Getting to Know the Players
Day 1a in the Main Event is now well underway with 69 recorded entries. Timothy Faro is one of the hopefuls to have hopped into the fray as he seeks to cap off a successful series with another win. Faro has already taken down two tournaments at this year's Maryland State Poker Championship. First, he topped a 53 strong field in Event #5: PLO Black Chip Bounty for $3,884 before following that up with another title in Event #9: PLO, this time beating out 42 other competitors to scoop $6,942.
Faro is a staple on the east coast tournament circuit and has managed to amass $588,703 in live earnings. His biggest single cash, however, occurred in Las Vegas in the 2023 WSOP Main Event, where he finished 110th for $67,000. While Faro has cashes dating back to 2011, most of his volume has taken place from 2019 onwards. In that time frame, he managed to secure a WSOP gold bracelet and $50,864 after winning a 2022 WSOP online event. More recently, Faro final tabled the main event at the WSOP circuit stop in Choctow this past July, where he finished in 8th place for $25,754.
Brandon Mueller is another player in the mix, though at last count he was one of the shorter stacks in the room. Still, with $470,515 in live earnings to his name, Mueller is not someone to be counted out at any stage. Another American grinder hailing from Pennsylvania, Mueller's best cash for $79,005 came courtesy of winning the $5,000 The Grand High Roller in June 2022. Emerging victorious in that event could not have been easy seeing as Mueller had to get past the likes of Leonard Maue, Nikita Kuznetsov, Andrew Lichtenberger and Leon Sturm at a truly stacked final table.
Other career highlights include a victory in a $550 event at the Borgata Winter Poker Open in January 2024 for $29,451 as well as five WSOP circuit ring triumphs.
As the field grows, PokerNews will continue to put a spotlight on selected players, providing some small insight into the vibrant east coast poker scene.