By Sean Chaffin
Anthony Zinno finds himself in familiar territory on Wednesday – a WPT final table. The three-time champion has six final table appearances and more than $2.9 million in WPT winnings. While he may enter the final table of the WPT Maryland at Live! Casino fifth in chips, he now has another shot at joining Darren Elias in the four-time champion club.
“It’s the best,” he says of the opportunity at a WPT win. “This is my dream. I love the WPT. They’ve always treated me so well and having been a champion since 2013, the recognition for my drive and passion for the game from professionals and recreational players and even friends of mine – that means a lot.”
Zinno’s three titles include: Borgata Poker Open (Season XII, $825,099); Fallsview Poker Classic (Season XIII, $302,235); and L.A. Poker Classic (Season XIII, $1 million). There have been numerous other deep runs since those including two fifth-place finishes last season at Thunder Valley and Choctaw. He also has third, seventh, eighth, 11th (two), and 12-place (two) finishes.
Certainly, winning a WPT title isn’t easy and Zinno knows that first hand.
“As a pro, I know how hard it is to make the final six,” Zinno says. “No matter how well you play and how tough the field is, statistically it’s still really, really hard. By the time you get there, it just feels so good.”
Originally from Rhode Island and now living in Las Vegas, Zinno also won one bracelet at the WSOP and also finished runner-up in another event. He knows he faces a tough table here at Maryland Live!, and winning that fourth title won’t be easy. Brian Altman sits second in chips and is also looking for his second WPT title. Chip leader Stephen Deutsch was also a force on Day 3.
The table dynamics didn’t work in his favor with nine players left, and left him few options in going on offense.
“Coming into nine-handed I was kind of ICM handcuffed, meaning I couldn’t really play many hands because there were stacks shorter than mine that were statistically going to bust before me,” he says. “So I had to play pretty snug, unfortunately, and couldn’t really open up my game at all. I just tried to cruise.
“Today I have 25 big blinds, so I can work with that. But it’s going to be tough to overcome the massive stacks. There are no fish here so it’s going to be a tough battle to pull a win.”
As play got underway at the final table today, the three-time champion hoped to find some room to run his chip stack up. Just getting another chance to add another title means a lot.
“Having a shot, that’s the dream,” he says. “You just try to get yourself in spots to have a chance. I remember at the LAPC, I think I had only 20 big blinds when we were nine-handed. I had less big blinds than I have now and I was able to spin it up to a win. Anything can happen in this game.”
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.