Following the global financial meltdown back in 2008, fresh economics graduate Nick Petrangelo (28) battled to find a job in 2010, and started playing poker professionally to keep the wolf from the door.
That decision has panned out well for the Massachusetts pro, who has since won over a million dollars in prizes, most recently scoring in the $3,000 buy-in NL Shootout, the fourth event at this year’s World Series of Poker.
He did this after besting a talented field of 307, and surviving a tough 8-hour final table populated by experienced WSOP veterans to face a determined opponent in a tense 2-hour heads up before he could claim the $201,812 main prize…and his first World Series of Poker winner’s bracelet.
The departure of third-placed David Peters for $91,575 set the scene for the heads up between Petrangelo and Jason Les, a top pro who recently competed against the computer program Claudico in a widely publicised university technology trial (see previous reports).
The two hour affair started with the players holding more or less even chip stacks, and the action see-sawed as each gained and lost the upper hand repeatedly. On two occasions Petrangelo suffered serious setbacks, but showed great character in absorbing the punishment and climbing back up to finally secure a big enough lead to dispatch Les with the runner-up prize of $124,696.
Other final table pay-outs included:
Jeffrey Griffiths $67,788
Derek Bowers $50,576
Andreas Hoivoid $38,039
Movie star James Woods $28,832
Brian Lemke $22,021
Leo Wolpert $16,951.