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888poker released the second installment of its six-part 2026 WSOP Main Event documentary series on YouTube on August 15, following the brand’s five ambassadors through their first day of play.
The episode opens with introductions, including Vivian Saliba explaining what makes the Main Event unique, noting that players can secure life-changing money without necessarily winning the tournament outright.
Lucia Navarro revealed she had been ill for three days leading into her starting flight, causing her to enter later than planned. Despite losing a level of play, she recovered well over the course of the day.
Once then-defending champion Michael Mizrachi called for cards to be shuffled and dealt, the focus shifted to table action. Early leaders included Saliba, who built her stack to 80,000 chips after the first level, followed by Nick Eastwood, Ian Simpson, and Aaron Barone.
Fortunes shifted quickly, however, as Simpson’s stack dwindled to 12,300 by the end of Level 2. He was eliminated in Level 3 after moving all-in with ace-king offsuit and running into pocket jacks.
The remaining four ambassadors bagged chips at the end of Day 1. Navarro led the group with 128,500, followed by Barone (76,400), Eastwood (56,300), and Saliba, who battled a tough final stretch—including folding aces on the river—to finish with 36,200. The next episode airs August 22.
