The United States and Israel only attacked Iran less than a week ago, but there has already been unspeakable tragedy in the region. More than 1,000 civilians have reportedly been killed in the strikes, including nearly 200 children. Beyond the horror that will continue to unfold at ground level, there has been and will be economic and political ripples extending from the Middle East throughout the world. Way, way down on the list of importance is live poker, which has seen multiple events cancelled because of the conflict.
On Monday, Robbie Strazynski, founder of the CardPlayerLifestyle blog and the man who runs the very popular Mixed Game Festival in Las Vegas, announced that he has had to cancel Mixed Game Festival XIII at Resorts World, slated to start next week.
Strazynkski, who lives in Israel, said it is just too difficult for him to leave in the middle of the war.
“As of this writing, our skies are closed “indefinitely” due to the ongoing situation in this part of the world,” he wrote. “British Airways cancelled my ticket almost immediately. Even our national carrier, El Al, which always flies (even during wartime), is not currently allowing people to purchase new tickets as it focuses its operations and resources on bringing citizens stranded abroad home to their families.”
Strazynski explained that he thought about delaying the start of the festival, but said that would have been a “disservice” to players, Resorts World Las Vegas, and the festival’s sponsors.
Another option would be to have someone else be on site to run things, but “that would just add unnecessary stress to my life that I frankly don’t need more of while a war is waging here at home.”
Strazynski added that his wife, Miriam, encouraged him to get to Vegas, but he said that even if he found a way, he would not have felt comfortable leaving his family behind as “we’re hearing dozens of sirens each day, as she, my kids, and I spent an inordinate amount of time together in our bomb shelter, including sleeping there.”
He is confident that Mixed Game Festival XIV will be a go in June, coinciding with the early weeks of the World Series of Poker.
WPT cancels Prime Cyprus Main
On Tuesday, the World Poker Tour announced that it has postponed the $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship, planning to reschedule it at a later date, “due to ongoing flight cancellations and travel uncertainties.”
The WPT said, however, that the remainder of the events will still go on as scheduled. Additionally, there will be a $1,100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event to replace the Championship tournament, it just won’t be considered a “Championship.”
“As the situation continues to develop,” the WPT added, “we encourage all players planning to travel to Cyprus to remain in contact with their respective airlines, follow updates from official sources, and stay informed so they can make the best decisions based on the most current information available.”
Cyprus is located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the west coast of Syria and Lebanon, north of Israel. A British air base was hit by an Iranian drone this week as part of the military escalation in the region.
