The World Series of Poker broke up the start of its main event into two online tournaments, one in the US and one in Europe. Each tournament's final nine players will gather in person, get tested.
It's been all gimmels for Gershon Distenfeld at the 2020 World Series of Poker main event.
The Orthodox Jewish resident of Bergenfield, New Jersey, is one of nine contestants to advance to the last round of the no-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament, whose winner — considered to be the world champion of poker in a typical year — takes home a $1,553,256 cash prize.
In an interview on the morning show 'Bloomberg Surveillance' Tuesday, Distenfeld said that he was able to compete in the tournament because it was mostly played online due to the coronavirus. The pandemic also compressed the schedule into two days, rather than the usual 10 — meaning he didn't have to take off too much time from his day job at the asset management firm AllianceBernstein, where he is director of credit.
The World Series of Poker, the biggest poker attraction of the year at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, will now be moved to an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic. Official channel of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) and World Series of Poker Circuit events. For the first time ever poker players in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware can play against each other and find a wider variety of game selection, both in cash games and tournaments. Download the wsop.com poker software to compete in larger prize pools and play for WSOP gold bracelets from the comfort of your own home.
'Poker is a lot like investing,' he told Bloomberg's Jon Ferro. 'It's making decisions based on improbability with incomplete information.'
But there was a crucial bit of knowledge that enabled him to go all-in on the competition: Because the two playing days were Dec. 13-14, and the final table is scheduled on Dec. 28, Distenfeld — whose online handle is 'jets613' — wouldn't need to play on Shabbat.
The World Series of Poker main event normally fields thousands of professional and amateur players who descend upon Las Vegas from around the world, making it one of the biggest events of the year in Sin City. Because the competition was held online, entrants had to be physically located in Nevada or New Jersey, where online gambling is legal — narrowing the field considerably.
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Having made the final table sixth in total chip count, Distenfeld is guaranteed at least $98,813 in prize money. (Sixth place is slotted $215,222.) The runner-up bags over $1 million.
The kosher poker ace enters the final round well off the lead, where Joseph Hebert sits on a pot more than double the size of the second-place holder's. But comebacks from seventh (Pius Heinz, 2011) and eighth place (2014, Martin Jacobson) have happened in recent memory.
'Poker is a lot like investing,' he told Bloomberg's Jon Ferro. 'It's making decisions based on improbability with incomplete information.'
But there was a crucial bit of knowledge that enabled him to go all-in on the competition: Because the two playing days were Dec. 13-14, and the final table is scheduled on Dec. 28, Distenfeld — whose online handle is 'jets613' — wouldn't need to play on Shabbat.
The World Series of Poker main event normally fields thousands of professional and amateur players who descend upon Las Vegas from around the world, making it one of the biggest events of the year in Sin City. Because the competition was held online, entrants had to be physically located in Nevada or New Jersey, where online gambling is legal — narrowing the field considerably.
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Having made the final table sixth in total chip count, Distenfeld is guaranteed at least $98,813 in prize money. (Sixth place is slotted $215,222.) The runner-up bags over $1 million.
The kosher poker ace enters the final round well off the lead, where Joseph Hebert sits on a pot more than double the size of the second-place holder's. But comebacks from seventh (Pius Heinz, 2011) and eighth place (2014, Martin Jacobson) have happened in recent memory.
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When he's not placing bets, Distenfeld maintains a personal blog, The Right Side Of History, which he began in September to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Bergen County Jewish community. His first post, 'Sacrificing Our Children on the Altar of Covid Fear,' an appeal to dial down precautions at Jewish day schools, was widely circulated and drew over 100 comments.
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