playMGMpoker.com Qualifier Satish Surapaneni Turns $535 Satellite Into 17th-Place Finish and $51,984

By Matt Clark

In the middle of the night last Sunday from a computer in New Jersey, Satish Surapaneni (pictured) won his seat into the Season XVI WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Surapaneni was the last of five qualifiers who won a ticket on playMGMpoker.com. That $535 investment paid off exponentially for Surapaneni, who made Day 5 of the tournament and finished in 17th place for $51,984.

Surapaneni is a regular in events on the East Coast, primarily at Borgata. His trademark fedora stands out among most headwear choices at the table and Surapaneni’s play made waves during the first four days of Bellagio.

Most of the fields Surapaneni has experienced success in are of the large variety. His largest career score is for $141,017, notched in January 2016 when he placed fourth out of 5,101 entries in the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open $2 million guaranteed kickoff event. Those smaller buy-in events are where Surapaneni built his tournament cache.

About his run in WPT Five Diamond, Surapaneni called it “terrific.” The foes matched up against Surapaneni are not what’s he used to playing against but he’s appreciative of the test he found himself up facing.

“This is different because there are really high levels of play,” Surapaneni said entering Day 5, before his bust. “The regular pros are really good, they could have anything. It’s the best of the best. I wanted to do my best and I’m running on adrenaline at this point.”

Those who have played against Surapaneni in the past are familiar with his unconventional playing style which he himself calls “weird” and “sticky.”

The satellite was a last-minute decision for Surapaneni, who had a chance to win a seat earlier in the qualifying process but, as he puts it, “punted” to come up short.

After returning from a two-week trip in Punta Cana, Surapaneni registered for the satellite and less than a week later, found himself battling versus the best in Las Vegas.

Surapaneni said he was exhausted after the end of Day 4, but came into Day 5 knowing what needed to be done.

“I’ll just play my best and do what I’ve been doing,” Surapaneni said. “Sometimes, you have to be patient and not get out of hand. The goal is to make the final table.”

Surapaneni already outlasted fellow playMGM qualifiers Michael Gagliano and David Coleman with his 17th-place finish, and he’ll now have the story of a lifetime and a score of more than $50,000 to show for it.

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