$888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em (Event #64)

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:

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.

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.

Rick Alvarado	362,000,000	25,000,000
Mark Radoja	45,000,000	-25,000,000

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.

Rick Alvarado	292,000,000	0
Mark Radoja	115,000,000	0

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.

Rick Alvarado	304,000,000	27,000,000
Mark Radoja	103,000,000	-27,000,000

Hand #114: Mark Radoja got a walk.

Hand #115: Radoja limped, Rick Alvarado checked and they checked to the river of the       board where Radoja folded to a bet of 4 million.

Hand #116: Alvarado raised to 7 million, Radoja defended his big and they went to    . Radoja checked, Alvarado bet 8 million, and Radoja folded.

Hand #117: Radoja raised to 7.5 million and Alvarado called. Alvarado checked on     and Radoja took it down after firing 6 million.

Hand #118: Alvarado raised to 7 million, Radoja three-bet to 19 million, and Alvarado folded.

Hand #119: Radoja raised to 7.5 million and Alvarado folded.

Hand #120: Alvarado raised to 7 million, Radoja three-bet to 19 million, and Alvarado folded.

Hand #121: Radoja raised to 7.5 million, Alvarado called and Radoja took it down on the     flop as Alvarado check-folded to a bet of 6 million.

Rick Alvarado	277,000,000	-25,400,000
Mark Radoja	130,000,000	25,000,000

Hand #112: Rick Alvarado raised to 7,000,000 on the button and Thomas Drivas called from the big blind. The flop fell     and Drivas checked. Alvarado bet 5,000,000 and Drivas check-called. The turn came the   and Drivas checked once more. Alvarado continued with a bet of 13,000,000 and Drivas let it go.

Hand #105: Thomas Drivas raised to 7,000,000 on the button and Mark Radoja called from the big blind.

The dealer spread a flop of     and Radoja checked. Drivas bet 8,000,000 and Radoja let it go.

Hand #106: Rick Alvarado raised to 7,000,000 on the button and Radoja three-bet shoved from the small blind. Alvarado snap-folded.

Hand #107: Drivas limped from the small blind and Alvarado checked from the big blind. A flop reading     was dealt and Alvarado fired 4,000,000. Drivas gave up his hand.

Hand #108: Alvarado raised to 10,500,000 from the small blind and Radoja called from the big blind. The flop fell     and was checked through to the   turn and to the   river. Alvarado bet 12,000,000 and Radoja folded.

Thomas Drivas	170,000,000	-8,000,000
Rick Alvarado	144,000,000	34,000,000
Mark Radoja	96,000,000	-20,000,000

Hand #101: Mark Radoja raised to 5.3 million in first position, Thomas Drivas three-bet to 18 million to his left and Vivian Saliba cold four-bet shoved for 79.5 million from the small blind.

Radoja had no more business in the hand but Drivas called right away.

Thomas Drivas:   
Vivian Saliba:   

Her rail shouted for a queen, but it was all over for her on the turn on a       board. Drivas had her covered by about 5 million and the 888poker Ambassador was eliminated in 4th place.

Thomas Drivas	178,000,000	79,500,000
Vivian Saliba	0	-82,000,000