SharePhil Hellmuth’s hopes of landing a 17th WSOP gold bracelet have been put on hold after he contracted Covid this week, the World Series of Poker record-holder sharing the bad news on Twitter...
Just tested positive for Covid. Thought maybe I was immune (neither of my sons got it, nor did my Mom)…Good news: no cough. Not hungry all day! Mind is a little foggy as I slept “17 awful hours.” I feel like my best chance for a bracelet was todays @WSOP $10,000 Omaha 8/B, sigh pic.twitter.com/nAe2WSf4H8
— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) June 8, 2022
With record-breaking fields across many of the events in the first week of the WSOP, it was always likely to produce some casualties, and veteran award-winning journalist Haley Hintze reported on a few others who couldn’t avoid the virus...
Weirdness. I've taken hundreds of photos in the past week at @WSOP. Two guys gave me double-thumbs-up poses, @audavidb and @Rbargainhunters. And they've both caught Covid since. It's the thumbs!!!
— Haley "Aunt Eefah" Hintze (@Haley_Hintze) June 8, 2022
What happens next isn’t clear yet, although “withdraw and self-isolate for 5 days” seems to be the advice handed out. The WSOP rules appear to state only that they “will follow local, state and CDC guidelines relating to COVID-19 that are in effect during the event.”
That includes “no vaccination requirement to play in the tournament,” although “players will be accountable to follow CDC guidelines appropriate to them as individuals. Based on current state guidelines, masks will not be required.”
No mention there of what players should, can or can’t do when testing positive for the coronavirus.
There has been a definite upsurge in cases in Nevada as a whole, last week’s reported figures showing “a seven-day average test positivity rate of 26,3%... up from 11.9% recorded on April 29 but down from a peak of 42.9% on January 9 at the top of the Omicron surge.”
Big Phil has been jabbed three times with the vaccine, but there are almost certainly a number of players at the WSOP who have avoided it, which could be worrying should the numbers continue to rise.
Storage Wars star, Rene Nezhoda, was another to be hit by Covid this week, and asked that anyone showing symptoms stay away until they are healthy again...
Went to the @wsop 100% healthy and vaccinated and now I got #covid be careful out there and if you sick stay away @PokerNews #storagewars #americascardroom #pariscasino #poker pic.twitter.com/DfnOuAUHrW
— Rene Nezhoda on A&E (@Rbargainhunters) June 7, 2022
....while Justin Bonomo, painful as it is, did the right thing by sitting out until he got the all-clear...
Lot of people responding implying my vaccines didn't work
— Bonologic (@JustinBonomo) June 1, 2022
I had a cough for a couple of days and that was my only symptom
I'd say I'm pretty happy with the results of the vaccine 🤷‍♂️
The list of those side-lined by the virus at this year’s WSOP is growing, a quick run through Twitter adding veteran commentator Lon McEachern, PokerNews’ Jesse Fullen, and dozens of others.
HighStakesDB wishes Phil and all those affected a quick recovery and a swift return to the tables!
