In Lithuania
Since March 16, quarantine has been declared in Lithuania. The government has mandated all casinos to cease their operations and avoid gatherings of more than 5 people. Olympic Casino poker club announced that all their planned tournaments will not take place at least until March 27. Players who had tickets can get a refund or use them in other tournaments.
Essentially, all poker clubs were forced to halt their operations and cancel tournaments. Rojaus Tūzai also announced that no activities will be conducted until the virus is controlled. All those who planned to play live poker in Lithuania will have to wait until the quarantine ends. However, no one is sure when that will be. In the meantime, you can try out the Betsafe Lithuanian poker room!
Abroad
The situation regarding the coronavirus is very tense worldwide, so quarantine regimes have already been implemented in most countries. As reported on March 19, 95% of casinos in the USA were already closed.
Most of the planned WSOP Circuit poker tournaments are postponed indefinitely. This includes Hard Rock Tulsa, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Rozvadov, etc. The US Poker Open high-roller tournament, which was supposed to take place from March 19-31, is also postponed.
The WPT Deepstacks tournament series announced the postponement of planned events. This includes tournaments in Amsterdam, Maryland, and Jacksonville. WPT Main Tour tournaments in Vegas, Barcelona, and Florida will also not take place as scheduled.
There are also doubts about one of the biggest poker tournaments, the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. It is supposed to take place from May 26 to July 15. Organizers still believe that there is enough time left and the situation will improve. The fate of this tournament will likely be clarified within a month.
What to do when live poker tournaments are not happening?
- You can move your game to online rooms. In most countries around the world, after the quarantine was announced, a significant increase in the number of poker players in online rooms was observed. Their numbers increased by about 20%. So now is a very good time to move your game online. There are many different tournaments happening there, and also, there are more poorly playing players.
- You can use this time to improve your game. Watch various educational videos or read a poker book. When poker clubs start operating again, you will be able to sit at the tables with more knowledge.
- For some, this period can be a good chance to take a break from poker. If you have been playing continuously for many years, a break would probably be beneficial.
