The Underdog Edoardo Alescio Wins WPT Venice

(Photo: Edoardo Alescio and his army of fans)

Rocky Balboa is the archetypical underdog movie and it has been blaring out of the sound system, at the Casino Di Venezia, all week long, and we should have noticed the signs that the music was trying to force down our eardrums. When Edoardo Alescio stood alongside the other five players for the final table photographs, he was the self-confessed least experienced player at the table. Well the least-experienced player has just been crowned the WPT Venice champion and takes home a cheque for €170,000.

(Photo: The final table participants with the royal flush girls)

The action started slowly, as was expected with so many experienced pros at the table, and the first real event was the elimination of the most experienced of them all. Alex Dovzhenko opened with pocket nines and Steve O’Dwyer moved all-in with ace-king. Dovzhenko called and a king on the flop, and one on the turn for good measure, sent Dovzhenko for an early bath. That hand was a significant one because from that point onwards, without even having the chip lead, Steve O’Dwyer became the man everyone had to beat if they were going to win this title.

(Photo: Alex Dovzhenko out on 6th)

As we moved into Level 23, O’Dwyer’s stack had once again been dissected when he managed to find another vital double up. This time his opponent was Andrea Benelli and although Benelli survived elimination Steve had left him in O’Dwyer Straits. Benelli was all-in with [Ad] [Qx] against the [Ks] [Th] of O’Dwyer and Benelli was one card away from the chip lead when the [Td] hit the river to devastating effect. A few hands later and Benelli was finally eliminated by O’Dwyer when he took his remaining 76,000 chips. O’Dwyer and Caroli teaming up to knock out the dangerous Italian in a three way pot that checked down to the river – O’Dwyer eventually winning with trip queens.

(Photo: Andrea Benelli out in 5th)

O’Dwyer then proved that not only can he win every single flip he enters, but he can also make great folds. On a flop of [Qd] [8c] [5c] O’Dwyer was feeling pretty good about his [Kh] [Qs], that was until Michele Caroli got a little bit excited and moved all-in holding [Ad] [Qh]. O’Dwyer managed to find the fold and it was these types of hands that damaged the inexperienced Caroli’s chance of going further in the tournament.

Onwards into Level 24 we marched, and our 4th place finisher was confirmed. His name was Andrea Dato and it was O’Dwyer who unceremoniously dumped him out of the marquee where the final table was held. Dato moved all-in with [Kd] [9c] and O’Dwyer called with [Ad] [4h] and that was the end of that.

(Photo: A consolatory kiss for Andrea Dato out in 4th)

So that left three players Michele Caroli, Edoardo Alescio and Steve O’Dwyer. Caroli and Alescio were not only vastly inexperienced but they also seemed to be lacking in stamina. While both players seemed to visibly wilt, the American just seemed to grow in stature. To make matters worse Caroli insisted on showing his cards to the experienced pro in every hand they played. Armed with this additional information O’Dwyer had the tournament held firmly in his fist.

(Photo: Alescio wilting under the pressure)

Then as the stacks started to dwindle and it became apparent that Caroli and Alescio couldn’t handle O’Dwyer’s post flops skills Alescio decided to do something about it. He started to move all-in like it was going out in fashion, prompting the commentator Taylor von Kreigenbergh to scream down the microphone, "This is insanity! Degeneracy at its finest!"

Everyone kept thinking that it wasn’t going to be long before either O’Dwyer or Caroli called one of the many Alescio shoves, and when the moment came Alescio had the goods! He moved in with [As] [Qc] and Caroli snapped him off with the dominated [Ac] [Js]. The board remained clean for Alescio and Caroli was out in third. This hand was massive for Alescio because had O’Dwyer eliminated him, instead, we would be now crowning a new champion.

(Photo: Michele Caroli out in 3rd)

So a classic David and Goliath heads up encounter with the vastly experienced Steve O’Dwyer and $1,931,860 in live tournament winnings up against Edoardo Alescio and his big fat zero in cashes! The ravenous Royal Flush girls got the heads up encounter up and running and it was O’Dwyer who was quickest to the punch. Left hook, right hook, left hook and before you knew it Alescio looked rather dizzy and we are sure if he had a corner man the towel would have landed on the dealers head! But in true Rocky Balboa spirit Alescio got up from the floor, squeezed his gum shield back underneath his top lip and gave O’Dwyer an uppercut that he still felt half an hour later. On a board of [Td] [8d] [2s] [9d] Alescio was holding [Tx] [2x] for two pair and O’Dwyer [Qx] [7x] for the straight draw. Alescio bet 125,000, O’Dwyer raised to a cool half a million and Alescio moved all-in prompting a fold from O’Dwyer.

(Photo: The Royal Flush Girls)

The next hand nearly brought the house down. On a board of [Qc] [9d] [4d] [7c] Alescio moved all-in holding [7d] [6d] and O’Dwyer called with [Qs] [Ts]. O’Dwyer was a river card away from being crowned the WPT Champion, but as the Italians on the rail all prayed to their divine masters, the [8d] hit the felt with a thud. Suddenly, amidst the howls and screams of the Italian crowd Edoardo Alescio had turned it all around and gained a two to one chip lead.

(Photo: The Italian Mob)

That hand was the beginning of the end for O’Dwyer. Try as he might he could not find a hand and Alescio was hitting boards harder than Balboa had hit Clubber Lang. After grinding O’Dwyer down to a shoving stack, all of the money went into the middle with Alescio holding [5c] [5s] and O’Dwyer holding [Ac] [7s]. When the Italians saw the [Ah] on the flop there was a hush in the crowd but when the dealers right index finger slid over the next card, the [5h] revealed itself to the world and it went Edoardo Alescio crazy!

(Photo: Anyone seen our winner?)

Nobody cares what the turn or river was because by the time the dealer had thrown them out onto the table the tournament organisers were struggling to find Edoardo Alescio so they could hand him his trophy. Alescio was hidden underneath the weight of around 30 partisan fans and it was a lovely moment for the amateur poker player.

So congratulations to Edoardo Alescio and commiserations to Steve O’Dwyer next stop WPT Dublin 5th – 8th Jan where we hope to make more WPT history so please be sure to join us.