Robert Clarke Turns a Freeroll Into an 888poker LIVE London Main Event Shot
Summary
Robert Clarke, a teaching assistant who works with special educational needs (SEN) children and also does youth work, turned a string of freeroll satellites on 888poker into a seat for the 888poker LIVE London Main Event (£1,250 buy-in, £250,000 GTD). Clarke played Day 1b, built his stack with several big hands (including three pocket aces and two pocket queens), won a crucial pot with a set of tens to surge to about 90,000 chips, and bagged for Day 2. He faced seasoned opponents such as John Duthie, Dean Clay and Chris Da-Silva, but ultimately busted near the money bubble. Clarke recommends freeroll satellites as an affordable route to live events for players who can’t afford direct buy-ins.
Key Points
- Clarke qualified for the 888poker LIVE London Main Event by progressing through freeroll satellites on 888poker.
- He balances two demanding jobs working with SEN children and credits patience from that work as helpful at the tables.
- Notable table action included multiple big pocket pairs and a pivotal hand where Clarke turned a set of tens to boost his stack to ~90K.
- He competed against established players (John Duthie, Dean Clay, Chris Da-Silva) and bagged chips for Day 2.
- Clarke was eliminated near the money bubble but strongly endorses freerolls as a pathway to live poker events for recreational players.
Context and Relevance
This story highlights how online freeroll satellites can provide genuine access to high-profile live tournaments, making live-event play more accessible to players on modest budgets. It also underlines a recurring trend: major online rooms continue to run qualifiers that let recreational players convert small or zero-cost entries into live-event opportunities. For players interested in bankroll-stretching routes into live poker, this is a practical, morale-boosting example.
Why should I read this?
Want a quick bit of inspiration? Here’s a regular bloke with two jobs who used free satellites to earn a seat in a big live event. Short, human and useful if you’re thinking about trying freerolls yourself — this one’s a neat reminder it can actually work.
Author style
Punchy: tight human-interest copy with practical takeaways — read it if you like real-player stories showing how small starts can lead to big live chances.