Top-ranked tourney player set for WSOP run
Petrangelo chasing Main Event’s prize worth $8.15 million
Nick Petrangelo divided the majority of his time in college between three activities: hockey, golf and studying.
Whenhewasforcedtoretire from playing sports because of concussion problems, Petrangelo needed something to fill the void.
“That gave me more free time to play online poker,” Petrangelo said.
Petrangelo, who attended Division III Skidmore College (New York), is one of the top tournament poker players in the world and was poised for a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
The 30-year-old from Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, was in the top 100 in chips at the final evening break Thursday in the $10,000 buyin No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship at the Rio Convention Center.
Poker pro Michael Krasienko of Grafton, Ohio, was the unofficial leader when Day 3 action paused shortly after 9:30 p.m., with the money bubble expected to burst late Thursday or early Friday.
The Main Event, featuring an $8.15 million first prize, continues Friday at the Rio with Day 4.
“In Main Events in general, and obviously this one, it’s really important to get off the ground and be in a situation when the tournament gets deeper you can put people in tough spots and it’s not for your tournament life,” Petrangelo said. “I was really lucky (Wednesday) to have it in some big pots. That’s always great.”
Petrangelo dabbled in poker while he attended boarding school in Connecticut and made occasional trips to Turning Stone Resort Casino in update New York after he turned 18.
Petrangelo suffered his second serious concussion as a sophomore at Skidmore, and after graduating in 2010, he started playing poker
professionally.
In 2015, Petrangelo won his first WSOP bracelet in the $3,000 buy-in No-limit Hold ’em Shootout event. He made 11 final tables worldwide while earning $3,362,396 that year.
“I thought I was playing well in live tournaments before that, and I had a few close calls and it