J.C. Tran No Longer an 888Poker Sponsored Pro
September 18, 2014 12:10 pmOne year after signing as a sponsored pro with 888Poker, J.C. Tran is once more a free agent after his contract was dissolved with the company. Following his departure, the 2-times WSOP bracelet winner tweeted the following message:
“Want to announce that I am no longer a member of @888poker. Thank you for a fun journey ovr the past 12mos. GL to all of #team888.”
The 37-year-old Vietnamese-born poker pro was originally snapped up by 888Poker after reaching the 2013 WSOP Main Event final table as the chipleader. JC Tran eventually finished in 5th place for a $2,106,893 payday, but has since continued his winning ways and the following month finished runner-up at the $100k WPT Alpha 8 for $476,890. This year Tran’s results are looking equally as impressive and as well as winning a WPT title, he has amassed a further $857,345 in 2014, bringing his lifetime tournament tally to $11,749,387.
One might then wonder why 888Poker and J.C. Tran have now decided to part ways, with one speculation being that he signed a one-year contract which simply ran its course. Another suggestion is that not living in a regulated internet poker zone has meant the Sacramento native is in a less effective position to promote the brand, especially as he has said he has no intention to move because of his family.
Either way, former November Niner JC Tran has now been replaced with present day November Niner Bruno Politano, but unlike Tran the Brazilian will be entering the 2014 WSOP ME Final Table as the short-stack. However, Politano is also likely to have the loudest, most excitable rail supporting him in the event, and as Politano explained recently:
“My rail is very, very important to me. Without this, I wouldn’t be there. For me, it’s everything. It gives me support in that moment. I promise more than 200 people [in November].”
Bruno Politano now joins fellow Brazilian pros Nicolau Villa-Lobos and Bruno Kawauti as 888Poker sponsored pros, with other members of the team including Sweden’s Sofia Lövgren and Canada’s Xuan Liu.