For months 888poker has been qualifying players for the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. On Saturday, July 7 the “888poker Squad” returned to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for Day 2c action.
At the start, 54 or the original 85 888poker Ambassadors and qualifiers were still in action.
Check out the 888poker Squad entrance video below, and then read all about how they did.
Greenwood Leads 26 888poker Squad Members
By the end of the night, just 26 of the 888poker Squad remained with poker pro and Canadian qualifier Sam Greenwood leading the pack with a stack of 535,800. Out of the total 1,793 players making it through the flight, that was good enough for the 28th-biggest stack overall.
Others to bag big stacks were Argentina’s Norberto Andres Korn (447,400) and Ireland’s Barry Donovan (427,7000), who you might recall led the 888poker Squad after the Day 1c flight.
Top Ten 888poker Squad Day 2 Chip Counts
1st – Sam Greenwood (535,800)
2nd – Norberto Andres Korn (447,700)
3rd – Barry Donovan (427,700)
4th – Mikhail Sokolovskiy (395,200)
5th – Kyriakos Papadopoulos (351,400)
6th – Patrice Brandt (298,500)
7th – Jason James (287,700)
8th – Cornelis Moree (255,600)
9th – Richard Kellett (250,100)
10th – David Hu (235,500)
It was a good day for 36-year-old Patrice Brandt, who started Day 2c with 149K and doubled it to 298,500 by the end of the night. Brandt lives in Nottingham but was born in Duisburg, Germany. He got a degree in sports economics from Cologne University, which is where he first started playing poker with fellow students as they enjoyed home games in between their studies.
In January 2018, Brandt finished third in a WPT tournament in Berlin for €92,000. In 2013, he put all his remaining bankroll of $1,000 into an online tourney and won it - banking $108,000. Brandt, a big sports fan and supporter of Borussia Dortmund, admits it was his last throw of the dice, so to speak.
Patrice goes to the gym twice a week, is very keen on keeping a healthy diet and following new nutritional trends. He’s in Las Vegas for the fourth time and still looking for his first significant success in Sin City.
With a motto of "Go big or go home,” there’s a chance we see Brandt amassing chips in the days to come.
Guerrini, Marquez, and Saliba Among the Day 2c Fallen
Unfortunately, more than half the remaining 888poker Squad members – 28 of 54 to be exact – hit the rail on Day 2c. They included Michele Guerrini, Ioannis Angelou-Konstas, Claas Segebrecht, Julian Menhardt, Fernando Garces, Richard Pearson, Antonios Onoufriou, Sindre Michael Hansen, Alan Hayter, Aleks Dimitrov, Per Linde, Stefan Grunewald, Votir Dzivielevski, Diego Martin Sobrino, Shai Peled, Vincente Delgado Zamorano, Marco Antonio Suarez, Gary Adamson, Markus Duemegger, Kyle Flucker, Ingacio Barcenas, Kevin Lanceley, Steven Saleh, Jacquez Mauron, poker pro Niall Farrell and 888poker LIVE London champ James Williams.
In regards to Italian qualifier Guerrini, he busted after moving his last 38,000 all-in, under-the-gun in Level 10 (1,000/2,000/2,000). MSPT Season 5 Player of the Year Mike Deis called out of the big blind, and it was off to the races.
Deis: J♣J♠
Guerrini: A♦K♦
Guerrini was looking to improve to stay alive, but that proved easier said than done as the board ran out an unhelpful 4♣10♣2♠7♥4♠.
Likewise, 888poker Ambassadors Ana Marquez and Vivian “Vivi” Saliba both bowed out on Day 2c.
Marquez took her leave in Level 10 (1,000/2,000/2,000) on a flop of J♠10♦6♦. Marquez got her stack in holding the 6♣6♥ for bottom set and was up against the J♦3♦ top pair and flush draw of Aleksa Pavicevic. The A♣ turn was of no consequence, but the 9♦ river was, as Pavicevic made the diamond flush to eliminate Marquez from the 2019 WSOP Main Event.
888poker will be bringing you daily 2019 WSOP Main Event updates on our qualifiers. Check back to see who goes deep and who ultimately finishes as the 888poker Squad last player standing.
