They came from all over the world, but they all came for one thing — the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Mixed in with the 10,000-plus players who played the biggest live poker tournament in the world were five members of Team 888poker who crossed continents and oceans to play the game.
888 Stream Team members Nick Eastwood & Aaron Barone, Ambassadors Vivian Saliba & Lucia Navarro, and Cultural Ambassador J*ack “Jaack Maate” Dean* were given what Dean described as “the trip of a lifetime”. 888poker sent them to Las Vegas for the summer poker dream and, with a camera crew from the operator tagging along for the ride, it provides a fascinating look at life on and off the felt during “The Big Show”.
With four episodes on its YouTube channel already, the WSOP Docuseries is already full of all the drama expected of the early days of the Main Event, and Day 2 is barely complete. The series documents the Main Event trip from all five perspectives from packing through the Main Avent action.
Emotional Days — On & Off the Tables
The WSOP Main Event is full of ups and downs but at least half the battle of any multi-day poker tournament happens off the felt.
At the highest level of the Main Event, the game takes focus and concentration, often through long periods of boredom. Preparation is a big part of maintaining that and the docuseries has a nice blend of the on-table action as well as the very different ways the team spends their off-time to be properly prepared for the big battle.
The first episode in the series follows each Team member from their home to Las Vegas in preparation for the biggest game of the year. The group ranges from relative newcomers like Jaack Maate, who describes himself as a “little fish” who hopes he gets some extra cred from the film crew following him, to seasoned the seasoned team veterans.
Different Players, Different Styles
Each member of the team does things a bit differently, and it is fascinating to watch different personalities navigate the pressures of the on-table grind compared with their off-table preparation and relaxation.
When all members put chips in a bag at the end of Day 1, Episode 3 of the series took a look behind the scenes at the different ways each player prepares for the game.
Barone talked about his workout routine being crucial for him. “Going to the gym & pool in the morning is very important. It makes me feel refreshed & feel better.” Eastwood and JaackMaate chose to unwind watching England in the Euro Cup.
Saliba was mostly focused on getting away from the “madness of the Strip” when she wasn’t at the tables and enjoying the quieter side of at her regular off-Strip spot that she describes as feeling like she’s “Outside of Las Vegas for a little while”.
Navarro spent her day off shopping for sunglasses, but it’s worth noting that before Day 1 she played in the $1,700 Moneymaker Main Event at the MGM Grand Summer Poker Festival and took down the biggest score of her live career, finishing 5th for $91k.
Day 2 – Hopes and Dreams
Day 2 of the Main Event is a hinterland where the player has done what thousands of others didn’t and survived Day 1 of the Main Event, the real prize is still a long way off. It is a day that sees dreams sustained and destroyed, and both are on display in the latest episode of the series.
The film crew is there to document the highs and the lows as players look for a spot in Day 3 and a chance at the money.
As the title of the final episode suggests, at least one member of the team was left empty-handed before the end of Day 2 but, as always, it was a day that saw a few dreams fulfilled as well.