Seat 2: Andrea Cortellazzi, 28, Regoledo, Italy �C 7,930,000

Matt Hansen

Andrea Cortellazzi is a European Poker Tour regular who had previously had one close call at reaching the final table. Back in 2016, he finished 12th in the then-record-breaking 1,785-player field. The deep run propelled the Italian to scooping an �81,700 reward.

Cortellazzi��s 14-year poker resume includes a few other EPT Main Event cashes �C two more from Barcelona (from 2014 and 2019) and one apiece from Malta and Prague (both from 2015).

He also thrived at the PokerStars-sponsored Italian Poker Tour, with a fifth place in the IPT Nova Gorica 2014 Main Event standing out among his cashes (�17,500).

Cortellazzi lives in Lombardian town Regoledo near the Italian-Swiss border, so it is no wonder he used to play tournaments in the renowned poker room in Campione. The Italian exclave within Switzerland saw Cortellazzi notch one of his best results; he turned �550 into a hefty �48,200 payday for a third place in a WSOP Circuit event in 2017.

While Cortellazzi��s main focus will be on the final table, he noted he��ll be sweating another big thing on Wednesday. As a Juventus fan, he said he��s hoping to watch his team see off Villarreal in the second leg of the Champions League��s round of 16.