Restaurant Rounder: Aaron Kweskin Hopes for Another WPT Big Score

By Sean Chaffin 

A familiar face is running deep in the field at the WPT Borgata Poker Open. Aaron Kweskin (pictured) finished fourth in the 2015 WPT Legends of Poker event at the Bicycle Casino for $168,664 and has built a nice stack here at Borgata.

Kweskin is the owner of two restaurant/bars in Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, Calif. The Hangout serves up everything from jalepeño burgers to fish and chips to baby back ribs. Visitors can sip a cocktail or beer at the beach-style restaurants in a cool atmosphere. Business is going well.

“It’s crazy good,” he says.

Along with running his restaurants, Kweskin is also able to mix some poker into his routine – with nice results. He has more than $565,000 in live tournament earnings with several nice five-figure finishes.

That includes finishing seventh in the $1,100 California State Poker Championship Main Event in May for $32,960 , and third in the $1,100 Seniors Championship at the L.A. Poker Classic in February for $22,000. At the World Series of Poker this summer, Kweskin also cashed in the Main Event, finishing 793rd for $18,340.

After his big score at the Legends in 2015, Kweskin also played at the WPT Borgata and is now back in the field. He’s now notched another guaranteed cash on the tour, with only 57 remaining as players returned from the dinner break.

“I’m just here with some poker buddies on a poker vacation,” he said.

Back in California, Kweskin is a regular at the Bicycle and the Commerce, jumping in games a couple nights a week.

Many may remember a bluff he played at that Legends of Poker final table against Freddy Deeb. It was a good shot, but Deeb woke up with a big hand on the small blind. Deeb would go on to finish second for $383,090.

It wasn’t all bad for Kweskin thought. The cash was certainly nice and the WPT even aired a segment on his restaurant and bar.

As he continued to battle with hopes to make the final players returning for Day 4, Kweskin had about 850,000 chips and was pleased with how things have gone.

“It’s going pretty well,” he said matter of factly. “There are 58 left and I’m still in.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and host of the True Gambling Stories podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @PokerTraditions.