The word ‘POSTPONED’ lies in the middle of two thick black lines, every inch the intruder, like a three-year-old in the middle of two parents wishing to create a zero-year-old.
High stakes poker players throughout the world are banging their fists on walls, screaming to the other side, “What will I do, now?” The 2020 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series has just lost some of its varnish.
With the Aussie Millions and Australian Poker Open gone the way of dried paint, all eyes were about to set on the Korean island of Jeju. But then the coronavirus became fed up with animal hosts, and decided to jump ship.
The first test subjects came from Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, and in the space of a few weeks, 17,000 confirmed cases had hit a spreadsheet belonging to someone wearing a white lab coat, including close to 3,000 new cases in the 24-hours before I sat and wrote this article.
More than 360 people have died.
It’s not a virus that revels in solitude. Nine countries have already reported double-digit cases, including the United States, where American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all suspended routes between the US and China due to the soon to be declared pandemic.
With this in mind, the Triton Poker Super High Roller organisers had no choice but to postpone their Jeju event pending further news on the spread of the virus.
The decision is unfortunate.
The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Jeju was going to blow our minds, including the advent of the richest Player of the Year (PoY) in history with HKD 2 million reserved for the winner.
Still, the decision was bang on, as the safety of Triton players is paramount.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled as Triton officials plan to make a further announcement on February 10.