888poker Reveals the Wingmen for The 8-Team Promotion
Approximately one month ago, 888poker announced a World Series of Poker promotion known as The 8-Team where five qualifiers would join five team captains and five wingmen in the battle for a 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event package.
The team captains were revealed at the launch of the promotion and they are:
- Team U.K - Chris Moorman
- Team Brazil - Bruno "Foster" Politano
- Team Canada - Parker "Tonkaaaa" Talbot
- Team Sweden - Sofia Lovgren
- Team Germany - Dominik Nitsche
While the team captains were who the majority of the online poker world expected, as they are all ambassadors of 888poker, the choice of wingmen may raise a few eyebrows.
Joining Team U.K. is William Kassouf. The talkative Brit rose to fame at the 2016 WSOP thanks to his often brash speech play and his “nine-high like a boss!” phrase. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that there is more to Kassouf than his brazen speeches; the man certainly knows how to play poker.
Kassouf finished 17th from 6,737 players in the 2016 WSOP Main Event and returned home with $338,288, a score only surpassed by the €532,500 he won in December 2016 when he triumphed in a €10,300 High Roller tournament in Prague.
Team Sweden has strengthened its ranks by adding Martin Jacobson to the roster. Jacobson needs no introduction because the 2014 WSOP Main Event champion is regarded by his peers as being one of the best tournament poker players of his generation. Jacobson has almost $16 million in live tournament cashes and already has five cashes at the 2017 WSOP, including a sixth-place finish in the $111,111 High Roller which banked the talented Swede $641,382.
Another well-known poker player has become the wingman for Team Canada. Griffin Benger, a former professional video games player, finished seventh in last year’s WSOP Main Event for a career-best $1,250,190 and has since gone on to win the 2017 Irish Open. Benger is vastly experienced in both online and live play and is sure to be a great addition to the Canadian roster.
While Team U.K., Sweden and Canada have added professional poker players to their sides, Brazil and Germany have opted for former soccer players.
Heading into the role of wingman for Team Brazil is Denilson who last year became 888poker’s first celebrity ambassador. The winger made more than 330 club appearances during a 16-year playing career and represented the Brazilian national team 61 times, scoring eight goals.
Former German international winger Mario Basler is Team Germany’s choice as wingman. Now 48-years-old, Basler was a dead ball specialist who scored two goals directly from corners during his career, and was a player who was very creative. Basler will need to transfer those silky skills to the poker table if he is to help Team Germany win The 8-Team.
The captains and wingmen will be joined by five qualifiers in the coming weeks. Hundreds of poker players qualified for the 2017 WSOP Main Event via 888poker satellites and those who navigate their way the deepest into the $10,000 buy-in tournament will gain a place in the respective 8-Team teams. All five teams will then lock horns in a battle of pride with the victory being awarded a package to the 2018 WSOP Main Event.
You still have time to get involved in the 8-Team competition because 2017 WSOP Main Event satellites are still available at 888poker, however, you’ll need to hurry because these will cease to run in the near future.
If you don’t have an 888poker account, you can download 888poker via PokerNews and get hold of a free $88 (a free £20) worth of cash and tournament tickets just for creating your account. When you come to make a deposit, 888poker will match it 100 percent up to a maximum of $888, which happens to be more than teice the size of the welcome bonus offered on 888poker’s website.
