Italian Pirate Plunders '08 WSOP!: Pescatori Takes Down Event 24

By Arthur Crowson Jun 15, 2008 | 1 year ago

Max Pescatori wins Event 24 at the 2008 WSOP

After a quiet 2007 WSOP, Max "Italian Pirate" Pescatori struck gold in Event 24 of the 2008 WSOP. Pescatori is one of the most recognizable players on the poker circuit. His trademark white sunglasses and Italian bandanna make him a favorite among poker fans, and his friendly attitude gets respect from players.

Poker has been getting more and more popular in Italy and the timing of his second WSOP bracelet win couldn't be better.

PokerListings.com spoke to Pescatori moments after his big win.

So Max, the first bracelet you won came on the same day that Italy won the World Cup. How does this victory compare to that one?

It's different. That joy will never be same because of the brotherhood there was with Italy winning the World Cup ... and of course the first bracelet is always the best one. This one is a confirmation of [the] skill and work that I really put into poker.

I really love the game and this helps me reaffirm to myself that I'm pretty good.

We've got to ask you Max: what happened to your arm?

Well I passed out so I'm not sure but there are rumors I went cliff diving and others are saying that I was in a lion's cage and busy fighting off some lions. We don't really know what happened.

Haha, that's a heck of a scar though ...

Yeah. I had to get like 52 stitches, actually.

So Max, what's the story with the whole "Italian Pirate" nickname?

It started with the bandanna. There was another player on the tour that wore a bandanna and I kept calling him a pirate. Eventually I started wearing one and it just went from there.

In that final hand Kyle Kloeckner thought for a long time before eventually going all-in. What was going through your head at that point?

Check this out!

Once he thought about it for more than five seconds I really thought he had kings-up - like kings and threes - and I was just praying for a call because I also had a flush draw, which gave me even more outs and took away some from him. Even if he had a wrap I would have been OK.

I was pounding him during heads-up so I knew he was starting to get frustrated. It was right for him to gamble against someone that was dominating. He probably should have just moved in himself but that wouldn't have changed the whole thing.

I was just hoping it would happen. I actually thought I had him three hands before in Hold'em. I had the [nuts] when I bet big on the river and he thought and thought and eventually folded.

The experience made me really calm. I really felt like it was a well-executed final table.

Who were you most impressed with at the final table?

It's always hard to say that but there is no doubt that [Kyle Kloeckner] played the best at the final table today with me. It was fair that we met in heads-up. The guy on my left [Jonathan Depa] also played well but got a really bad beat.

Max Pescatori laughing all the way to the bank.

It was good to be heads-up against Kloeckner though. I thought we were the two most deserving players. I had a good read on him. I really thought when we were three-handed I had an amazing chance to win it even if I wasn't chip leader.

It eventually happened and I never [even] really had to get lucky on anybody. It was great. I mean you get lucky, but I was never behind or anything.

How good does it feel to win a bracelet after a somewhat quiet 2007 WSOP?

2007 was problematic for several reasons. My mind was not completely there for one. I really wanted to focus this year. One of my friends called it a sophomore slump and I think that's fairly accurate. I wasn't playing my best in 2007 because of certain personal problems but I knew I wanted to do well this year.

My 10th-place finish in the Aussie Millions was huge and I knew that if I played better I could have finished first, second or third in that tournament. It was my fault I was knocked out there. I got unlucky but it was still my fault. I had to have a good WSOP and this is, of course, the ultimate prize.

What do you think of Italy's chances during their next game at Euro2008?

I'm going to call a few of the players up and be like "Come on." Many of them really like poker. I actually played against some of the players in Italy. Poker is really starting to take off there.

Thanks Max and congrats.

Thank you.

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Max Pescatori, along with Dario Minieri and Dario Alioto, forms the elite trio of Italian poker players. With his dramatic bracelet win in Event 24 Pescatori reestablishes himself as the top Italian player in the world. In fact, right now, Pescatori is looking a lot better than Italy's national football squad, which is saying a lot. Expect more from this crafty Italian in the future.