The world’s greatest athletes have all gathered in Paris, France for the Summer Olympics and while poker isn’t an Olympic sport – or maybe even a sport at all – WPT.com couldn’t help but take the opportunity to imagine what it just might look like if some of the world’s best poker players were representing their country in Paris.
In the true Olympic spirit, each country’s “organizing committee” was tasked with filling a five-person roster consisting a specialist in each of the following:
- No Limit Hold’em Tournament
- Pot Limit Omaha Tournament
- Mixed Game Tournament
- Heads-Up No Limit Tournament
- No Limit Hold’em Cash Game
The five players would also be accompanied by a coach from their country. Each player would compete ONLY in their respective discipline, earning not only individual glory – medals available for each event – but also team points that lead to gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top performing country.
With that in mind, we’ve put together teams from Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Great Britain, and the United States with insight from some of the top journalists in poker. Today, we present to you the 2024 Argentinian Olympic Poker team, with insights from Fernando Gatto of PokerLogia.
No Limit Hold’em Tournament
Damian Salas
When you talk about building out the core of a team-based poker event, starting with a WSOP Main Event champion is a strong way to go about it. Damian Salas was crowned 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event champion in a hybrid format, and it’s just one of many achievements on Salas’ resume. He also made the 2017 WSOP Main Event final table, finishing seventh, and he’s accumulated $16.5 million in lifetime online poker earnings.
As if 2020 wasn’t an impressive enough year for Salas, prior to his WSOP Main Event success he made the final table of the WPT Online World Championship that September, finishing third. Add in his successes in high rollers worldwide, and it’s easy to see how much of an asset he can be.
“If Argentina had a Poker Hall of Fame, Damian would be the first induction,” said Gatto.
Gatto also suggested that Salas might be the most well-suited candidate to coach Team Argentina, given his success and the level of experiences he could share, but in a toss-up between Salas and the player selected as coach, Ivan Luca, Salas’ time under the bright lights of the WSOP gave him the slight edge.
Pot Limit Omaha Tournament
Nacho Barbero
Speaking of high rollers, no other player from Argentina has found more success in that arena than Jose Ignacio “Nacho” Barbero. He’s No. 1 on Argentina’s all-time live tournament money list, according to The Hendon Mob, largely on the strength of four seven-figure cashes across Triton, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the EPT since January 2023.
While Barbero can square up with the heaviest hitters that poker’s high roller scene can throw out there, there’s a strong reason why he’s the selection for Pot Limit Omaha.
“He’s made several final tables in Pot Limit Omaha,” Grillo noted. “Two of them were at the WSOP, another at Wynn Las Vegas, three at Triton events, and in 2023 he won one of the PokerGO Tour PLO Series events in Las Vegas.”
Barbero has shown he knows how to close as well, with recorded victories in 14 different countries including a WSOP bracelet victory in 2022 and a €100,000 Super High Roller victory in Monte Carlo earlier this year.
No Limit Hold’em Cash Game
Mariano Grandoli
When it comes to Olympic eligibility, there can be a level of competition for a skilled player’s International allegiances. Take NBA star Joel Embiid, for example. He was eligible to play for France, Cameroon or the United States, but ultimately chose to play for Team USA.
By similar measure, that’s how Mariano Grandoli ended up on Team Argentina. Originally from Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina, the 25-year-old Grandoli has long since settled in Los Angeles, California. He’s a constant presence on a number of live-streamed cash games, most notably Hustler Casino Live, where he’s appeared on more than 150 different broadcasts. According to Highroll Poker, Grandoli is up $936,210 lifetime on HCL streams, proving he can hang with some of the tougher players in that ecosystem.
Grandoli would also bring a lot of eyeballs to Team Argentina and the games in general as a high-profile vlogger with over 163,000 subscribers.
“Mariano uploaded his first vlog to YouTube in 2019 and eventually rose through the ranks at the cash games as his popularity grew,” said Grilo. “At Hustler Casino Live, he’s won pots of $148K, $257K, $379K, $611K with a straight flush, and $788K when his Aces beat two opponents’ Kings. In 2022 he was one of the nominees in the ‘Best Vlogger’ category of the Global Poker Awards.”
Mixed Game Tournament
Andres Korn
Andres Korn has a resume of results that stretches back farther than almost any other player eligible for Team Argentina, with his first recorded live cash coming in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, in which he finished 199th.
His results in mixed games are what helped him make this team.
“Andres is the only Argentine player to have a ring and a bracelet in the World Series of Poker,” said Gatto. “He is also the Argentine with the most final tables at the WSOP, with nine, and five of them were in mixed games events, where he finished 4th, 8th, 4th, 5th and 7th.”
Korn cashed six times at the 2024 WSOP, including final table appearances in the $10,000 8 Game Championship and the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event.
Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Ezequiel Waigel
When it comes to heads-up poker, you want to have a player who brings both experience and aggression to the table, and that’s what Team Argentina gets in Ezequiel Waigel. His career tournament highlight to date was winning the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker $5,200 No Limit Hold’em main event in 2018 for $1,5,29,000.
While he brings some youth to this overwhelmingly veteran squad, his results already place him among the best that Argentina has to offer.
“Ezequiel is one of the most respected Argentine players and has earned $2M online and $2.4M live in his career, which places him seventh on the All Time Money List in his country,” said Grillo. “On the live circuit he holds titles in Brazil, the United States and Argentina.”
Coach for Team Argentina
Ivan Luca
Ivan Luca was the first Argentinian ever to win a WSOP bracelet when he broke through for his victory in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event in 2015. His $7.3 million in lifetime earnings puts him second all-time on Argentina’s all-time money list, and his successes in high-roller events both live and online show he knows what it takes to beat the toughest players in the world.
“Despite his young age, Ivan is one of the most experienced Argentinian players,” said Gatto. He won millions in online poker under his well-known nickname ‘negriin’. After the pandemic, he moved away from live tournaments, but returned at the end of 2023 to play WSOP Paradise and recorded five cashes there, including a 6th place in the Ultra High Roller for $555K.”
At 32 years old, Luca has indeed taken a step back from live poker with just one live cash thus far in 2024. Despite the hiatus, Luca’s experience and success makes him an ideal candidate to coach Team Argentina.
stats courtesy of The Hendon Mob/GPI