It's been a remarkable year so far for Nick Petrangelo. The 29-year-old poker pro from Massachusetts got the best possible start to 2015 by winning over $400k in 3 tournaments at the PCA in January, he then won $71k the following month at Fallsview Poker Classic... and another $370k at EPT Malta in March.
On Sunday, he passed the $1 million mark in live tournament earnings this year thanks to his victory in Event #4: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout, an event where he put up an excellent performance to become the last man standing.
"Nick Petrangelo was the most impressive player at the final table in the most recent gold bracelet event at the 2015 World Series of Poker. Moreover, one could make a convincing case he deserved to win. How's that for a bold statement and impartiality?," said WSOP reporter Nolan Dalla. "Well, Petrangelo was a mighty force that wouldn't give up and never went away, despite several serious obstacles to victory. Once heads-up, he endured a bad beat and yet still managed to stage two significant comebacks which resulted in the biggest triumph of his poker career with a victory on the game's grandest stage. Considering the strength of competition he was up against, most notably a short-handed specialist and poker pro named Jason Les, who recently competed against artificial intelligence computer program that was widely covered in the poker media, this victory had far more meaning that the prestige of the bracelet or the prize money.
"Winning early on here at the series is great," Petrangelo said afterward. "It creates less pressure. I've been year other years when I ran bad early, and it's hard to play catch up. So, I was really glad to get this out of the way. Hopefully, I can have a great series and see it continue."
MEET THE LATEST WSOP GOLD BRACELET CHAMPION
Name: Nick Petrangelo
Birthplace: Massachusetts (USA)
Age: 28
Current Residence: Feeding Hills, MA
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Education: B.A. Economics/ Finance from Skidmore College (New York)
Profession: Professional Poker Player
Number of WSOP Cashes: 11
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories (with this tournament): 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 25th (2011)
Total WSOP Earnings: $265,794
Personal Facts: Couldn't find a job after 2008 economic crash, turned to poker, and has been supporting himself by playing ever since
