There will be a battle within a battle at the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event as 888poker’s 8-Team captains, wingmen and wingwomen try to out-play each other for the 8-Team Competition title.
8 Team Competition
888poker’s 8 Team Competition is back for a second year and six represented countries will be battling it out head-to-head to be crowned the best 8-Team. The winner will be decided based on the points that they will bring in to the team, which will be determined by how long they can stay in the WSOP Main Event.
The WSOP Main Event is scheduled to run from July 2 to 14, and will feature three starting flights from July 2 to 4. The final table will play from July 12 to 14. For those who can’t come down to the Rio All-Suite for the Main Event, it will be televised on ESPN2 and will stream live on PokerGO.
Which of the 8 team captains will lead their 8-Team to victory at the upcoming WSOP Main Event and bring home a 2019 WSOP Main Event Package? Here is a quick look at the different captains of the six countries participating in the 8-Team Competition.
Dominik Nitsche for Team Germany
Perhaps one of the most decorated captains in the Team-8 line-up is Domink Nitsche, who comes to the competition with four bracelets, 37 WSOP cashes, and over $14.6 million in live earnings in his belt.
A pro poker player since 2006, Nitsche’s status in the poker industry is well deserved, highlighted by his biggest cash of $4.06 million for winning the 2017 WSOP Europe One Drop High Roller.
Chris Moorman for Team UK
Coming back for his second term as Team UK’s Team Captain is Chris Moorman, who is one of the most well-known names in the online poker history with nearly $15 million in lifetime earnings. He’s had 20 WSOP cashes so far and won his very first WSOP bracelet last year.
Moorman will have quite an influence on Team UK as he has a reputation of being able to run deep. In 2011, he took 2^nd place at the WSOP Europe Main Event and took home more than $1 million for his win.
Vivian Saliba for Team Brazil
Last year, Vivian Saliba became the youngest female player to enter the WSOP Main Event at 24 years old. She finished in 421^st place and earned $27,743. Not bad for her first ever WSOP Main Event!
Outside Las Vegas, Saliba is known for her airtime on PokerGO and her victory at the 888Live London Ladies Event last year. To date, she has 13 WSOP cashes and over $199,000 in live earnings.
Saliba will have big shoes to fill as last year’s deepest contender at the Main Event for the 888Poker 8-Team Competition was Team Brazil’s Joao Sousa Monteiro, who finished in 583^rd place after getting his seat via a $30 satellite.
Parker “Tonka” Talbot for Team Canada
Talbot only signed up with 888poker in 2017 but he is one of the most recognized and influential poker players in the game today. He is best known for his live streaming on Twitch and is considered one of the premier Twitch streamers with nearly four million followers.
He has over $3 million in online winnings and over $430,000 in live earnings. How will he fare in the 2018 WSOP Main Event? Last year, Talbot finished 25^th at the WSOPE Main Event and earned €26,530.
Martin Jacobson for Team Sweden
Martin Jacobson has been there and done that. The 2014 WSOP Main Event winner knows what its like to play on the big stage. Last year, Jacobson played wingman to Sofia Lovgren for Team Sweden. With an astonishing $16.57 million in live earnings, Jacobson sits on top of Sweden’s All-Time Money list and will take charge of Team Sweden in 2018.
A formidable opponent, Jacobson will bring to the Main Event a career filled with cashes and success, including 29 WSOP cashes.
Marti Roca de Torres for Team Spain
Team Spain is joining the roster for the first time and former economics teacher Marti Roca de Torres will be heading the team. Torres will be a strong competitor in the Main Event if he continues his momentum, still quite fresh from is $1.29 million victory at the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event.
He has over $1.3 million in lifetime live winnings and 2 WSOP cashes to date.
Arsenii Karmatckii for Team Russia
Another debuting team captain for the Team-8 Competition is Karmatckii, who is also playing in the WSOP for his very first time this year. Although Karmatckii is a WSOP newbie, he is certainly a poker pro to watch out for after his back-to-back victories at the EPT Sochi and the €2K German Poker Championship last year.