Anthony Zinno Wins Fallsview Poker Classic to Capture Second WPT Title
On Monday, Anthony Zinno added his name to the prestigious list of two-time World Poker Tour winners, one that includes the likes of Daniel Negreanu, JC Tran, and Darren Elias, just to name a few. That's because Zinno, who won the 2013 WPT Borgata Poker Open for $825,099, topped a field of 419 players to win the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic for C$380,021.
"Everything's just been going so well," Zinno said in his post-victory interview. "I don't know, I think it's a combination of a blessing, luck, and hard work. I'm very proud. The win is huge. Having two trophies and being the current player of the year leader is also just as huge if I can close it out, there are five events left so we'll see how that goes. Always fighting my hardest, always playing my best, so we'll see what happens."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize (C$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Zinno | $380,021 |
| 2 | Mark Bailey | $266,394 |
| 3 | Corey Hochman | $171,294 |
| 4 | David Cloutier | $126,674 |
| 5 | Jeremy Halaska | $95,100 |
| 6 | Erik Cajelais | $76,194 |
Zinno began the final table of six with a big chip lead, and his odds of winning increased considerably when 32-year-old Erik Cajelais of Montreal, Quebec fell on the very first hand of play. The C$76,194 Cajelais won pushed his lifetime tournament earnings over $3 million.
Then, on Hand #2, 31-year-old Jeremy Halaska, an operations manager from Cleveland, Ohio, fell when he got his stack all in on the 10♥10♣9♠K♠ board holding the A♦K♥. Unfortunately for him, Zinno held the 10♠8♠ for trips and ended up winning the pot after the 7♦ blanked on the river.
After David Cloutier, CEO of Kelvin Technologies Inc., and Corey Hochman, an ophthalmologist from Bronx, New York, bowed out in fourth place and third place respectively, Zinno took a more than 2.5-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Mark Bailey, a 53-year-old portfolio manager from Utica, New York.
"I actually underestimated his heads-up play, to be honest with you," Zinno admitted. "I went in there just thinking I could probably bully him, but he fought."
Indeed, the duo's heads-up match would last 74 hands, which was three more than it took to get from six players down to the final two. Bailey held tough the entire time, and essentially evened the stacks by Hand #145, which took place in Level 34 (125,000/250,000/25,000). But, that's as far as the match would go.
Zinno limped for 250,000 and then called when Bailey raised to 750,000, which brought about a flop of 8♥4♣2♣. Bailey moved all in for 5.175 million and Zinno snap-called.
Zinno: K♥K♣
Bailey: A♣J♣
Zinno had played his big pocket pair to perfection, but Bailey was drawing live to both an ace and a club. The 4♦ turn wasn't what he was looking for, and neither was the 7♠ river. Bailey finished runner-up for C$266,394, while Zinno laid claim to the C$399,579 first-place prize (which includes a $15,400 entry into April's season-ending WPT World Championship), a pair of gold Monster 24K headphones, and a Hublot King Power Unico watch.
"This one was just as important," said Zinno in regards to how the most recent win compared to his first. "This final table was the opportunity to prove that I'm not just a one-hit wonder."
Here's a look at the list of Fallsview Poker Classic champions:
| Season | Champion | Prize (USD) | Entries | Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season XIII | Anthony Zinno | $314,629 | 419 entries | C$5,000 |
| Season XII | Matthew Lapossie | $342,266 | 383 entries | C$5,000 |
| Season VII | Glen Witmer | $1,090,589 | 454 entries | C$10,000 |
| Season VI | Scott Clements | $1,387,224 | 504 entries | C$10,000 |
| Season V | Soren Turkewitsch | $1,225,920 | 497 entries | C$10,000 |
The WPT will continue from Feb. 28 through March 5 at The Commerce in Los Angeles for the WPT L.A. Poker Classic. PokerNews will bring you a full recap of that tournament upon its completion.
For more on Zinno's win, check out his post-victory interview:
*Photos and data courtesy of the WPT.
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