With the Final Table of the US leg of the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event set to get the cards in the air in just a few hours, one player is reporting a positive COVID-19 test.
As of 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time Monday, officials for the WSOP have yet to confirm or comment on reports Upeshka De Silva has tested positive, nor have they said he has been disqualified from the $10,000 buy-in event. The US Final Table is scheduled to commence play at 3 p.m. PST Monday.
De Silva said on his Twitter account he tested positive on Dec. 20, then negative on Dec. 26, followed by a positive test on Dec. 27.
The Main Event is being run as a hybrid event this year due to pandemic restrictions. Players based outside the United States competed separately from their US counterparts. The Final Table of the “International Tournament” took place Dec. 15 at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Damian Salas won that half of the event.
The WSOP website lists De Silva in the eighth position for the US Final Table with slightly more than 2.1m chips. The current ninth place player has 1.5m chips.
According to the WSOP, the ninth-place position pays $98,913. If De Silva is disqualified, it appears that will be his payout.
The remaining eight players will compete for more than $1.5m. The US champion will play a heads-up match versus Salas for the traditional bracelet and $1m more in prize money.
