Image Courtesy: WPT
2012 World Series of Poker winner Rocco Palumbo overcame the odds and a small chip stack to take down the World Poker Tour Venice(WPT) Grand Prix at the Casino Di Venezia here yesterday. The final table consisting of 6 players returned to action on saturday and after 4 levels of play, Palumbo reigned supreme.
Poker action started with Level 23 when short stack Erion Islamay of Italy lost out to Day 4 chip leader Marcello Montagner. Islamay won $31,002 for his effort which is also is highest cash till date. In Level 24, Xia Lin who started the table as the shortest stack was eliminated by Palumbo and won $38,721 his second WPT cash.
Then in the starting stages of Level 25, Montagner showed the door to Swiss Robert Begni who collected $51,585 for his fourth place finish. In the same level, a tough poker game pursued between Mike Sexton and Montagner which saw the elimination of the former. Sexton was richer by $69.723 and also made his best ever third place finish in the WPT in all his appearances.
It was an all Italian battle then on which was won by Palumbo and he cashed in with $180,097 while Montagner won $108,316 for his second place finish. The 2012 WSOP Event 44 winner added another feather to his cap by winning the WPT Title at the oldest casino in the world.