The Pirate and Parrots: Max Pescatori Puts Rough Summer Sailing Behind Him Gardens

By Sean Chaffin

The Main Event didn’t quite go the way Max Pescatori hoped this summer at the World Series of Poker. Out in only two hours, the experience didn’t sit well with him and he decided to do something he doesn’t do often – he hit the road to play some poker.

The Pirate made the money here at the WPT Gardens Poker Festival.

“I was very disappointed with how the Main Event went,” he says. “I lasted two hours and everything went completely south no matter what I did.”

Pescatori finished the summer with seven cashes and one final table appearance, but winnings weren’t enough to offset his expenses. 

“I felt like I never had a run all summer,” he says. “I wanted to play one more big event with long blinds and see what I can do. Overall I’ve played fairly well. Already making the money is an accomplishment, so we’ll see what happens.”

Despite a rough start to begin the tournament, Pescatori had made the money by Tuesday afternoon and was hoping for an even deeper run.

“The first day I never flopped top pair, so I just tried to survive and not throw it away,” he says. “But I came late and played only three levels and still had half my stack.”

The second day turned out better, he says. The first two levels propelled him from 20,000 in chips to 200,000. A few key lost pots left him returning today with 77,000.

“I thought I had a good chance to build a stack and then just lost a couple of hands where some people did some crazy, stupid things and it ended up being a coin flip,” Pescatori says. “Today I am still fighting. I haven’t played the WPT in a while, and overall it’s been a good experience.

“I really like the Action Clock. I think it’s a good invention and works well.”

A longtime poker pro from Milan, Italy, Pescatori has lived in Las Vegas since 1994 and is known by many as “The Italian Pirate.” His booty includes $4.6 million in live tournament winnings with four WSOP bracelets.

On the WPT, Pescatori has $170,192 in winnings and looking to add to that at the Gardens. Don’t expect him to be traveling too much, however, he prefers staying close to home and playing in Las Vegas.

One of the reasons he also chose to play at the Gardens is the inclusion of mixed games on the schedule. He is a regular mixed games player and likes to support casinos that offer them on a tournament schedule.

He’s got his eye on a $2,200 HORSE event on the same day as the final table. 

“If I make the final table, I’m going to multi-table that one,” he says. 

When not playing poker, he enjoys any type of gambling overall. He plays tennis and has begun playing more golf. He “sucks” at the latter, he says, because “pirates only have one eye.” 

Another motivation for his appearance here in Southern California? It’s a reason befitting a buccaneer.

“I’m a pirate and they have two big parrots here,” he says. “It’s historic here at the Gardens. They used to be at the entrance and now they’re on the other side. I love the parrots and wanted to come say hi.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.