- Popular chess streamer Alexandra Botez made a deep run at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, finishing in the money.
- Botez, who wore a patch from online gambling company 888poker, has been increasingly involved in poker over the past few months.
- Despite being a novice in large poker tournaments, Botez surpassed expectations by reaching the second payout threshold and cashing in $17,500.
- Botez’s WSOP run ended on Day 4 due to a harsh cooler, but she took the loss like a professional and expressed excitement for future poker events.
- Several high-profile chess players, including Botez, have recently become involved in poker, bridging the two strategic games.
- Botez’s successful run and growing poker profile suggest she may receive official sponsorship from companies like 888poker in the future.
The largest Main Event in the WSOP history is currently underway, with only about 150 players left in the field from the original 10,043. The rest were stopped in their tracks somewhere along the way, including the hugely popular chess streamer Alexandra Botez.
Botez has discovered her love for poker recently and has appeared in several streamed cash games during the past few months. Her appearance in the Main Event thus came as no surprise, and neither did the fact she was donning the 888poker patch throughout the tournament.
Although she is not on an official roster of 888 ambassadors, Alexandra has had an excellent relationship with the company for a while now. Her newly found interest in poker has helped bring in a new audience, many of whom were excited and anxious about how Botez would do in her very first Main Event appearance.
Brutal Cooler Ends an Unexpectedly Deep Run
Going deep in the Main Event is not easy. In a tournament with 10,000+ runners, there are so many traps and obstacles to navigate that even the best and most experienced players get tripped along the way.
For Botez, this was her first attempt at such a big tournament, and although she was very excited about it, the odds were stacked against her. Yet, Lady Luck seemed to have been on her side as she made it past the bubble and reached the second payout threshold, cashing for $17,500.
Her run could have lasted for quite a bit longer if not for a very harsh cooler on Day 4. Namely, Alex managed to get all of her chips in the middle as a massive favorite with pocket kings against the king-jack of her opponent.
The flop was very safe, and it looked like she was on her way to double up, but then the dealer pulled the double whammy on the turn and the river to give her opponent the straight and send her to the rail.
It is one of the worst beats by anyone’s definition, and the fact that it happened deep in the Main Event certainly adds to the pain. Yet, Alexandra took it like a seasoned pro, shrugged it off, and moved on, announcing more poker things to come, to the delight of all her followers.
Bringing Chess and Poker Together
Several high-profile chess players have taken up poker as of late, including the (now former) world champion and highest-rated player in the world, Magnus Carlsen. However, Alexandra Botez has been perhaps the most active in promoting her activities on the green felt and doing her bit to get people excited about poker.
Back in February, Alexandra won her first poker tournament at the PCA, and although it was a small one, it certainly helped keep the flame for the game going. In the following months, she appeared on several live cash game streams, showing she is willing to learn and not afraid to get in the mix.
It seems that Botez has serious plans for poker, both as a player and as a streamer, and given her background, her endeavors could be pretty successful. She will certainly not lack sponsorship proposals on this path, either, and it seems that 888poker has taken a particular interest in her, so we would not be surprised to see Alexandra’s name added to their official roster soon.
