Anthony Zinno (33) has gone on something of a heater in the first quarter of the year and is now a member of an elite stratum of players who can claim to hold three World Poker Tour titles and have achieved more than $3 million in career earnings.
His latest success this week in the Bay 101 $25,000 buy-in High Roller competition comes on the back of his February victory in the World Poker Tour Fallsview main event that earned him his second WPT title (see previous report) and his more recent third WPT title in the L.A. Poker Classic.
In his latest triumph Zinno bested an entry field of 19 other pros, all of them formidable opponents seeking the lion’s share of the $490,000 prize pool.
Notable names like David Sands, Andrew Lichtenberger, Jake Schindler, Nick Schulman and Dan Smith were among those who did not make the three-man final, an indication of the quality of this field.
With the departure of Praytush Buddiga at third for $98,000, Paul Volpe and Zinno paused to negotiate a chop, agreeing to $194,242 for Volpe, $177,758 for Zinno and $20,000 on the table for the winner.
Those details out of the way, the surviving duo shaped up, but it was Zinno who prevailed despite a good start by his opponent, adding a further $197,758 to his already substantial bankroll, and lustre to a poker playing career that seems to be heading for the stars at present.
The 33-year-old from Rhode Island has already earned $1,552,762 this year, and in 2014 reported live tournament earnings of $1,089,470.