Event #64: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em
Day 4 Completed
2019 World Series of Poker
Event #64: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$888
Prize Pool
$7,720,210
Entries
10,185
Level
45
Blinds
2,000,000 / 4,000,000
Ante
4,000,000
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Sometimes, it takes more than one attempt to succeed. And there's always one more chance in an unlimited re-entry tournament.
Rick Alvarado needed to bust six times before he finally converted his number seven into something special. His relentlessness more than paid off.
Alvarado would eventually come out on top in the Event #64: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em, beating a 10,185-entry field to claim the $888,888 top-prize and his first WSOP bracelet.
"I'm stoked. It's quite unbelievable. I'm thrilled. This is my biggest cash," Alvarado said.
Final table results:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rick Alvarado | United States | $888,888 |
| 2 | Mark Radoja | Canada | $548,888 |
| 3 | Thomas Drivas | United States | $409,888 |
| 4 | Vivian Saliba | Brazil | $308,888 |
| 5 | Aleksandras Rusinovas | Lithuania | $233,888 |
| 6 | Patrick Clarke | Ireland | $177,888 |
| 7 | Vlad Darie | Romania | $136,888 |
| 8 | Mario Hofler | Austria | $105,888 |
If coolers and bad beats are cornerstones of any poker tournament in the world, the Crazy Eights event lived up to its name. It's been an incredible ride full of sick hands and Alvarado was in the epicentre of it.
He came to the final day with one of the shorter stacks among the remaining 10, and there was only one way for him to rise through the standings.
"You know that you're gonna have to take big risks and I just hoped that the first risk I take pays off. And it did."
Alvarado wasn't scared to put his chips in play on the unofficial nine-handed final table, and his king-ten found help against pocket tens.
"After that, it was kind of smooth sailing," Alvarado said.
He was able to solidify himself among the big stacks, but the chips were flying all around the table. Patrick Clarke got the worst of it, getting two-outed by Mark Radoja and then three-outed by Vivian Saliba. While Clarke's promising run ended in sixth place following the nasty streak of tough beats, Radoja and Saliba made it to the final four.
That's where coolers and bad beats made for the storyline. Saliba was knocked out by Thomas Drivas with queens against aces, and while Alvarado remained very active, Drivas had a great opportunity to put Alvarado's aggression to bed.
But in the crucial hand of the tournament, Alvarado simply got there. He went for a huge four-bet shove in a blind-versus-blind spot which started with Drivas' limp. With almost three-quarters of all chips inside the pot, the winner was destined to be a tremendous favorite to win the bracelet.
Alvarado had queen-jack suited and he ran into pocket kings, but he hit the most expensive flush in Drivas' career.
"I'm never gonna live this one down. It was quite a misstep that turned out to be a great suckout," Alvarado said.
Alvarado revealed that he thought Drivas was tired of being bullied around. That's why he decided to go for it, thinking that this was the hand where Drivas is trying to stand up to the aggression without a real hand.
"And I was wrong, but that's how you win tournaments," Alvarado laughed.
It is quite fitting that even the last hand of the tournament didn't leave the better starting hand ahead. Fortunately for Alvarado, he was able to river his three-outer against Radoja, to win the tournament in possibly the best time anyone could. Just when his mom arrived in the Amazon Room.
"I told my mom not to worry about coming for the final 10 because I was a short stack," Alvarado said. But then he scored that first double, and his mom booked a flight from California.
"She was running through the airport to catch it. Then she got here and saw maybe three hands and I won it," Alvarado said. "I couldn't be happier. Everything just worked out today."
With such a scenario, Alvarado knew that the script was sublime today. But it may also be called compensation. Poker has presented Alvarado with some rough moments in the past.
He worked at In-N-Out Burger for around six years between two spells, first quitting to pursue a poker career. Then the Black Friday struck and he had to return.
But that experience didn't leave any mark on Alvarado's approach to the game. Playing the biggest final table of his life, Alvarado wasn't interested in pure laddering up.
"To be honest, I never really looked at the pay jumps too much. After I doubled up at the start of the day, I was just focused on that number one, going for the first place."
Now with $888,888 and a bracelet locked up, Alvarado knows that his shifts at the fast food joint will remain just a memory of the tough times he's overcome. He's made it.
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #146: Mark Radoja moved all in from the small blind for 45,000,000 and Rick Alvarado made the call from the big blind.
Mark Radoja: 
Rick Alvarado: 
The board ran out 
and Alvarado rivered a pair of fours to win the tournament, eliminating Radoja in 2nd place for $548,888.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
407,400,000
45,400,000
|
45,400,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #142: Mark Radoja limped, Rick Alvarado checked and Alvarado led out 6 million on 
. Radoja called and the 
hit the felt. Alvarado bet 15 million and Radoja folded.
Hand #143: Alvarado made it 8 million, Radoja called and the flop of 
saw Radoja check. Alvarado bet 6 million and Radoja folded.
Hand #144: Radoja moved all in and Alvarado folded.
Hand #145: Alvarado made it 8 million, Radoja called and they saw 
hit the felt. Both checked and they checked the 
turn as well. The river was the 
and Radoja checked one more time. Alvarado bet 12 million and Radoja folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
362,000,000
25,000,000
|
25,000,000 |
|
|
45,000,000
-25,000,000
|
-25,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #139: Rick Alvarado raised to 9,000,000 on the button and Mark Radoja called from the big blind. A flop of 
was dealt and checked through to the 
turn. Radoja bet 15,000,000 and Alvarado folded.
Hand #140: Radoja raised to 9,000,000 on the button and Alvarado called from the big blind. The flop was 
and Alvarado checked. Radoja bet 8,000,000 and Alvarado check-raised to 28,000,000. Radoja let it go.
Hand #141: Alvarado raised to 9,000,000 on the button and Radoja called from the big blind. The dealer spread a flop of 
and Radoja checked. Alvarado bet 8,000,000 and Radoja check-raised to 26,000,000. Alvarado responded by moving all in and Radoja snap-folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
337,000,000
45,000,000
|
45,000,000 |
|
|
70,000,000
-45,000,000
|
-45,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #135: Rick Alvarado raised to 9 million, Mark Radoja called and Radoja check-folded to a bet of 10 million on a 
flop.
Hand #136: Radoja raised to 9 million, Alvarado called and now Alvarado check-folded as the flop rolled out 
.
Hand #137: Radoja received a walk.
Hand #138: Radoja raised to 11 million and Alvarado called. Radoja barrelled 8 million on the 
flop and 18 million on the 
turn. Alvarado check-called both bets and the river went check-check. Alvarado tabled 
and Radoja couldn't beat that.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
292,000,000 | |
|
|
115,000,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 45
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #131: Rick Alvarado raised to 9 million and Mark Radoja folded.
Hand #132: Radoja raised to 8,000,000 on the button and Alvarado folded.
Hand #133: Alvarado raised to 9,000,000 on the button and Radoja called from the big blind. The flop came and Radoja checked. Alvarado bet 10,000 and Radoja let it go.
Hand #134: Radoja raised to 9,000,000 on the button and Alvarado called from the big blind. The dealer fanned a flop of 
and Alvarado checked. Radoja bet 8,000,000 and Alvarado check-called. The turn brought the 
and Alvarado checked once more. Radoja bet 23,000,000 and Alvarado tank-called. The filled up the board and was checked around. Alvarado showed 
for nines and eights and and Radoja tabled 
to win the pot with jacks and nines.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
263,000,000
-41,000,000
|
-41,000,000 |
|
|
144,000,000
41,000,000
|
41,000,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 45
Blinds: 2,000,000/4,000,000
Ante: 4,000,000
Level 44
: 1,500,000/3,000,000, 3,000,000 ante
Hand #127: Rick Alvarado made it 7 million and Mark Radoja called. Both checked the 
flop and Radoja bet 8 million on the 
turn. Alvarado called and the 
river was checked. Radoja showed the best hand with .
Hand #128: Alvarado got a walk.
Hand #129: Alvarado raised to 7 million and Radoja called. Radoja check-folded to a bet of 6 million on a flop.
Hand #130: Radoja raised to 7.5 million and Alvarado called. The flop was checked and Radoja won with a delayed c-bet of 8 million on the turn.
Level 44
: 1,500,000/3,000,000, 3,000,000 ante
Hand #123: Rick Alvarado raised to 7,000,000 on the button and Mark Radoja called from the big blind. The flop came 
and was checked through to the turn. Radoja checked once more and Alvarado bet 8,000,000. Radoja folded.
Hand #124: Radoja raised to 7,500,000 on the button and Alvarado called. A flop reaidng was dealt and Alvarado checked. Radoja bet 6,000,000 and Alvarado check-called. The turn was the and was checked through to the river. Both players checked again and Alvarado tabled 
to win the pot with his eights and fours.
Hand #125: Alvarado raised to 7,000,000 on the button and Radoja called from the big blind. The flop fell 
and Radoja checked. Alvarado bet 6,000,000 and Radoja let it go.
Hand #126: Radoja raised to 7,500,000 from the small blind and Alvarado called from the big blind. The flop came 
and was checked through to the turn. Alvarado checked again and Radoja fired 8,000,000. Alvarado folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
304,000,000
27,000,000
|
27,000,000 |
|
|
103,000,000
-27,000,000
|
-27,000,000 |
|
|
||