The eight finalists are called onto the live stream one by one and a group picture will be taken before the action is then expected to kick off in a couple of minutes from now.
2020 World Series of Poker Main Event
2020 WSOP Main Event - GGPoker
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2020 World Series of Poker Main Event
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$6,470,400
Entries
674
Level
41
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
8
Players Left
1
The manual seat draw has been completed by the final eight players and here's how they will line up for the start of the final table.
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marco Streda | Switzerland | 4,225,000 | 28 |
| 2 | Ramon Miquel Munoz | Spain | 3,025,000 | 20 |
| 3 | Hannes Speiser | Austria | 3,525,000 | 24 |
| 4 | Brunno Botteon | Brazil | 10,325,000 | 69 |
| 5 | Stoyan Obreshkov | Bulgaria | 2,125,000 | 14 |
| 6 | Damian Salas | Argentina | 5,650,000 | 38 |
| 7 | Manuel Ruivo | Portugal | 6,225,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Dominykas Mikolaitis | Lithuania | 3,175,000 | 21 |
The time has come to play down to a winner in the international leg of the 2020 WSOP $10,000 Championship Main Event and eight of the nine players who qualified on GGPoker eight days ago have made the trip to the King's Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. China's Peiyuan Sun has opted not to travel and thus becomes the 9th place finisher as per the rules set for the online and live poker hybrid, he earns $75,360.
All remaining eight have secured a payday of $109,982, however, each pay jump becomes significant and two millionaires will be crowned with $1,062,723 reserved for the runner-up whereas the winner takes home $1,550,969.
Brazil's Brunno Botteon made the trip to the King's Resort alongside GGPoker ambassador Felipe Ramos and leads the contenders with a stack of 10,325,000, which represents a significant lead over Portugal's Manuel Ruivo (6,225,000) and Damian Salas (5,656,000).
Switzerland's Marco Streda sits in the middle of the pack with 4,225,000 followed by Austria's Hannes Speiser (3,525,000), and the next two hopefuls are separated by just one big blind including Dominykas Mikolaitis (3,175,000) and Ramon Miquel Munoz (3,025,000). Last but not least, Stoyan Obreshkov (2,125,000) can follow in the footsteps of Stoyan Madanzhiev who won the WSOP Online $5,000 Main Event on GGPoker a few months ago.
The chip counts of all finalists have been rounded to the nearest live denomination in play and the action resumes with blinds of 75,000/150,000 and a big blind ante of 150,000. Unlike the online portion of the event, all levels last 60 minutes each until one of the finalists has accumulated all the chips.
One hour prior to the start at 11 a.m. local time, the eight finalists will draw for their seats and the action will then kick off at noon local time. The PokerNews team will be at the venue to provide all the key hands until a winner is crowned, all hands are also recorded for TV broadcast later on.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,325,000
7,257
|
7,257 |
|
6,225,000
11,241
|
11,241 |
|
5,650,000
-3,528
|
-3,528 |
|
||
|
4,225,000
-7,560
|
-7,560 |
|
3,525,000
9,256
|
9,256 |
|
3,175,000
9,560
|
9,560 |
|
3,025,000
-10,940
|
-10,940 |
|
2,125,000
5,390
|
5,390 |
|
||
Brunno Botteon is no stranger to the WSOP on GGPoker, cashing 15 times during the WSOP Online between July and September. His best result came when he finished second to Fedor Holz in the $25,000 Heads Up for $622,300. Botteon also finished sixth in the $25,000 Poker Players Championship for a further $388,837.
Botteon told SuperPoker that making the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event is the ultimate for any poker player.
"The final two tables were very tough," he said. "I was short when 11 players left with seven big blinds, but I managed to get back on top.
"Pure emotion...my year has been sensational, regardless of this result."
Second in chips is Portugal's Manuel Ruivo who will be heading to King's Resort looking to secure the biggest WSOP cash of his career.
His best result so far is a sixth place finish in the 2018 Millionaire Maker for $230,120, meaning Ruivo would have to finish at least sixth.
A lover of the outdoors, including fishing, Ruivo says he is an avid watcher of movies. His favorite film? Fight Club.
And although he may have a fight on his hands with chip leader Botteon, Ruivo says that to win the Main Event would be an incredible achievement and "the pinnacle of [his] career."
Damian Salas will be a familiar face to WSOP fans after his seventh-place finish in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event
The father of three is a lawyer by profession, and enjoys soccer, table tennis and yoga as well as watching series such as Game of Thrones and The Queen's Gambit.
Salas says that winning the WSOP Main Event title wouldn't change much for his life, but recognises it as the highest goal a professional poker player can set for themselves.
"I have the great privilege of living how I want and sharing life with those I love. I would continue with the same life that I have, but with the joy of having fulfilled my greatest desire in my life."
Coming in at fourth place with 4,232,560 in chips is Swiss-born Marco "fullbabyfull" Streda. While there's no information on Streda to be found on The Hendon Mob, the Smart HUD on GGPoker reveals he's certainly no one-hit-wonder with $88,775 in lifetime winnings on the site.
Streda has a girlfriend, as well as a dog named "Spidy", and loves to go out with the two of them to explore the countryside. He's also a massive tennis enthusiast, a sport he's played for over 25 years. Admittedly, he's not as good as his countryman Roger Federer, but he finds himself in a unique position to become a world champion of his own in his favorite card game.
What happens if Streda ultimately is the one to win poker's most-coveted prize? "It would for sure be absolutely crazy, but life is going on. Maybe I would reduce my workload a little bit," he said, but quickly added that he likes his job.
Austria's Hannes "BlackFortuna" Speiser is one of the more notable players at the final table and sits in the middle of the pack with a little over 3.5m in chips to work with. Speiser has opted out of The Hendon Mob, but there's plenty of record of him crushing on GGPoker already as his lifetime winnings of $137.244 reveal. Recently, Speiser made a big online score but he'll eclipse that score by his performance in the Main Event.
While not on the grind, Speiser loves to spend time with his friends and family. He's a boxing aficionado and also loves to play football off the felt. Winning the big one would mean a lot for the young Austrian. "It's every poker player's dream to compete with the best players for the biggest price pools. The WSOP Main Event is probably one of the most prestigious events of the year," Speiser said.
In sixth place sits Dominykas "MickeyMouse" Mikolaitis with 3,165,440 in chips, who will be the final table representative for the strong poker country of Lithuania. To make it three for three, Mikolaitis is also not findable on The Hendon Mob but is boasting a very strong $219.851 in lifetime cashes under his Disney-alias on GGPoker.
Even before 'The Queen's Gambit' turned chess into a hype, the sporty Mikolaitis was already drawn to the noble game. He realizes there's life-altering money up top for whoever walks away the champ. "This type of winnings lock you for life. I guess, with right decisions, you don't need to think about living costs your whole life," he explained.
"So, I'm really excited for it!"
Ramon “Ritza” Miquel Munoz is the man currently occupying seventh-place with a stack of 3,025,000 chips.
Miquel Munoz hails from Barcelona, Spain but resides in London, United Kingdom. He’s jetting off to the beautiful Czech Republic knowing if he finishes seventh or higher in the live final that he’ll beat his previous best live cash of $158,829. This was Miquel Munoz’s reward for a runner-up finish in a €2,200 buy-in event held, ironically, in Prague, Czech Republic in December 2017.
Outside of poker, Miquel Munoz is passionate about rescuing, fostering, and re-homing animals. He also has plans to open his own real estate development company, a dream he may realise sooner than he thought possible if he secures the $1,550,969 top prize in the WSOP Main Event.
Speaking to PokerNews, Miquel Munoz said, “Becoming the WSOP Main Event champion would be the greatest, most gratifying accomplishment of my life. I try not to fantasise about it though, as high expectations in a single poker tournament lead to great disappointment.” Wise words, indeed.