What to expect when poker rooms open after lockdown

The global lockdown that has stemmed from the coronavirus pandemic has been a tough period for professional poker players and the industry as a whole, but as the lockdown begins to ease many are wondering how live poker will be on its return.

As previously reported by Coin Rivet, poker rooms are beginning to open across the world with casinos in Las Vegas, Florida and Europe cautiously reopening their doors.

King’s Resort in Rozvadov is now open to Czech players, although all players are instructed to wash their hands at every opportunity while respecting social distancing rules.

In Las Vegas casinos have installed hand sanitising stations as well as screens as the poker and craps tables to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread between players.

There has also been talk of limiting cash games and tournaments to be four-handed, a move that has attracted nervousness from the poker community.

Four-handed tables will also present a unique issue for tournaments as more space and tables would be required, thus potentially lowering the amount of entrants and the respective guaranteed prize pool.

The return of live poker is a complex issue, with many believing that it should be down to personal choice while others continue to put trust in government guidance.

While the risk of coronavirus transmission at live events remains relatively high, individual casinos can mitigate against the risk by offering testing upon entrance, visual warnings and sanitising stations.

This is the logical next step for casinos across the world especially for those in regions that has been hit hard by the pandemic like Italy, Spain, France and the UK.

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