Highs, Lows, and Close Encounters – Inside Team 888poker’s WSOP Main Event Journey Part 1
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The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is done and dusted, and its world champion has been crowned. We all know that Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi triumphed in the $10,000 Main Event, capturing his eighth bracelet and the tournament's $10 million top prize, but do you know how the Team 888poker members got on in poker's "Big Dance?"
888poker sent Cultural Ambassador Jack "JaackMaate" Dean, ambassadors Ian Simpson, Nick Eastwood, Vivian Saliba, Lucia Navarro, and Aaron Barone, along with JaackMaate's cousin Sonny Dean, to Las Vegas to compete in the 2025 WSOP Main Event. They also sent a camera crew with them, who filmed the ups and downs of their quest for glory in the 888poker WSOP 2025 Docuseries.
Episode 1: Six Players. One $10,000 Dream
The first episode of the exciting docuseries starts with several members of the 888poker crew making their way to Las Vegas for our game's most prestigious tournament. After a few brief introductions, the focus immediately switches to Day 1 of the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
As is usually the case in tournament poker, the fortunes of each Team 888poker member fluctuated greatly. All six members, seven if you include Sonny, progressed to Day 2. Saliba bagged 104,600 chips, closely followed by Eastwood's 102,500.
Simpson asked the Poker Gods for a rollercoaster day at the tables, and they answered his prayers. After many ups and downs, Simpson bagged 63,000 chips. Barone had a much more straightforward day, spending ten hours with the same opponents and ultimately bagging 106,000.
Spain's Navarro finished her flight with 34,000, almost half the starting stack, but she said she was happy with the result after how the day panned out.
JaackMaate wasn't happy despite finishing his Day 1 with 32,600 after peaking at around 120,000. The YouTube sensation slowplayed aces and ran into a straight for an 80,000 chip loss, but at least he's still in the game.
The biggest stack of the 888poker heroes was the 106,900 of Sonny Dean. Funny how things work out.
Episode 2: We Come Off the Road at Area 51
After playing Day 1c of the 2025 WSOP Main Event, the Team 888poker players enjoyed a well-deserved day off before Day 2 shuffled up and dealt. How did the grinders relax on their days off?
Eastwood had no real rest because he spent his downtime editing camera footage for his blog, but Simpson decided to head to the barber shop at The Palms, where he had a haircut, shave, and head massage! Different strokes for different folks, as they say.
JaackMaate and Sonny rented a car and "headed to the desert to hunt down some aliens," as you do. Driving on the "wrong side" of the road proved a bit of a challenge for Sonny, who drove off the road on the way to Area 51! Thankfully, he prevented an accident and returned to the asphalt! Did they find any aliens, though? Watch the video to find out.
Navarro had already been in Vegas for a month before the 888 team joined her, and she was missing home. What better way to reconnect with her roots than by enjoying a slap-up meal at Fideua Taste of Spain?
Brazilian Saliba unexpectedly slept in until the afternoon before heading for a vegan meal, a few games of pool, and returning to the hay to watch true crime shows on TV.
What did Barone get up to? Well, he bought toothpaste. Actually, he bought toothpaste and then headed to the Horseshoe to grind some cash games to "keep his mind" sharp as Day 2 of the Main Event rapidly approached.
Episode 3: Half the Team Eliminated Before Dinner Break on Day 2
It is fair to say that Day 2 of the 2025 WSOP Main Event did not start too well for some of the Team 888poker members, with half of them finding themselves on the sidelines before the scheduled dinner break. Ouch.
JaackMaate was the first to bust, getting his chips in with ace-queen of spades and losing to pocket jacks despite turning a flush draw.
Simpson found himself on the rail after limp-shoving with suited jack-ten against ace-queen despite finding himself with a bunch of outs.
The third 888poker player heading for the exits was Saliba, who neglected to state what her fatal hand was, but she was gone during the third level of Day 2.
While players were busting around him, Eastwood almost made an incredible call with just ace-high. He ultimately folded and was shown a king-high bluff, which angered him, not because he had been bluffed but because it was the first time in the tournament that Eastwood hadn't trusted his instincts. After a little break from the tables and a pep talk from Barone, "Easty" returned to the action.
As the curtain came down on Day 2, Barone had 198,500 chips in his overnight chip bag, but Eastwood ran up a 283,500 stack. Navarro also bagged, finishing with 100,500 chips. Sadly, Sonny busted on the final hand of the night, leaving just three Team 888poker players in the hunt for the $10 million top prize.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for a recap of episodes four and five, or catch them on 888poker's YouTube channel.
