Paul Volpe Wins His Second WSOP Bracelet After Proclaiming He Was "Gonna Win"
Paul Volpe tweeted out that he was "gonna win" numerous times throughout the 2016 World Series of Poker's Event #15: $1,500 Six-Max 8-Game. He finished Day 1 with 41,400 in chips for about 7,000 more than the average, acknowledged his position, and began to power his way through the field.
Bagged well above avg in 8 game gonna win. On another note here's my dog https://t.co/xl6ry1Phv9
— paul volpe (@paulgees81)
Bagged chip lead with 11 left in 8 game. Gonna win tomorrow. Another roycey raber photo https://t.co/NJHiVTc0L7
— paul volpe (@paulgees81)
"It feels amazing," Volpe told PokerNews about winning his second gold bracelet. "I missed a bunch of opportunities to get my second bracelet, and now I've finally got it so I'm very happy."
Happy he was, and we asked Volpe what it was about this tournament that gave him the confidence he exuded throughout. The confidence that prompted him to continue tweeting that he was going to win.
"I don't know, I normally don't do that," he said. "I think I've done that once before, but not actually won. Once I had a lot of chips after Day 1 and what happened in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice, I just felt like I was going to win. It's mainly just a guess."
Volpe's first gold bracelet came in 2014 when he won the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw for $253,524, beating Daniel Negreanu i heads-up play and a stacked final table that also included Jason Mercier, Brian Rast, Larry Wright, John Monnette, and Abe Mosseri.
"The first one was insane because it was heads up with Negreanu, and Mercier was three-handed — the first one was shocking to me," Volpe said. "This was a bit smaller, and I was a lot more relaxed. I don't know that I was scared last time, but I was a lot more nervous. Everyone was screaming, there were the big Negreanu million-dollar bet so people were rooting against him, so there was that sort of pressure and a lot of people wanted me to win."
Volpe now has $4.9 million in live tournaments earnings. He's got big scores from both no-limit hold'em events and mixed-game events, but what kind of poker player does he consider himself? Is he a mixed-game player or a no-limit hold'em player?
"That's a good question," he said, pondering. "I consider myself a no-limit hold'em tournament player and a mixed-game cash player."
In the $1,500 8-Game event, Volpe topped a field of 491 entries and earned $149,943. That proved to be the 11th highest live tournament score of his career and the second largest live tournament he's won. His win came in the 15th event of this year's WSOP, and there's plenty more to come. Volpe will certainly be someone playing a lot of events and a favorite in most fields as one of the top players in the game, but does getting the first win of the summer out of the way early excite him or motivate him more going forward?
"It doesn't really get me excited," Volpe said. "I don't really chase bracelets, and I don't have any bracelet bets. For example, tomorrow there's a razz and a pot-limit Omaha tournament, but I'm just going to take the day off and golf. I might play the H.O.R.S.E. tonight, so if I bust that then I'm going to take the day off. I'm not chasing bracelets, I've got no bets."
Volpe might not have any bracelet bets with others, but he'll be betting on himself as the WSOP rolls on. Last year, Volpe finished seventh in the WSOP Player of the Year race. This year, thanks to this win and a fourth-place finish in Event #5: $1,500 Six-Max Dealer's Choice, Volpe is right in the thick of things with 553.22 points, third behind only Bart Lybaert, who is in the lead currently, and Rep Porter.
Now a member of the prestigious two-time gold bracelet winner club, this likely won't be the last time we're hearing Volpe's name before the poker world leaves Sin City.
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