Felipe Ramos is arguably one of the best players in the world who has never won a bracelet. Today, he hopes to get the proverbial monkey off his back.
Ramos has joined an exclusive group, earning his 100th-career WSOP cash in the $10,000 6-Max. The field has whittled down from 550 entries down to the final 30, and Ramos is very much still in the hunt.
Ramos comes into the tournament in 21st place with 660,000 chips (26.4bbs) and will come in with a difficult seat draw, having to battle amongst the likes of Eric Baldwin (380,000), Frank Lagodich (1,505,000), Eli Berg (1,350,000), Taylor Paur (685,000), and Andrey Kotelnikov (725,000).
The 40-year-old has long been a celebrity and an inspiration in Brazil, becoming the first Brazilian to ever win a WSOP Circuit ring in 2010. These days, he's extremely active on Twitch and is a proud GGPoker ambassador.
Ramos also flies back and forth from his home in Vienna, Austria, to help grow the game in Brazil. Ramos is a major face in the country and helps operate Brazil's Kings Series of Poker (KSOP) and other GGPoker-sponsored poker rooms around the country. His voice and influence have allowed tournaments to have a much more professional feel with great structures, with buy-ins for people from all walks of life.
Winning a bracelet remains Ramos' main goal and hopes to cap off his 2023 WSOP run with a milestone victory to help inspire a nation of aspiring pros.
"I hope it (100 WSOP cashes) inspires a lot of Brazilians to go out there and play poker," he said ahead of the 6-Max restart.
"I came from absolutely nothing, I had zero money to my name and I'm here with 100 cashes in the WSOP, hoping to win a million dollars and a bracelet."
When asked about whether or not winning a bracelet on his 100th cash would have extra meaning, he said: "Absolutely. 100%. It's meant to be. I've never understood why I haven't won one yet so far, I've made 17 final tables.
"It (not winning a bracelet yet) has taught me a long life lesson. That's why I feel prepared, that's why I feel fresh. I'm ready.
"Everything is tough, man. It's a $10K. A 6-Max. The WSOP. The big pros. 500 people. It's going to be difficult. I don't expect it to be that complicated because the most difficult part, I've already overcome."
Ramos has had a number of recent close calls, finishing 2nd in this year's $5,000 8-Max Freezeout, 2nd in the 2021 WSOP Online $1,000 DOUBLE STACK, 3rd in the 2022 WSOP Europe €2,200 Short Deck, and 5th in last year's $10,000 Razz Championship.
