Final 9 players of the 2020 WSOP No Limit Hold’em Main Event International Championship

The 2020 World Series of Poker is days away from kicking off the Main Event International Final Table. The race gets underway live on Tuesday, December 15 at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Only 8 of the final nine players will be attending though. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, China’s Peiyuan Sun “fish3098” will not be able to make the trip and is officially the 9th place finisher.

The remaining players are now looking at a minimum of US$ 109,982 however, all eyes are on the US$ 1,550,968 first prize. The winner also advances to the Heads Up World Championship for one final duel for the 2020 WSOP Main Event title, the WSOP championship gold bracelet, and the added US$ 1,000,000 courtesy of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and GGPoker.

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Here’s a look at the finalists, their achievements, and how they secured their spot at the finals.

Final 9 players:

Brunno Botteon de Albuquerque – Brazil – 10,317,743 – 51.6 BB

Coming final day, Brazilian online pro Brunno Botteon de Albuquerque will carry in the largest stack of 10,317,743 (51.6 BB). This is Botteon’s fourth WSOP final table appearance having reached three this past summer at the 2020 WSOP Online Series where he collected a whopping US$ 1,105,562 over 15 events. Listed below are his largest scores. Last week, Botteon also pulled in five figure victories amounting to US$ 61,629.77 at two events on the GG Network.

2020 WSOP Online earnings: US$ 1,105,562
Event #79: US$ 25,000 No Limit Hold’em Heads Up – 2/127 for US$ 622,300 (largest tournament cash)
Event #70: US$ 25,000 NLH POKER PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP US$ 10M GTD – 6/407 for US$ 388,837
Event #67: US$ 500 No Limit Hold’em – 2/706 for US$ 41,855

Latest GG Network victories: US$ 61,629.77
December 6 – Sunday Forty Stack US$ 400 – 1/542 – US$ 35,984.97
December 7 – High Rollers Main Event US$ 1,050 – 1/117 – US$ 25,644.80

Taking a look at his live felt performance, Botteon has earned a respectable US$ 78,246 over nine events with one small victory at the R$ 3,000 Brazilian Series of Poker Knock Out Turbo for R$ 22,476 (~US$ 6,636). With his incredibly strong showing this past summer and final 9 chip lead, Botteon is in prime form to ship the Main Event for his first ever WSOP title.

Brief look at Botteon’s race to the Final Table:

Botteon’s rise began at Level 5 when he landed two double ups to jump from 83rd rank to 12th rank. At Level 12, he avoided the rail against Patrick Semrau “Pepsi_zero” with pocket Tens improving to a set over pocket Queens to zoom to 3rd in chips. To take the lead for the first time, Botteon railed Stas Tishkevich “EndersGame20” (20th) with AKo over AQo. Before the final table bubble burst, Botteon denied Day 1C chip leader Senthuran Vijayaratnam “Prodigal Sen” in 11th place.

Manuel “robocup” Ruivo – Portugal – 6,213,759 – 31.1 BB

Qualifying to the Main Event via a US$ 1K Ultra Satellite, online pro Manuel “robocup” Ruivo” holds the torch for Portugal. He is ranked 2nd in chips with a sizable 6,213,759 stack. Posting live tournament earnings since 2013, his efforts paid off in 2018 when he landed a fat paycheck worth US$ 2,329,943 on a heads up deal at the partypoker MILLIONS Online US$ 20M GTD. This remains his largest score to date. That same year he also ran well on the live felt. He finished 6th out of 7,361 at the 2018 WSOP US$ 1,500 Millionaire Maker to pocket US$ 230,120. Another big score was for US$ 130,391 at the 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour US$ 950 NLH 8-Max taking 2nd over 881 runners. This past summer, Ruivo just missed the final table of the 2020 WSOP Online Series US$ 1,500 Millionaire Maker, finishing 10th out of 6,299 entrants for US$ 77,534. He is ranked 13th in THM’s Portugal All Time Money List. He will be looking to lock up his first ever WSOP title and bring home the first Main Event championship gold for his home country.

Brief look at Ruivo’s race to the Final Table:

Shortly after the money flowed, Ruivo zoomed to the upper ranks by delivering a double bust that ended Cam Godin and Jordan Knackstedt “saskprinter”. He later added Sergio Aido and wheelspinner to the list to secure a final 9 spot ranked 2nd in chips.

Damian Salas – Argentina – 5,653,528 – 28.3 BB

Ranked 3rd in chips is Argentinian pro Damian Salas, considerably the most achieved live tournament player of the final 9. Since his first cash in 2009, Salas has accumulated US$ 2,687,964 in winnings. His largest payout of US$ 1,425,000 makes up over half the bulk which he earned at the 2017 WSOP Main Event for finishing 7th. In the virtual world, Salas has also fared well. His largest online score was for US$ 814,663, earned in September 2020 at the WPT World Online Championships US$ 10,300 No Limit Hold’em Main Event. Salas is currently ranked 4th in THM’s Argentina All Time Money List. Prior to the 2020 WSOP Main Event he has reached three WSOP final tables, however, a WSOP title remains elusive. He hopes to bring home a third bracelet for Argentina and its first Main Event title.

Total live earning: US$ 2,687,964
WSOP earning: US$ 1,725,830
Online: US$ 62,386
Live: US$ 1,648,584
2017 WSOP Main Event – 7/7,221 for US$ 1,425,000 (largest live cash)
Largest online cash: 2019/2020 WPT World Online Championships US$ 10,300 No Limit Hold’em Main Event US$ 10M GTD – 3/1011 for US$ 814,663
Largest live win: Latin America Poker Tour VI – US$ 5,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller – 1/84 – US$ 107,800

Brief look at Salas’s race to the Final Table:

Salas was seen climbing up the ranks at Level 8 when he railed player “Naaaturally”. He then added players Antoine Saout, “itymnp”, JA_S-N-G-T, and waterproo to the hit list. Down to two tables, he doubled up with quads off Speiser then claimed another big pot against Ruivo to end the day ranked 3rd holding 5,653,528 (28.3 BB) in chips.

Marco “fullbabyfull” Streda – Liechtenstein – 4,232,560 – 21.2 BB

We finally have the name of “fullbabyfull”, it is Marco Streda, the lone player representing Liechtenstein. Streda earned his Main Event ticket via a US$ 525 Mega Satellite and hopes to turn it into seven digits. With no prior live stats to be found, Streda is unknown in the live stage. That will change come December 15 as he joins the finalists in Rozvadov ranked 4th in chips with 4,232,560.

Since signing up on the GG network in mid-July 2020, Streda has earned an impressive US$ 143,580. His largest score of US$ 11,650 was at one of the Bounty King US$ 315 buy in events finishing 2nd out of 315 entrants. Wherever Streda places in Rozvadov, he will have earned his largest known tournament payout. If he takes it all the way, he will become the first ever player from Liechtenstein to win a WSOP title.

Brief look at Streda’s race to the Final Table:

At Level 8, Streda entered the big stack range after railing Promoking with Jacks turned full house. He later finished off Thomas Boivin “MickeyM” then Day 1A chip leader Julian Menhardt “VWgunther” (24th), and fellow countryman “t0602” in 19th place. Before securing his spot in the final 9, Streda went on a wild shove fest during the final two tables that led to a double up to 21.2 BB.

Hannes “Black Fortuna” Speiser – Austria – 3,515,744 – 17.6 BB

Ranked 5th is Austria’s lone representative, Hannes “Black Fortunal” Speiser, with 3,515,744 in chips. Speiser has been seen at numerous final tables throughout his career but only one at the WSOP which happened to be at this past summer’s online series. He finished 6th out of 922 entrants at the US$ 1,500 No Limit Hold’em Asia Time Zone event, earning a cool US$ 43,518. In total, Speiser has collected US$ 105,193 in combined live and online WSOP winnings since 2014. Among his recent wins, Speiser shipped the 2020 Caribbean Poker Party Heads Up Challenge for US$ 25,040. Wherever he places, he will have earned his single largest known tournament cash. If he takes it all the way, it will be Austria’s sixth bracelet and first WSOP Main Event title.

Brief look at Speiser’s race to the Final Table:

Speiser stormed out of the Day 2 dugout with a fast knock out in player “kimokh”. At Level 3, he did the same to bracelet winner Alexandre Reard “STAY_HUNGRY” then just five spots before the money, he denied another bracelet winner, Sung Joo Hyun “ArtePokerTV”, cracking aces with a straight. At 53 remaining, Speiser’s pocket Jacks survived overcards to double up into second in chips. He surged to the top with pocket Tens straight to Chris Puetz’s set (hand above).

Dominykas “Mickey Mouse” Mikolaitis – Lithuania – 3,165,440 – 15.8 BB

Ranked 6th is Lithuania’s Dominykas “Mickey Mouse” Mikolaitis with 3,165,440 in chips. Mikolaitis just came off a very strong finish at the 2020 Caribbean Poker Party Main Event at partypoker taking 3rd out of 1,037 entrants for a huge score worth US$ 417,807. This more than eclipsed his largest WSOP cash of US$ 87,793 which he earned at the 2020 WSOP Online Series US$ 1,500 GGMasters Freezeout US$ 2.5M GTD for finishing 2nd out of 2,153 entrants.

On the live felt, Mikolaitis’s largest known payout was at the WSOP International Circuit 2018/2019 Playground Poker Canada C$ 5,300 Super High Roller, finishing 3rd out of 75 entrants for C$ 50,000 (~US$ 38,500). If Mikoalitis takes it to the top, he will have brought Lithuania its third bracelet and first ever WSOP Main Event title.

Brief look at Mikolaitis’’s race to the Final Table:

Bringing in 22 BB from Day 1A, Mikolaitis came into radar in the late stages after catching a gutshot straight on the turn to eliminate Bela Toth “Teemo2018”. He also emptied out Patrick Semrau “Pepsi_zero”, and Evaldas Aniulis “Man14c”. At 11 remaining, Mikolaitis nearly missed his chance at the final table after dropping to below 1 BB on a losing pot against Peiyuan Sun “fish3098”. Two double ups later, both off Brunno de Albuquerque, he secured a final 9 seat with 15.8 BB.

Ramon “Ritza” Miguel Munoz – Spain – 3,035,940 – 15.2 BB

Ranked 7th is Spain’s Ramon “Ritza” Miguel Munoz who won his Main Event ticket via a US$ 525 Mega Satellite. Munoz has been cashing at live tournaments since 2013 and has collected US$ 673,718. His largest payout was for € 135,000 (~US$ 158,829) earned at the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague € 2,200 No Limit Hold’em where he finished 2nd out of 427 entrants. Wherever he places, Munoz will have won his largest ever WSOP cash. He is looking to join Adrian Mateos in the exclusive WSOP Main Event winner’s circle waving the Spanish flag.

WSOP total live earning: US$ 23,292
WSOP Online total earning: US$ 28,939

Brief look at Munoz’’s race to the Final Table:

Entering Day 2 with a decent stack of 39 BB, Munoz pumped more in after railing GROSZEK 5 in Level 2. By Level 7, Ritza was in the top 10 but dropped rank until Level 13 when he doubled up off Stoyan “UncleToni” Obreshkov to take the lead for the first time with 21 remaining. From there, he held on for another few hours to secure a seat to the final table.

Stoyan “UncleToni” Obreshkov – Bulgaria – 2,119,610 – 10.6 BB

Ranked 8th is Bulgarian pro Stoyan “UncleToni” Obreshkov with 2,119,610 in chips. Obreshkov boasts of US$ 1,213,101 in total live earnings and is ranked 12th in THM’s Bulgaria All Time Money List. Despite the chip deficit, Obreshkov is one serious contender with extensive WSOP experience and numerous deep runs at the series amounting to 38 cashes since 2016. He reached two final tables, one at the 2018 WSOPE Main Event where he placed 9th. With Peiyuan “fish3098” Sun unable to attend, Obreshkov is now certain to pocket his largest ever WSOP score. He is also looking to follow in fellow countryman Stoyan Madanzhiev’s footsteps and bring home a second Main Event title for Bulgaria.

WSOP total live earning: US$ 422,884
WSOP Online total earning: US$ 17,440

2018 € 10,350 WSOPE Main Event – 9/534 for € 75,461 (~US$ 85,868)
2016/2017 WSOP Circuit US$ 3,250 No Limit Hold’em High Roller – 3/100 for US$ 39,605
2017 € 10,300 WSOPE Main Event – 21/529 for € 31,337 (~US$ 36,460)

His largest live cash was in 2018 at the Seminole Hard Rock Open US$ 5,250 No Limit Hold’em finishing 3rd out of 914 for US$ 349,889.

Brief look at Obreshkov’s race to the Final Table:

Of the final 9, Obreshkov had the most ground to make up with only 16.7 BB entering Day 2. At Level 9, he emerged in the top 10 after winning a three-way pot that sent out Evgeny Galakhov “Antrevolt”. He later added pleasehurtme, MoneyHeist, and Diego Zeiter “Ushuaia” to his casualty list, then doubled up off Damian Salas at 15 remaining. As the shortest of the final 8, Obreshkov will once again have to make the climb, one he has proven to be very capable of.

Peiyuan “fish3098” Sun – China – 9th place – US$ 73,359

China’s Peiyuan “fish3098” Sun is the only player in the lineup representing the Asian region however due to Covid-19 restrictions, he will not be making the trip to Rozvadov. As stipulated by the WSOP, any player unable to attend the live portion will automatically receive the 9th place cash. Sun will pocket US$ 73,359, which is his single largest known career cash. In a statement made to PokerNews, Sun expressed:

“Firstly, I regret that I cannot join in the off-line final table in the Czech Republic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, I absolutely cannot be the winner of 2020 WSOP Main Event.”

“As a Chinese poker player, to reach the final table, this is a very valuable event to myself. Through this opportunity, I want to say something to Texas hold’em players in China, ‘I hope, they realize that Texas hold’em is a brain sport’. Hopefully, everyone studies hard and understand the skills so that everyone understands the risk and control the risk.”

Giving acknowledgment to Sun, this year has seen him win three events on the GG network. His largest was at the WPT Vietnam Championship for ₫ 1,406,243,558 (US$ 60,800). He also won two Asian Poker Tour events in May amounting to US$ 41,753

Brief look at Sun’s race to the Final Table:

Sun qualified to Day 2 with a decent stack of 57 BB. At 65 remaining, he caught a flush on the river to double up off Ruben Gravilen “Sjokomelk”. An hour and a half later, he emerged in the top 10 after railing Rafael Reis in 38th place. Down to 13 players, Sun doubled up off Carter Swidler then went on a swinging shove fest against Brunno De Albuquerque and Domynikas “MickeyMouse” Mikolaitis to close with just under 11 BB.

Main Event info

The international 2020 WSOP Main Event – Natural8 attracted 674 players across three starting days for a prize pool of US$ 6,470,40. 179 advanced to Day 2 with only 80 seeing a profit. The largest cuts will be determined on Tuesday, December 15 at King’s Casino in Rozvadov.

Buy in: US$ 10,000
Players: 674
Prize Pool: US$ 6,470,400
Day 2 qualifiers: 179
ITM: 80 places

Final Table payouts

1st US$ 1,550,968
2nd US$ 1,062,722
3rd US$ 728,177
4th US$ 498,947
5th US$ 341,879
6th US$ 234,255
7th US$ 160,512
8th US$ 109,982
9th Peiyuan “fish3098” Sun – China – US$ 73,359

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Stay tuned to Somuchpoker for the final table recap of the 2020 WSOP Main Event International Championship.