Italian pro Max Pescatori earned his 50th cash and 4th gold bracelet after topping a field of 111 entries in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud 8 or Better event.
The tournament attracted many of poker's best players and Pescatori had to overcome Stephen Chidwick, Daniel Negreanu and Gary Benson on the final table to become the last man standing!
"I believed I could do it, because Stud is my best game," Pescatori said afterward in a post-tournament interview. "Coming into the series, I thought this event was my best shot to win another gold bracelet. The win in Razz (gold bracelet number three) wasn't the event I necessarily thought was my best chance, so that was nice to get it there. But I always thought Stud was the game where I could go deep. I even spent a lot of time beforehand studying and thinking more about the game."
Final table results:
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS:
Aside from the final table finishers, other notable gold bracelet winning players who cashed included - Phillip Hui (10th), Mark Leah (14th), Huck Seed (15th), and Phil Galfond (16th).
FUN FACTS:
In 1986, this game was inexplicably omitted from the WSOP schedule. After some protest by Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split enthusiasts, it was reinstituted and has been included on the poker menu every year. Since 1995, every WSOP has included at least two Eight-or-Better events.
Winner info:
Name: Max Pescatori
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Age: 44
Current Residence: Las Vegas, NV (USA)
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Profession: Poker Pro
Number of WSOP Cashes: 50
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 9
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories (with this tournament): 4 (2006, 2008, 2015, 2015)
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 1st (2006, 2008, 2015))
Total WSOP Earnings: $2,174,892
Personal Facts: Known by his nickname as "the Italian Pirate," his last name actually translates into "fisherman"
