Patrick ‘Egption’ Tardif Makes Major Splash at WPT Summer Festival

In 2020, everyone had their own way of passing the time while they were stuck at home. Some people got deep into video games. Others learned how to bake homemade bread or grow out their gardens. TJ Jurkiewicz decided to take it as an opportunity to change career paths, walking away from a decade of playing poker professionally in pursuit of nutrition and fitness coaching. I had been burned out on poker since like 2018, when I moved to Vegas. I think this town just sucked the joy out of poker for me, said Jurkiewicz. During COVID, I saw an ad to get a certification to be a nutrition coach. And I thought that sounded pretty interesting. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. By July 2021, Jurkiewicz had all of his ducks in a row and officially launched All In Fitness Coaching. Even as poker had become a thing of his past, his experiences away from the table while fighting his way up the cash game ranks presented him with an opportunity and a steady client base in a familiar community. I had lived the poker player lifestyle from 2013 to 2020, a professional poker players lifestyle, said Jurkiewicz. When I first started playing poker professionally I put on a lot of weight, and I knew that the lifestyle was congruent with not being healthy. Then I got in shape while playing poker, so in figuring that out, I knew I had a path to help people the same way. In the lead-up to launching All In Fitness Coaching, Jurkiewicz got himself into the best shape of his life, a far cry from both his heaviest point as a poker player and weight maintenance issues dating back to his teenage years, during which he consistently struggled with maintaining a consistent regiment. Jurkiewicz solving his own longtime search for the key to a consistent diet and exercise plan led him to discover a handful of core pillars for Jurkiewicz to instill in the clients who would soon join him. I know we’re all very good at losing weight. We’re just absolutely horribly keeping it off, said Jurkiewicz. I knew I was doing it in a way that a lot of people could do it, too. I wasn’t just eating leftovers out of Tupperware and going to the gym seven days a week, things that I knew people wouldn’t want to do. Poker leads itself to a very unhealthy lifestyle, and I thought that I could connect with these people and show them a way that’s easier. Poker players looking to lose weight is not a new idea by any means. Weight loss prop bets pop up every year around the start of the summer, with Shaun Deeb representing the latest player to cash in big on getting smaller. By February of this year, he had already secured an $800,000 windfall when Bill Perkins bought out of their bet that he could get himself down to 17% body fat. And while Deeb in particular doesnt seem to be slowing down his weight loss journey, the type of motivation behind such bets is indicative of how many poker players prioritize short-term gains over a more sustainable overall lifestyle. There’s always a weight loss prop bet going on. There’s one with a giant group of people that happens before the WSOP every year, but the same people are in the same thing, weighing the same amount every single year. And that that pains me to see. Getting out of the cycle of yo-yo-ing weight isnt typically an easy task, and Jurkiewicz quickly learned that the same approach isnt going to work for every client. The adaptability skills Jurkiewicz developed in his time as a poker player have served him well as his client roster has grown and hes gained more experience and knowledge. It’s definitely evolved a ton since those early days, said Jurkiewicz. I think I made a mistake in the beginning, where I would throw too much at people too soon. I would say drink this much water, eat this much food, work out this much. And it wasn’t like I was asking a crazy amount of volume per metric that I was asking them to track, but I was asking them to track far too many metrics. Nowadays, in the first month that I work together with someone, I roll out things one by one, or start very basic in like four or five key areas, and then we just build on that. Instead of giving them everything all at once, now I sort of get people to that point over a period of time, getting to know them more and getting to know their existing lifestyle before we start working together more. In getting poker players on the right path in their health journeys, Jurkiewicz has tapped into a positivity that was sorely missing at the tail end of his full-time poker playing days. For the better part of a decade, Jurkiewicz chased the poker dream with ferocity. By his mid-20s Jurkiewicz was playing seriously, staked to play $2/$5 cash games in Maryland and ultimately working his way up to as high as $25/$50/$100. He moved to Las Vegas like so many other poker players, and despite being almost exclusively focused on cash games managed a significant tournament success. Despite being down to his last $700, and anticipating a return to playing on a stake, Jurkiewicz fired off most of what he had left and made a run to the final table of the $1,000 Tag Team event at the 2019 World Series of Poker. Jurkiewicz and Zachary Gruneberg ultimately finished fourth in that tournament, and despite that success, the afterglow simply wasnt enough to reignite his passion for the game. Despite the Vegas poker world sapping Jurkiewiczs remaining enthusiasm for the game, its also the city where he found his calling. Hes helped poker players like Jeff Platt and Matt Affleck achieve their health goals, and by proxy made an impact on the poker world that Jurkiewicz is truly proud of. There’s no better feeling for me, Jurkiewicz said. Coming from poker where, at the tail end of when I stopped playing, I was getting zero enjoyment, even when I was winning. There was no meaning behind what I was doing. And I’m not saying poker is a thankless, meaningless grind, even though it kind of is, some people do find ways to make it productive. I just wasn’t one of them. So to come from that I enter this position where I can help people directly with things that I struggled with directly, and really improve their lives, said Jurkiewicz. To have them thank me for improving their lives, You’ve added years to my life, like now I can play with my kids. Hearing those things, it really fuels me up and gives me a strong reason to get out of bed some days. I struggle with things, and one thing that I can always count on to be an anchor point is my clients that I know I’m doing a good job for them. Jurkiewicz is keenly aware that he has to consistently balance his professional ambitions with his own health and fitness goals. With his poker days largely fading into the background he been on the hunt for something else that can consistently fulfill his competitive urges, and he seems to have found an ideal outlet in Muay Thai. I’m 35 now, and that made me reflect on getting older, said Jurkiewicz. I realized that I wanted to be someone who aged more gracefully than others. I wanted to be in my 60s, still able to hike, still able to travel. And I’ve sort of taken the focus off of present-day me. Right now my goal is to be one of the most in-shape 40-year-olds I can be. Martial arts is my main outlet for exercise these days, I really fell in love with it. It’s much more enjoyable for me than traditional methods of cardio or training. I still lift weights, but it’s mostly for me, outdoor runs, martial arts, and lifting weights a few times a week now, and a lot of mobility work. Jurkiewicz currently attends five Muay Thai classes a week in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture, and in an effort to continue to set lofty goals the same approach that brought him success early on in his poker career Jurkiewicz has booked himself an intensive month of training in Thailand at the Fairtex Training Camp. It’s great because it’s motivating me in the present day. I do not want to show up there out of shape, because as far as I know, the day starts with a 7 a.m. hourlong run, and then you train for two and a half hours, take a four-hour break and then you train again for two-and-a-half hours. Six hours of work, six days a week. I’m not far off the best shape of my life right now. That’s my goal, and then obviously coming out of that month, I’ll probably even take that up another level. So I’m excited to see what’s possible. By pushing his limits and continuing his own efforts in approaching health and wellness, Jurkiewicz will be setting another example of what can be achieved when his clients work with him to find their own best path forward. I’m going to struggle, Jurkiewicz said. But I want to go in there and get the most out of the experience.

The worlds greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isnt an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldnt help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some of the worlds best poker players were representing their country in Paris. In the true Olympic spirit, each countrys organizing committee was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting of a specialist in each of the following: The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top-performing country. With that in mind, weve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, reat Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 United States of America Olympic Poker team with comments from PokerGO commentator and podcast co-host Donnie Peters. With over $46 million in live tournament earnings, two World Poker Tour titles, and 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, Phil Ivey is one of the most accomplished poker players in the game’s history. Hes also one of the most feared. Ivey has proven time and time again that on the biggest stages, when the stakes are at their highest, hes able to come through for the win. And plenty of that success has been in No Limit Holdem Tournaments. Team USA wouldnt be complete without the GOAT on the squad, and I can’t think of a better player to hang the country’s poker hat on – and yes, it can be a bucket hat. Phil Iveys biggest strength is his natural talent. No one is better than Ivey at reading his opponents and adjusting on the fly. He is an elite competitor,” said Donnie Peters. “If you were going to stake any poker player, that player is likely Ivey – it doesnt matter the location, the opponents, or the stakes. If Ivey had a weakness, it could be that he isn’t the most studied player when it comes to poker theory. That said, Ivey’s natural instincts and experience have always seemed to blow study out of the water. Ivey boasts 11 seven-figure scores, eight of which are in NLHE tournaments, including his current career-high cash of $3.58 million with his victory in the 2014 Aussie Millions $250K Poker Championship, a $1.5 million win in the 2008 WPT LAPC Championship, and his 7th place finish in the 2009 WSOP Main Event for $1.4 million among other. While Ivey may have competition in the discussion for who is the best all-time NLHE player in the world, hes got virtually none in the star power category. Hes in a category all by himself. Californias Dylan Weisman can do it all, but he is perhaps best known as a Pot Limit Omaha specialist and, in that regard, one of the best in the world at that variant. A look at his top three career scores showcases just that: a runner-up finish in the 2024 Triton Super High Roller PLO Main Event for $1.66 million, a victory in the PokerGO U.S. Poker Open $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha event for $416,000, and a 2024 World Series of Poker $1,500 win for $294,000 for one of his two WSOP bracelets in PLO. He has more than $6 million in career tournament earnings, with most of those cashes coming in PLO. Few players understand poker to the degree that Dylan Weisman understands Pot-Limit Omaha. It always seems as though Weisman knows where he is at in a PLO hand. Weismans biggest strength – and this is said with the biggest amount of love and respect – is that he is a supreme PLO nerd,” said Peters. “Hes the most studied, experienced PLO tournament player in the country, and his results speak for themselves. Another key strength of Weisman is that he seems to be devoid of emotions when he is playing, which is an incredible trait for any poker player to harness, especially a PLO player. Even though Garrett Adelstein doesnt appear on livestreamed cash games nearly as much as he used to, he still carries the reputation as being one of the nosebleed cash games biggest crushers in the modern era. A regular on the early episodes of Live At The Bike and subsequently Hustler Casino Live (until September of 2022) he has recorded more than $2.5 million in livestreamed earnings according to HighRoll Poker, sitting as the second biggest all-time winner on Live At The Bike and Hustler Casino Lives fifth highest earner. Garrett Adelstein has battled in the biggest games against tough lineups, making him a perfect fit for this role,” said Peters. “An important strength for Adelstein is that hes incredibly well-versed in live cash games, and that strength can pay big dividends here. If Adelstein has one weakness, everyone will point to the hand against Robbi Jade and the subsequent fallout. That could show an emotional or mental chink in Adelsteins armor, but its not something we have seen from Adelstein outside of this situation that would led itself to being a weakness Team USA is worried about. In December 2023, Adelstein returned from a self-imposed break and appeared on the WPT World Championship livestreamed cash games, picking up more than $250,000 in his return, just proving that even after taking time away from the table, he continues to be a cash-game force to be dealt with. One wouldnt even need the results from the 2024 World Series of Poker to be convinced that Scott Seiver is one of the worlds top talents when it comes to Mixed Games. But just in case you missed it, Seiver took a break from playing the biggest Mixed Game cash games this summer to show up and show out at the WSOP. He became just the sixth player in history to win three bracelets in a single summer series grabbing gold in the $10,000 Omaha8 Championship for $426K, the $1,500 Razz for $141K, and finally the $10,000 NL 2-7 Lowball Draw for another $411K. The result – Scott Seiver took home 2024 WSOP Player of the Year honors. But more than that, with nearly $27 million in lifetime tournament earnings, Siever has continually proven that it doesnt matter the variant of poker – hes going to be a favorite. Scott Seiver has long battled at the highest stakes for mixed games. This recent summer, he proved that his prowess extends beyond cash games, if there ever was any doubt, by winning three gold bracelets at the WSOP. Seiver is as well-rounded of a poker player as they come, and he certainly wont shy away from the moment,” said Peters. “Further, Seiver always seems to be in tune with his opponents and the energy surrounding him, which may not be quantifiable but it matters. Cutting his teeth and building his bankroll in the heads-up NL streets of online poker shortly after the poker boom, Doug Polk has curated a career as a specialist in the HU4Rollz arena. On his tournament resume, hes the runner-up in the 2023 World Series of Poker $25,000 Heads-Up Championship for $313,362. But the majority of Polks public heads-up accomplishments have taken place playing in livestreamed public cash games. Most notably Polk bested Daniel Negreanu in a grudge match of 25,000 heads-up hands online for more than $1.2 million. Polk has routinely taken on nearly anyone who has wanted to show up at his Lodge Card Club in Austin to battle heads up at high stakes where, according to HighRoll Poker, hes made a profit of $335,000. When it comes to heads-up poker experts, few are in the conversation. Doug Polk is undoubtedly in that conversation and could very well be the greatest heads-up No-Limit Holdem player of all time. It would be easy to point to Polks biggest weakness as being a slave to the sim but Polk is also a people person who can relate to an opponent and go beyond charts and theory when needed. Polk is an aggressive player who wont back down and you need that in heads-up play, said Peters. Great coaches are great leaders, with excellent communication skills, a wealth of knowledge and experience, the ability to adapt and relate, and shared respect. Jason Koon checks all of the boxes to be a great coach,” said Peters. It would be tough to find someone who has a better reputation in poker than Jason Koon. Both on and away from the felt. Koon is a nosebleed tournament specialist who has not only amassed more than $58 million in lifetime earnings, good for 4th on poker’s All-Time Money List, but also the respect of his competition and peers. Originally from West Virginia, Koon developed his poker talents from the early days of online poker and since has traveled the world accumulating 104 live scores of $100,000 or more. So, when it comes to the pressure of competition at the highest level, theres nothing in this game that he hasnt seen or done himself. “Hes been in the arena, knows what it takes to win, and has the respect of the players on the team. If Koon has a weakness, its that hes not as well-versed in mixed games as he is in the big-bet games. That deficiency can be minimized through Koons leadership qualities and general poker intelligence. stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob/GPI

The worlds greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isnt an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldnt help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some of the worlds best poker players were representing their country in Paris. In the true Olympic spirit each countrys organizing committee was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting a specialist in each of the following: The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top performing country. With that in mind, weve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 Canadian Olympic Poker team, with comments from prominent Canadian poker journalist Mike Patrick. No Limit Hold’Em Tournament Kristen Foxen Fresh off her 13th place finish in the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event, Kristen Foxen is a strong choice to represent her country at the Olympics in the No Limit Holdem Tournament discipline. She sits 13th on Canadas all-time money list with more than $8.3 million in earnings – all but $5,400 coming in NLHE tournaments – and all 12 of her career wins, including four WSOP bracelets, are in the Cadillac of Poker. Foxen, who started her career as an online cash game grinder, also plays the high roller events inside the PokerGO studio in Las Vegas against some off the games most elite competition so finding comfort underneath the spotlight of the Olympic stage are unlikely to phase her. Already incredibly well established, Foxens run in the WSOP Main Event just a few weeks ago cemented her status on the team as the No Limit Holdem tournament representative,” said Patrick. “Its critical to run hot at the right time in tournaments, and as well as she played and as hot as she ran, Foxen gets the nod.” Pot Limit Omaha Tournament Ari Engel One of the most decorated players in WSOP Circuit history, Ari Engel might be disappointed to learn that the Pot Limit Omaha event at the Olympics is the standard four-card version and not Big O, but hes still got the chops to go medal hunting in the Great Game. Three of Engels 17 WSOP Circuit rings are in Pot Limit Omaha (and another three are in Omaha variants) and he has a total 150 live cashes in Omaha tournaments, with 94 of those coming in events that at least had PLO in the mix. No matter the number of cards in the game, Ari Engel will crush it, so he earns his spot on the team for PLO,” said Patrick. “And if an injury were to befall Negreanu, he could be plugged right into that decathlete spot as well.” While the other players donning the red maple leaf might have a higher profile in major events, Engel hasnt exactly been hiding for his entire career. In 2016, he won the Aussie Millions Main Event for $1.12 million and he also has a pair of WSOP bracelets including the $10,000 Omaha 8-or-better Championship in 2021. No Limit Hold’em Cash Game Timothy Adams Choosing a Canadian player to enter the Olympic cash game arena is a little bit like shooting a fish in a barrel, but Timothy Adams gets the call here. Mostly known for his tournament prowess – he is second on Canadas all-time earnings list with $38.5 million – Adams has been known to show up in high stakes streaming cash games streets where he finds himself up against a mix of businessmen and stone cold killers. While Adams can also be seen frequenting many international high-stakes tournaments, be they Tritons, EPTs or otherwise, right alongside those events are some of the highest-stakes cash games in the world,” said Patrick. “Youll find Adams right in the midst of those games, crushing his competition and adding to his bankroll for those tourneys. If cash games are the main course and tournaments are dessert, Adams is eating very well while saving enough room for those tasty after-dinner poker treats.” No matter how high the stakes get, Adams isnt going to find himself in an uncomfortable setting. Of the 194 career NLHE tournament cashes on his resume, 88 are in events with a buy-in of at least $25,000. Mixed Game Tourney Daniel Negreanu It would be hard to imagine the Canadian Olympic Poker Team not having Daniel Negreanu on it. Arguably the biggest poker star in the world, had the team been picked prior to the 2024 World Series of Poker, there was a chance at least that he was left off the roster. However, his win in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, which is considered by many to be the most prestigious WSOP bracelet for professional poker players, made him an easy pick to represent his homeland in the Mixed Game Tournament format. It was his first WSOP win in nearly 11 years and his first one in Vegas in 16 years. The 50-year-old sits atop the Canadian all-time earnings list with $53 million. He has seven WSOP bracelets, two World Poker Tour Titles and a Super High Roller Bowl title, and he’s the player least likely to be phased by any sort of anxiety over havin the world watching. The Mixed Game selection is truly the decathlete of the team, following in the tradition of great Canadian decathletes like Damian Warner, Dave Steen, and Michael Smith,” said Patrick. “Not only did Negreanu show his No Limit Holdem quality this summer in everything from a 100m / $500 sprint, all the way to the 1500m / $10,000 Main Event of pokers decathlon, but he was undeniable to the COPC for dominating the field events, winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Negreanu has topped them all throughout his career from poker’s long jump to discus throw. And thats not even mentioning that he wrote the book on Triple Jumper Draw.” Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Mike Watson Once again, there is a wealth of options for Canadian organizers to choose from for a category. This time, Mike Watson gets the nod for the Heads Up No Limit Holdem spot. With more than $28 million in lifetime earnings, Watson is also coming in with a little bit of forward momentum from the WSOP having won his first bracelet this year. But that success also comes after Watson posted three seven-figure scores in Triton events, including a win in a $30,000 NLHE event in Montenegro. SirWatts Mike Watson is as good as it gets when it comes to an online resume for a Canadian poker player,” said Patrick. “With over $14,000,000 in online tournament winnings, you dont get to a number like that without being able to close it out. With countless victories to his name, all of which you need to win a heads-up match to claim, Canadas online end boss is the COPCs selection for Heads Up No Limit.” In his live career, Watson is 21-18 when heads-up for a live title, including a World Poker Tour title in 2008, the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2016, and a European Poker Tour title in 2023, along with four Triton Poker Series wins. Coach Mike McDonald While Mike McDonald hasnt been actively playing poker the last few years, it would be a mistake to not have him and his analytical genius on the team. Serving as the coach would give McDonald the opportunity to grab a clipboard and help Canada bring home as many medals as possible. Thrust into the poker spotlight at 18 years old when he won the EPT Dortmund, McDonald has $13.4 million in lifetime earnings and has found success outside of poker, making him the perfect fit to provide guidance for each of the players on the squad.

The worlds greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isnt an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldnt help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some of the worlds best poker players were representing their country in Paris. In the true Olympic spirit, each countrys organizing committee was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting a specialist in each of the following: The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top performing country. With that in mind, weve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 Argentinian Olympic Poker team, with insights from Fernando Gatto of PokerLogia. No Limit Hold’em Tournament Damian Salas When you talk about building out the core of a team-based poker event, starting with a WSOP Main Event champion is a strong way to go about it. Damian Salas was crowned 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event champion in a hybrid format, and it’s just one of many achievements on Salas’ resume. He also made the 2017 WSOP Main Event final table, finishing seventh, and he’s accumulated $16.5 million in lifetime online poker earnings. As if 2020 wasn’t an impressive enough year for Salas, prior to his WSOP Main Event success he made the final table of the WPT Online World Championship that September, finishing third. Add in his successes in high rollers worldwide, and it’s easy to see how much of an asset he can be. “If Argentina had a Poker Hall of Fame, Damian would be the first induction,” said Gatto. Gatto also suggested that Salas might be the most well-suited candidate to coach Team Argentina, given his success and the level of experiences he could share, but in a toss-up between Salas and the player selected as coach, Ivan Luca, Salas’ time under the bright lights of the WSOP gave him the slight edge. Pot Limit Omaha Tournament Nacho Barbero Speaking of high rollers, no other player from Argentina has found more success in that arena than Jose Ignacio “Nacho” Barbero. He’s No. 1 on Argentina’s all-time live tournament money list, according to The Hendon Mob, largely on the strength of four seven-figure cashes across Triton, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the EPT since January 2023. While Barbero can square up with the heaviest hitters that poker’s high roller scene can throw out there, there’s a strong reason why he’s the selection for Pot Limit Omaha. “He’s made several final tables in Pot Limit Omaha,” Grillo noted. “Two of them were at the WSOP, another at Wynn Las Vegas, three at Triton events, and in 2023 he won one of the PokerGO Tour PLO Series events in Las Vegas.” Barbero has shown he knows how to close as well, with recorded victories in 14 different countries including a WSOP bracelet victory in 2022 and a 100,000 Super High Roller victory in Monte Carlo earlier this year. No Limit Hold’em Cash Game Mariano Grandoli When it comes to Olympic eligibility, there can be a level of competition for a skilled player’s International allegiances. Take NBA star Joel Embiid, for example. He was eligible to play for France, Cameroon or the United States, but ultimately chose to play for Team USA. By similar measure, that’s how Mariano Grandoli ended up on Team Argentina. Originally from Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina, the 25-year-old Grandoli has long since settled in Los Angeles, California. He’s a constant presence on a number of live-streamed cash games, most notably Hustler Casino Live, where he’s appeared on more than 150 different broadcasts. According to Highroll Poker, Grandoli is up $936,210 lifetime on HCL streams, proving he can hang with some of the tougher players in that ecosystem. Grandoli would also bring a lot of eyeballs to Team Argentina and the games in general as a high-profile vlogger with over 163,000 subscribers. “Mariano uploaded his first vlog to YouTube in 2019 and eventually rose through the ranks at the cash games as his popularity grew,” said Grilo. “At Hustler Casino Live, he’s won pots of $148K, $257K, $379K, $611K with a straight flush, and $788K when his Aces beat two opponents Kings. In 2022 he was one of the nominees in the ‘Best Vlogger’ category of the Global Poker Awards.” Mixed Game Tournament Andres Korn Andres Korn has a resume of results that stretches back farther than almost any other player eligible for Team Argentina, with his first recorded live cash coming in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, in which he finished 199th. His results in mixed games are what helped him make this team. “Andres is the only Argentine player to have a ring and a bracelet in the World Series of Poker,” said Gatto. “He is also the Argentine with the most final tables at the WSOP, with nine, and five of them were in mixed games events, where he finished 4th, 8th, 4th, 5th and 7th.” Korn cashed six times at the 2024 WSOP, including final table appearances in the $10,000 8 Game Championship and the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event. Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Ezequiel Waigel** When it comes to heads-up poker, you want to have a player who brings both experience and aggression to the table, and that’s what Team Argentina gets in Ezequiel Waigel. His career tournament highlight to date was winning the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker $5,200 No Limit Hold’em main event in 2018 for $1,5,29,000. While he brings some youth to this overwhelmingly veteran squad, his results already place him among the best that Argentina has to offer. “Ezequiel is one of the most respected Argentine players and has earned $2M online and $2.4M live in his caeer, which places him seventh on the All Time Money List in his country,” said Grillo. “On the live circuit he holds titles in Brazil, the United States and Argentina.” Coach for Team Argentina Ivan Luca Ivan Luca was the first Argentinian ever to win a WSOP bracelet when he broke through for his victory in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event in 2015. His $7.3 million in lifetime earnings puts him second all-time on Argentina’s all-time money list, and his successes in high-roller events both live and online show he knows what it takes to beat the toughest players in the world. “Despite his young age, Ivan is one of the most experienced Argentinian players,” said Gatto. He won millions in online poker under his well-known nickname ‘negriin’. After the pandemic, he moved away from live tournaments, but returned at the end of 2023 to play WSOP Paradise and recorded five cashes there, including a 6th place in the Ultra High Roller for $555K.” At 32 years old, Luca has indeed taken a step back from live poker with just one live cash thus far in 2024. Despite the hiatus, Luca’s experience and success makes him an ideal candidate to coach Team Argentina. stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob/GPI

The worlds greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isnt an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldnt help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some ofthe worlds best poker players were representing their country in Paris. In the true Olympic spirit, each countrys organizing committee was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting of a specialist in each of the following: The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top-performing country. With that in mind, weve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 Canadian Olympic Poker team with insight from esteemed poker writer Paul Seaton. No Limit Hold’em Tournament Chris Moorman In the history of No Limit Holdem tournaments, you may be hard-pressed to find someone who has played more in their career than Chris Moorman. The former #1-ranked online player in the world and the first person to ever reach more than $10 million in online earnings, Moorman has an insatiable, unwavering grind of NLHE tournaments, making him an MTT legend. He has just over $9 million in live recorded earnings including a World Poker Tour title in the 2014 Los Angeles Poker Classic for more than $1 million and a World Series of Poker gold bracelet win in the 2017 $3,000 NLHE for just under $500,000. His live resume is littered with massive six- and seven-figure scores, all of which come as an NLHE specialist, and have lifted him to a spot on the UKs Top-10 All-Time Money List. If there is anyone more consistent, more successful, or more focused than Moorman, we cant see it. If you want more, you go with Moorman. Hes the online tournament crusher and no one has likely played more NLHE tournaments than he has. Plus, hes added in some serious live clout in recent years and has made a mark as a sponsored pro. Hell thrive under the pressure,” Paul Seaton. Pot Limit Omaha Tournament Stephen Chidwick As one of the most respected and accomplished poker players in the world, Stephen Chidwick from Deal, England, would be a top choice for any squad no matter the poker variant. The GPI Award Winner for Toughest Opponent is third on pokers All-Time Money list with more than $59 million in earnings, a good chunk of which hes amassed by crushing PLO tournaments. Case in point, he won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet in 2019 in the $25,000 PLO High Roller for $1.618 million, the third-highest score of his career. He also holds Pot Limit Omaha titles from 2019s PokerGOs U.S. Poker Open and the British Poker Open as well as finishing in third place in the 2023 $100,000 PLO Super High Roller Bowl for $570,000. While Chidwick is perhaps known more for his NLHE talent, hes proven that hes just as good with four cards in his hand as he is with two. Chidwick won his first WSOP bracelet playing a $25k PLO event when he admits he didnt know the game as fully as he does now. So what kind of threat does that make him now? Who would want to sit across from the man with the most fearsome table image in poker with a gold medal on the line? said Seaton. No Limit Hold’em Cash Game Sam Trickett If Sam Trickett were to take up the cash game cause for the UK, it would be a return to the felt after deciding to spend more time with his family in 2021. But prior to that time, Nottinghams Trickett was not just known as the runner-up in the inaugural $1 million buy-in Big One For One Drop (for more than $10 million) but a cash game savant who would routinely battle in the biggest livestreamed games in the world. From the nosebleed games in the PokerGO Studio to the partypoker-sponsored Sam Trickett Invitational High Stakes livestreamed cash games, Tricketts reputation shifted from a tournament crusher to a cash game specialist. Tricky may have semi-retired to Ibiza over the past few years but dont let that fool you. Hes still the master of maximizing his edge in a single cash game pot and plays with a freedom of expression that Simone Biles aspires to!” Seaton said. “Tricky will make things tricky for any opponent. Although hes been out of the spotlight for the past few years, he showed up to Rob Yongs Friday Night Poker holiday livestreamed cash game at the end of 2023 to prove that hes still got it. Mixed Game Tournament Benny Glaser If theres a better mixed gamer in recent years, I havent met them,” said Seaton. “Glaser is a WSOP god and would strike the fear of God into God himself unless the big man upstairs has been brushing up on his Eight Game. Glaser is perhaps the greatest modern mixed game tournament player. There doesnt seem to be a single game in poker that Benny Glaser is not elite at. At 35, Southamptons Glaser has amassed nearly $8 million in live tournament earnings, including a runner-up finish at the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas for a career-high $2.8 million score. While that was in No Limit Holdem, Glaser has shown that he equally excels in Mixed Games, where hes captured all five of his World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Nine of Glasers top ten career scores are in a variant other than NLHE, including final tables in the 2018 and 2021 $50K WSOP Poker Players Championship. He has six-figure scores in Razz, Omaha 8, 2-7 Lowball, PLO, and H.O.R.S.E. He had 11 cashes at the 2024 WSOP, ten of which were in a variant other than NLHE and three final tables. Glaser currently sits 10th on Englands All-Time Money List and should continue to dominate mixed games, not just at the WSOP but wherever they are being offered. Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Darius Samual Sometimes you just want to ride the hot hand and thats exactly what Team UK would be doing in the case of Darius Samual. The story goes that Samual essentially got off the plane in Las Vegas this summer for the 2024 World Series of Poker, put up half his bankroll to enter the $25K Heads-Up Championship, and blasted his way through an elite field to capture the bracelet and a career-high score of $500,000. Samual proved he has the chops to compete with the best taking out James Chen, 2023 WSOP Player of the Year Ian Matakis, Matthew Wantman, John Smith, Artur Martirosian, and Faraz Jaka en route to the win. The recent WSOP winner of the $25k HU Championship couldnt be in better form,” Seaton said. “Sure he has less experience than some but he has no fear! Hes a wild card but Id be confident he could do some real damage! Its true he doesnt have a lot of documented experience, with his first Hendon Mob cash recorded in 2023, but he did cash nine times at the World Series of Poker and clearly has a knack for heads-up action. Coach for Team Great Britain Barny Boatman A legend of UK poker and one of the original members of the actual Hendon Mob, Barny Boatman has seen it all and done it all when it comes to the game of poker. The 68-year-old proved that he continues to have what it takes to compete with the best when he bested a field of 1,224 entries in the 2024 EPT Paris Main Event for $1.38 million. But more so, Boatman has plenty of wisdom to share in all the games. While his biggest scores are in No Limit Holdem, his career is rife with mixed game scores including one of his two World Series of Poker bracelets coming in PLO. One is unlikely to find anyone in the game of poker with as much experience as Boatman, with nearly $5.5 million in live tournament earnings, his first recorded result dates back to 1998 – and he has recorded results every year since (with the exception of 2020 for reasons outside of his control most likely). A true grinder and ambassador for poker, hes earned the respect of the entire poker community. Theres no one better to lead the way than Barny,” said Seaton. “A PokerStars Team Pro he literally invented the Hendon Mob. Everyone in poker respects Barny Boatman and each and every British player would crawl over broken flush draws for him!” stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob/GPI

The worlds greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isnt an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldnt help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some of the worlds best poker players were representing their country in Paris. In the true Olympic spirit, each countrys organizing committee was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting of a specialist in each of the following The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top performing country. With that in mind, weve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 Brazilian Olympic Poker team, with insights from Gabriel Grilo of Super Poker. No Limit Hold’em Tournament Brunno Botteon When it comes to online No Limit Hold’em tournaments, few modern players can match the success of Brunno Botteon. Most notably, Botteon finished second to Damian Salas in the International version of the online WSOP Main Event in 2020, recording a career-best cash of $1,062,723. In all Botteon has accumulated well over $10 million in career online tournament earnings, including a WCOOP title in 2021, a $764,665 payday for winning the $1,500 GG World Championship in May of this year and several other notable titles. “Botteon is definitely up there, especially if we’re talking about an ‘Olympic cycle’ of four years,” said Grillo. “He’s not the most active player right now, but he is definitely worthy of the spot. I’d say Felipe Boianovsky and Pedro Padilha are also two fair names to consider in this category.” In this format Botteon will have to contend with some true giants in the game of poker. The biggest question would be whether or not his limited live experience could play a factor, although 2023 was far and away the most active period of live tournament results in Botteon’s career thus far. Pot Limit Omaha Tournament Joao Simao When it comes to Pot Limit Omaha, few Brazilian players can match the credentials of Joao Simao. In 2022, Simao won his second career WSOP bracelet and recorded a career-best result of $686,242 in a half Pot Limit Omaha, half No Limit Hold’em event. Simao also has a PokerGO Tour PLO win, a $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha side event win at the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and a third-place finish in the 2024 WSOP $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Championship. “Also a great choice,” said Grilo, “He’s been known for his PLO skills for many years and has the results to back it up, even if he’s kept a lower profile for the past few years.” Simao is well-established with 15 years of results and over $7.2 million in live tournament earnings on his resume, making him a clear choice as a No. 1 in this format. But Grilo points to another Brazilian on the rise in PLO to keep an eye out for, who just so happened to finish fourth in the 2022 WSOP PLO/NLH event that Simao won and took down a WSOP PLO bracelet of his own at WSOP Paradise back in December. “Another name would be Dante Goya Fernandes,” said Grilo. “He’s known as one of the biggest Brazilian PLO players, won a bracelet last year, and has great results online, too.” No Limit Hold’em Cash Game Romulo Dorea For some American poker fans, the first time they read the name Romulo Dorea was when he made the final table of WPT Voyage back in April, finishing in sixth place. But Dorea built up a significant following as a full-time poker vlogger. Born in Belem, Brazil, the 29-year-old moved to Chicago to play college soccer and now travels between Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Florida, and Texas playing in cash games and vlogging about his adventures to more than 100,000 in Portuguese to a predominantly Brazilian audience. Dorea has proven himself capable of performing when the cameras are on and the lights are bright. “I think Romulo is a fair name if we consider the live cash game scene in the US, and he also excels as a content creator,” said Grilo. Grilo also pointed towards a strong secondary option in this format. “The biggest Brazilian name is Mateus Carrion de Moraes, aka ‘Zinho,’ said Grilo. “He has a cash game stable and plays higher stakes.” Mixed Game Tournament Yuri Dzivelevski When it comes to listing the most successful Brazilian tournament poker players in the world, it’s difficult not to consider Yuri Dzivelevski in the No. 1 spot. He’s a five-time WSOP bracelet winner with $6.6 million in total lifetime live tournament earnings. All but one of those WSOP wins came in a non-Hold’em format, and Dzivelevski also has a runner-up finish in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. When it comes to online poker, Dzivelevski is a six-time PokerStars WCOOP champion with over $15 million in total online tournament earnings. “No argument here,” said Grilo. “Yuri is the biggest name in the history of poker in Brazil and plays all games really well.” There’s also no questioning his work ethic or ambition, which could be vital attributes when it comes to driving Team Brazil forward. I always say that Ill overcome Phil Hellmuth by the time I reach his age, Dzivielevski told Jeff Walsh in July. Its in jest, but theres a grain of truth. Bracelets are awesome because of the memories you create. I play poker as a job, for the money, but winning bracelets turns it into more of a special activity, giving me awesome memories that Ill have forever. Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Thiago Nishijima** On a Team Brazil that seeks to balance between several generations of players, Thiago Nishijima brings another veteran presence into the equation. With live results that go back well over 15 years, Nishijima is a WSOP bracelet winner with $2.2 million in lifetime live tournament results and a number of other WSOP and WPT Main Tour final tables under his belt. He also has a $1,558,000 PokerStars WCOOP title back in 2009, with well over $4 million in lifetime online tournament earnings. Nishijima has taken a step back from traveling the worldwide tournament circuit in recent years, with all of his live results dating back to 2019 coming at events in Brazil, but his heads-up bonafides are undeniable. “When the Global Poker League happened, he was chosen as the heads-up player for the Sao Paulo Metropolitans,” said Grilo. “Thiago doesn’t really grind nowadays, but he’s still a big name in Brazilian poker history. He used to be the only Brazilian to play the $25K Heads-Up Championship at the WSOP.” Coach for Team Brazil Andre Akkari When it comes to poker in Brazil, the first name that comes to mind is likely Andre Akkari. He was the second Brazilian player in poker history to win a WSOP bracelet when he recorded his $1,500 No Limit Hold’em victory in 2011; Alexandre Gomes was the first Brazilian bracelet winner, in 2008. Akkari continues to be a serious challenger in any event he plays, recording an EPT Barcelona final table in August 2023 and a second-place finish in a $2022 WSOP $2,500 Nine Game Mix event. While he’d be a worthy player in most of the events, Akkari’s experience and connections within the Brazilian poker community are unmatched. Just as we’ve seen celebrities and world-famous athletes flock to watch other games during the 2024 Paris Games thus far, it wouldn’t come as any shock to see the legendary Neymar in attendance for an Akkari-coached Team Brazil. “You can never go wrong with Akkari, as he’s probably the most important name in Brazilian poker,” said Grilo. Coaching staffs run deep in most sports, and Akkari could also pull from a deep pool of candidates in terms of setting Team Brazil up for success. “You could also put Felipe Mojave there as somebody with a big following and respect from the community,” said Grilo. Stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob/GPI