888Poker has parted ways with their Brazilian ambassador, Bruno Kawauti, and February sees the reemergence of the New Jersey Poker Classic with $800,000 in guaranteed prize money.
It’s not only the owls that come to life in the night. The silent drift showing off the serene splendour of their span. The poker players also emerge from the labyrinths of the city. A swollen world sunk into a sequinned siesta. It’s time to play.
In Brazil, four people follow the fanfare of gigantic trumpets pumping out the 888 tune.
Nicolau Villa-Lobos
A script written by the great Alexandre Dumas. A quartet prepared to dine freely on the boom of Brazil. But now there are only three. Bruno Kawauti has said a fond farewell.
I managed to convince a few of them to down their swords for long enough for me to chat with them during 888Live Barcelona. Is favouritism allowed in a writer’s mind? I must admit there is a sort of sulphurous splendour to the association. It seems naughty. But hey ho.
I connected with Kawauti immediately. The smile pulled me in like the aroma stealing the air above your grandma’s iron pot. And that beard. I wanted to play with it. So clean cut. So cute.
There is a playfulness about him; a charm, that makes him stand out amongst the clinking of the glasses. He speaks English well. The Portuguese tongue is not one I know, but I imagine he can command a crowd.
And there was his love for poker and people. Here is a man who spends his time buying video games for the most impoverished children in his country so he can dine out on the strength of their smiles. He is a man who has mastered the clay of his destiny.
And now he is alone.
All for one!
Not anymore.
“After an amazing five years of partnership it’s time to move on,” Kawauti wrote on his Twitter feed. “Thanks 888Poker for all the support and friendship along these years! You guys rock!”
Now that’s the song of a contented man.
I wish him all the best.
The New Jersey Poker Classic Returns to 888Poker
If online poker does return to the US, it will be the name of 888Poker that sticks in the throats of the great mass of recreational players who blot out the light.
While the competition has placed particular emphasis on growing their online and live tournaments, 888Poker has focused on building brand awareness in the most celebrated country in the world.
Poker Central
The World Poker Tour
The World Series of Poker
If you are watching live poker in America, then the name of 888Poker is summoned to the inner feast of your mind. Through the Neocortex, down to the Limbic, and sealed in the Cerebellum as a memory that will cruise through your consciousness each time you hear the riffle of chips or the deft sound of a card hitting the muck.
Think of the 888Poker NJ as the beginning of something special.
In November, 888Poker NJ created the New Jersey Poker Classic. 38 events and $500,000 in guaranteed prize money. The festival was a success raising $140,000 more than it’s anticipated marker.
It’s back.
Feb 9-25, the New Jersey Poker Classic II will serve to sing to your pleasures and your pains. And it’s grown. There will be 57 events, $800,000 in guaranteed prize money, including $100,000 to the winner (who will also receive a WWE Wrestling style championship belt).
888Poker NJ is giving away over $20,000 in freerolls for this event so if you live in the state you should seriously check it out.
