while some events like the Poker Masters have moved online to partypoker. Now, two major events produced by PokerStars are being impacted by the pandemic.

According to a press release issued on Friday, the 2020 EPT Barcelona is canceled. Also, the PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship will be delayed until 2021. Both events were to take place in August.

EPT Barcelona and PSPC Postponed Due to Pandemic

While the curve is beginning to flatten in some areas, other areas around the world are still battling hard. There is no guarantee that things will have returned to normal by August. As such, PokerStars has made the difficult decision to delay both the EPT Barcelona and PSPC until sometime in 2021.

Originally, both events were to take place in August at Casino Barcelona. However, the health risk was deemed too great and events moved until next year. Furthermore, the Road to PSPC Madrid Torrelodones, Road to PSPC Cannes, and Manilla Super Series 14 have all been canceled.

PokerStars stated in their release that while the announcement is disappointing, their “priority is the safety and good health of all our players and staff, as well as the communities that host such large events.”

The company did not release dates for either the 2021 EPT Barcelona or the 2021 PSPC. This is logical considering that we don’t know where the world will be six months from now.

PokerStars Addresses Postponement in FAQ

For those that planning to attend the PSPC or looking to win your way in, PokerStars posted an FAQ on their website talking about the cancellation. They stated that they “are monitoring the global situation and will announce information and accompanying promotions as soon as we can.”

The event will still take place in Barcelona and the company will continue to award Platinum Passes to the event. In fact, the FAQ states that the number of Platinum Passes will be increased to 400. That’s 80 more than was originally slated to be awarded.

All promotions regarding Platinum Passes are presently suspended as the company is working on details for next year’s event. Also, PokerStars will work with players who have already booked their flight for August.

For those that have additional questions or concerns not answered on the website, you can email live@pokerstarslive.com for additional help.

Smart Move That Could be Precursor For Other Late-2020 Events

While some are going to complain about PokerStars’ decision to delay both events until 2021, I personally applaud them for doing so. This event will bring together players, media, and staff from all over the world. At this time, the risk of infection is too great to risk.

The curve is flattening, but there are still new cases being reported every day. Introduce one or two infected players to a live event, and you could have a mini-outbreak that could begin a new spread. Are we being a bit melodramatic? Probably. However, why take that risk?

One thing that will be interesting to see is how the rest of the year unfolds. With PokerStars already shooting down a late-Summer event and moving it to 2021, one has to wonder whether other companies will follow suit.

The World Series of Poker is tentatively scheduled for the Fall. However, a date has not been set. If the pandemic drags on and other companies follow PokerStars’ lead, we could see most live events canceled for the rest of the year.

This is to be expected as live poker rooms that are reopening are doing so without poker tournaments. Until we see live poker rooms start returning to normal, it is realistic to assume we will not see live poker tournaments series.

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