Max Pescatori
Encyclopedia
Massimiliano Pescatori (born 1971 in Milan
) is an Italian
professional poker
player.
Pescatori is a regular on the poker tournament
scene, often placing high in Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year Race.
He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
in 1994 and began playing seven card stud at the Luxor Hotel
, eventually shifting his focus to Texas hold 'em
when he found it to be more profitable.
In 1998 he was mentored by Valter Farina, the first Italian to win a bracelet at the World Series of Poker
(WSOP). Pescatori went on to turn professional during 1999.
His first major tournament win was in the $300 limit
hold'em event in the 2003 World Poker Challenge in Reno, Nevada
, where he defeated a final table including John Bonetti
. Three days later he also won the Omaha High Low event.
In 2004 he had two finishes in the money at the WSOP, and went on to win the $200 limit hold'em event of the Legends of Poker and make eight final table finishes in the Ultimate Poker Challenge
's first season.
In 2005 he made six money finishes in the WSOP, three money finishes at Festa Al Lago and five money finishes at the National Championships of Poker.
At the 2006 WSOP
, Pescatori won the $2,500 no limit hold 'em event when his defeated Anthony Reategui's on a board of . At the 2008 World Series of Poker
he won the pot limit
half Texas hold 'em, half Omaha hold 'em
event, with its $246,471 first prize. He defeated a final table which included noted tournament specialist Allen Cunningham
and high stakes cash game player Minh Ly
.
Pescatori has also finished in the money in six World Poker Tour
(WPT) events.
Despite having a home in Las Vegas, Pescatori considers himself Italian and is proud of his heritage, often wearing an Italian tricolor bandana
on his head during tournaments.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,000,000. His 25 cashes as the WSOP account for $1,395,336 of those winnings.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
) is an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player.
Pescatori is a regular on the poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
scene, often placing high in Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year Race.
He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in 1994 and began playing seven card stud at the Luxor Hotel
Luxor Hotel
Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The 30-story hotel, which is operated by MGM Resorts International, features a casino floor that includes over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games....
, eventually shifting his focus to Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
when he found it to be more profitable.
In 1998 he was mentored by Valter Farina, the first Italian to win a bracelet at the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP). Pescatori went on to turn professional during 1999.
His first major tournament win was in the $300 limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em event in the 2003 World Poker Challenge in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, where he defeated a final table including John Bonetti
John Bonetti
John Joseph Bonetti was an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bonetti began playing at the age of 54, and won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker ....
. Three days later he also won the Omaha High Low event.
In 2004 he had two finishes in the money at the WSOP, and went on to win the $200 limit hold'em event of the Legends of Poker and make eight final table finishes in the Ultimate Poker Challenge
Ultimate Poker Challenge
The Ultimate Poker Challenge was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals.The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD...
's first season.
In 2005 he made six money finishes in the WSOP, three money finishes at Festa Al Lago and five money finishes at the National Championships of Poker.
At the 2006 WSOP
2006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
, Pescatori won the $2,500 no limit hold 'em event when his defeated Anthony Reategui's on a board of . At the 2008 World Series of Poker
2008 World Series of Poker
The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold...
he won the pot limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
half Texas hold 'em, half Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
event, with its $246,471 first prize. He defeated a final table which included noted tournament specialist Allen Cunningham
Allen Cunningham
Allen Cunningham is an American professional poker player.Cunningham studied civil engineering at UCLA before dropping out of school to play poker professionally. At the age of 18, he began playing at in Indian casinos...
and high stakes cash game player Minh Ly
Minh Ly
Minh Hoang Ly is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player based in Temple City, California. He is a regular in "The Big Game" and is married to Lu Binh....
.
Pescatori has also finished in the money in six World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) events.
Despite having a home in Las Vegas, Pescatori considers himself Italian and is proud of his heritage, often wearing an Italian tricolor bandana
Bandana
Bandana can refer to:*Another name for a kerchief*Bandana *Bandana *Bandana, Kentucky, a small town in the United States*Y Bandana, a Welsh alternative rock band.**Y Bandana , their self-titled debut album....
on his head during tournaments.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,000,000. His 25 cashes as the WSOP account for $1,395,336 of those winnings.
WSOP Bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
$2,500 No Limit Hold'em | $682,389 |
| 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
$2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha | $246,509 |
Books
Max Pescatori has co-authored two of the only books on poker originally written in Italian| Book Title | ISBN |
|---|---|
| Giocare e vincere a poker online, 2009, by Max Pescatori and Dario De Toffoli Dario De Toffoli Dario De Toffoli is an Italian board game designer, gamebook author and elite games player who founded the games company Studiogiochi and established many games events. Born in 1953 Venice, after an early career as Chemist he entered the world of games. Winner of over 60 medals at the Mind Sports... |
(ISBN 978-88-2004-760-8) |
| A scuola di poker, 2010, by Dario De Toffoli, Max Pescatori and Giorgio Sigon | (ISBN 978-82-2004-890-7) |