The world is still fighting against the virus that is covid19. Around the globe, tournaments and poker tours are either postponed or canceled. Live poker rooms were closed, and some remain closed to slow down the growth of the COVID virus.

Online poker boom during the lockdown period, but people still miss the live felt.

There is a need to restart the economy. That is why some countries have opened their doors to business even if the vaccine is still not available.

The US allowed poker rooms to operate as long as casinos follow the government guidelines.

Casinos in the US understand that poker is a marketing tool to spread the word and promote the casino. Venetian was the first to hold tournaments using a shoot-out format to attract players.

The Venetian poker room has now released a schedule for its first big live tournament series. The DeepStack Showdown Series Will Run From September 7-27, Features More Than $400,000 In Guaranteed Prize Pools.

Why it matters?

We are still fighting a virus. The vaccine could not be available anytime soon. But there is a need to start the economy.

There are now 27 million people that have been infected with the virus globally. The US alone has 14 million cases. Waiting for a vaccine while the economy is slowly going down may not be a viable strategy.

The need to revive the economy while enforcing health protocols to minimize the risk of infection is not an easy task. Poker rooms seek out new and creative solutions to move forward while lowering the risk of transmission.

Some of the solutions were installing plexiglass dividers in between players, Shifting to shootout formats to minimize the number of players on a table. All of this was done for players to feel like the pre-pandemic days while maintaining health guidelines.

The US has a substantial number of those infected with Covid-19. Needing to revive the economy, they have opened their doors for business, but they must follow the health guidelines.

What if it takes more than a year for a vaccine to be available?

Adjusting and innovating to protect the players must be considered, which is what the US has done.

Will Asia follow?

However, countries like the Philippines now have almost 250,000 people infected. The Philippines is one of the few Asian countries that allow gaming companies to operate legally before the pandemic.

Currently, Casinos are allowed to operate but on a limited capacity. Manila has undergone so many shifting of quarantine restrictions. It is now proving difficult to know the real status of poker rooms.

Manila went into a lockdown renamed as ECQ(Enhance community quarantine) that started on March 15 and relaxed during June. Only players with a high rating card were allowed. By July, some Casinos were allowing the general public to come in a limited capacity.

The Resort world had poker tables open but only allowing 4-players per table.

Poker houses remain close during this period.

However, calls from the front liners for a time-out force the government into another lockdown. By August 15, the Philippines government Lifted MECQ into MGCQ and allowed Casinos to operate but only to cater to VIPS.