Nick Guagenti is an American professional poker player with more than $2,000,000 in live tournament earnings.
Guagenti, a respected player amongst his peers, has two WSOP bracelets to his name, triumphing in 2020 World Series of Poker Online and then at the 2024 WSOP.
His first bracelet came in Event #29: $2,000 NLH Deepstack, which netted him $305,433.
His maiden live bracelet came four later in Event #9: $1,500 Limit Hold'em (8-Handed) after defeating compatriot Joseph Brodsky in heads-up play.
Read More: PokerNews Podcast: Recapping the 2020 WSOP.com Bracelet Series w/ Guest Nick Guagenti
Borgata Scandal
Earlier on in Guagenti's career, he found himself in the midst of a huge scandal.
Guagenti was poised to bring the second largest stack in play to bear in the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open’s $2 Million Guarantee Big Stack NLHE Reentry event, and with just 26 players standing between him and his first six-figure score, he was in prime position to finish things off.
Instead, the conniving and counterfeiting of a criminal he never met cost Guagenti his chance at the title, as Christian Lusardi’s now infamous addition of fake chips into the tournament led to its suspension and eventual cancellation. At the time, Guagenti’s biggest score was just under $50,000 for a final table run in a WSOPC Main Event, and with nearly double the chip count of his nearest competitor, the veteran tournament player is convinced he would have exceeded that amount and then some.
After being informed that play would not resume and his run through an enormous field of 4,814 entries had all been for nought, Guagenti was understandably distraught, with bleary and bloodshot eyes the next day telling the tale of a man in tremendous pain.
Guagenti found himself in a tailspin, unsure if he even wanted to continue playing the game he loved after having such an opportunity snatched away. He openly talked about quitting poker in the coming days, although the look on Guagenti’s face when saying so betrayed his lack of desire to leave his passion behind, and it soon became clear that the cancellation had led to deeper repercussions than the typical tournament outcome.
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