888poker has a mission – to "Take Back the Game" of poker from the 'buzzkills' that can hamper your enjoyment at the tables.
What exactly are those buzzkills?
Well, if you've ever sat at a poker table live or online you know anything from uneven games to excessive tanking to unattainable bonuses can bring the game to a halt.
Good for you that 888poker is there to lift your spirits. And to this end they were at the WSOP keeping up the fight to keep the game fun.
Anything from cheering up busted players, checking out the champion suite at the Rio and foretelling the last hand of the Main Event was up for salvation.
1) Busted in Level 2. What Now?
Last year Valentin Vornicu became a household name with a deep run in the Main Event.
Vornicu: Riding ME highs and lows.
He spent a long time at the table with Will Kassouf, getting raised on the river by Kassouf in a tricky hand along the way.
But Vornicu kept his composure in the face of Kassouf's speech play which earned him quite some respect along the way.
This year the Romanian-born player who has won nine WSOP Circuit rings wasn’t treated as well by the Main Event.
He busted in Level 2 and David Tuchman caught up with him in front of the Rio.
Watch how Tuchman turns a very downcast poker player into a happy man by means of luxury, a dog and an axe-throwing competition.
2) Ambassadog checks out ME Champion suite
Meet Grizzie, the ambassadog. (Actually, you’ve met Grizzie already if you read PokerListings. She was the first dog to play the Main Event.)
Now, Grizzie has taken a look at how the Rio would treat you if you won the WSOP Main Event. We’re talking 24-hour butler service, in-suite spa, private pool and a couple of other amenities that take the word luxury to a completely new level.
3) The Long, Not-Winding Road
You know how they say “the journey is more important than the destination," right? They’re wrong, of course, as everybody who’s had to walk the endless hallways of the Rio will confirm.
In fact, for some players the distances you have to cover prove to be insurmountable. Parker Talbot is one of these players but luckily David Tuchman shows up just in time to save him before Talbot would have surely gone missing.
Watch the video; it turns out to be quite a ride. Also, watch doe Talbot’s Oscar-like performance in his first feature film (clip).
4) Imagine the Final Hand of the Main Event
Have you ever imagined how the final hand would play out the day you win the Main Event? Yes, you have.
Chances are nobody was interested in hearing about it, but that changes when you make the final table.
888poker asked the last nine players how they imagine the moment of their triumph, and interestingly, it was Scott Blumstein who foreshadowed what wasn’t the last but the most important hand of this year’s WSOP Main Event final table.
5) No to Buzzkills
Lastly, 888poker satirized an advert that has been around on European sports channels for a while.
If you like watching football, you’ll recognize it immediately. If you think football is called soccer, you might not so take a look.
Nicely done, 888poker.
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The WSOP is gone and the world has headed back to the online tables. Check out the low buy-in Mini ChampionChips series on 888poker coming this August.
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