Faces in the Crowd: A Trio of 888poker Qualifiers in the Main Event

July 05, 2019

Chad Holloway PR & Media Manager

James Williams
Bill White
Marco Antonio Suárez (AKA “risk4win”)

For the past six months, 888poker has been qualifying dozens of players for the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Today, those players will all compete in the third and final starting flight.

Given online qualifiers have done well in the WSOP Main Event before – think Chris Moneymaker, Fernando Pons, etc. – we thought it’d be fun to take a look at some of the 888poker qualifiers chasing their poker dreams on Day 1c.

James Williams

Age: 33
Hometown: Swindon, England
Occupation: Full-Time Poker Player

James Williams once studied sports coaching and development at the University of Gloucestershire, though he didn't finish his degree. Instead, he found poker at the age of 20 while playing home games with friends.

“I have been going to the gym every day to get as fit as I can because I know I am going to need a lot of stamina."

Williams, who has a long-term partner and a three-year-old son, has visited Vegas on two previous occasions (2010 and 2012) and lists Phil Ivey as his favorite poker player.

“He is such an iconic poker player and I have never been on the same table as him,” he said. As for his preparation for the Main Event, he revealed: “I have been going to the gym every day to get as fit as I can because I know I am going to need a lot of stamina to stay the course. Also, playing cycling and football.”

Williams won his way into the 2019 WSOP Main Event back in December when he topped a 656-entry strong field to win the 2018 888poker LIVE Festival London €1,100 Main Event for a career-high €121,000 ($154,269).

If he were to strike it rich in the Main Event, Williams already has some plans for the money: “I would invest some of the winnings in property.”

Bill White

Age: 63
Hometown: Belfast, Ireland
Occupation: Owner of LucidTalk polling and market research experts.

Along with his partner Irene, Bill White has traveled from Ireland to test his luck in Las Vegas, a city he’s visited eight or so times.

He first learned to play poker decades ago while a mathematics and statistics student at Belfast University, while nowadays he considers himself a recreational player who doesn’t get the chance to play often because of his business.

Still, when he’s had the chance to play he has found his fair share of success including a £15,000 tournament win in Luton about 10 years ago.

"I saw the satellite package and thought I would give it a go," he said when asked how he qualified for the Main Event. “I wouldn't mind sitting down across the table from Phil Hellmuth.”

A massive sports fan who enjoys playing golf, diving and swimming, White is also a medium-level bridge player and a big chess aficionado. As for his strategy for the Main Event, he stated: “I am a great believer in position. I would consider folding jacks or queens in early position but in late position I can play any two cards.”

Marco Antonio Suárez (AKA “risk4win”)

Age: 28
Hometown: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Occupation: Unemployed/Poker

Marco Antonio Suárez learned to play poker with friends in home games when he was just 17 years old. That led to playing for play money on Facebook, and then he joined a poker school where he started to study.

Suárez, who studied industrial engineering, also plays against his older brother.

“Sometimes I teach him while having dinner,” he said. "He invites me to dinner and I give him tips.”

Suárez started playing low stakes online and has since worked his way up to €5-€10.

"I was about to run out of a bankroll because I had a bad run and bad management playing cash."

“Back in 2010, I was about to run out of a bankroll because I had a bad run and bad management playing cash,” he revealed. “I played a freeroll in which the winner would get $1,000 and I hit it. After that I promised myself never to make the same mistakes again.”

This actually marks the fifth time Suárez has visited Las Vegas for poker after first coming with his brother and best friend, the aforementioned Fernando Pons, back in 2014.

“I've always admired Phil Ivey,” Suárez said when asked about his favorite poker pro. “Nowadays there are many pros who are above his game but he always seemed like a humble guy, and easy-going. He conveys confidence and I would like to play a game with him.”

In regards for his plan on how to play the Main Event, Suárez intends to use a solid strategy while throwing in a little intuition.

Day 1c of the $10,000 Main Event is underway, so follow along on PokerNews.com to see who's making a deep run!

Sharelines