Seat 1: Philippe Souki (33) - London, United Kingdom - 13,500,000 (11bb)
Starting the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table as the short stack is the United Kingdom’s Philippe Souki, a 33-year-old poker professional residing in London.
Souki, who studied business at Regent’s College, is a fan of football and movies, and like so many learned poker by playing with friends.
"It's a dream come true, of course," he said. "I don't know how I got here, I can't even remember the journey, it's been such a wild ride, but super grateful to be here. I feel blessed. I have a short stack but we'll see what we can do."
Souki was supported by a boisterous UK rail, and he shared his thoughts on their support: "It's a bit much but I can't complain. They're just there because they love me so what can I do? I'm not going to stop them from enjoying themselves."
Prior to his run in the Main Event, Souki had $830,812 in career earnings according to The Hendon Mob. That included a prior career-best $102,214 for finishing fourth in the 2022 Wynn Summer Classic $1,600 No-Limit Hold’em event back in June. As for the WSOP, Souki had seven cashes with $39,067 in earnings.
In November 2021, Souki topped a 688-entry field to win the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Mini Main Event for $73,681. No matter where he finishes in the 2022 WSOP Main Event, Souki will notch a new career-high score, and he said he hopes to use any money to buy a house and travel.
As for his journey in the Main Event, Souki more than doubled his starting stack on Day 1d, and essentially doubled his stack each of the subsequent days into the money. His big jump came between Days 4 and 5 when he went from the middle of the pack to a top ten stack. On Day 6, he held the third largest stack with 35 players remaining, but by the end of the night on Day 7 he had lost a bunch to fall to the short stack.
He will begin the final table with 13.5 million, which is 11 big blinds.
Souki's 2022 WSOP Main Event Journey
| Day | Finsihing Stack | Place Among Remaining Field |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1d | 139,400 | 350 of 3,297 |
| Day 2d | 366,500 | 109 of 1,733 |
| Day 3 | 781,000 | 150 of 1,299 |
| Day 4 | 1,180,000 | 183 of 380 |
| Day 5 | 9,425,000 | 8 of 123 |
| Day 6 | 32,495,000 | 3 of 35 |
| Day 7 | 13,500,000 | 10 of 10 |