The Ups and Downs of Daniel Santoro

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

There are a lot of memories that could sum up Daniel Santoro's first World Poker Tour victory.  You could call it a whirlwind, a rollercoaster, a yoyo, or a comeback and all would fit just fine.  There were highs, lows, and surprises as the New Yorker battled his way through the finl table and on to the Foxwoods World Poker Finals title.

When the final table began, Santoro was third in chips and one of three players with a big stack.  One of the short stacks, Eli Berg, exited on the third hand of play when he flopped top pair on a K77 board and check-raised all-in when the turn brought the 10, only to run into Christian Harder's pocket aces.  The river couldn't save Berg and his KQ and he was out in 6th minutes after taking his seat.

Ten hands later, Andy Frankenberger faced a similar fate when he moved all-in over the top of a Harder reraise with A10 and ran into Harder's kings.  Frankenberger exited his third career WPT final table in 5th place and Harder took the chip lead.

It seemed like all the momentum was in Harder's corner until a pivotal pot on Hand 23 changed the entire dynamic of the final table. The other two big stacks, Santoro and Steven Brackesy, got into a preflop raising war that resulted in a six-bet shove with A4 from Brackesy.  Santoro called all-in with QQ, having Brackesy covered.  Santoro's hand held when it mattered most and Brackesy exited in 4th place.  The hand was a game-changer, as it vaulted Santoro up to the chip lead and way out in front of Harder and amateur player Bob Carbone.

With three players left, the otherwise quiet Carbone started to play a few more hands and seemed ready and willing to push all-in.  He doubled thru Harder to stay alive, but the next time he got it all-in, he wasn't so fortunate.  Carbone ran pocket tens into Santoro's pocket aces to send the final table into heads-up action with Santoro holding a nearly 4-1 chip lead over Harder.

While the play from six to two players went by in a flash, heads-up play was a much different story.  In fact, the heads-up match between Harder and Santoro is arguably one of the more back and forth matches the WPT has ever seen.  

Even though Santoro had a big lead that just got bigger as he grinded Harder's stack away, Harder kept doubling up to stay in contention.  He doubled thru Santoro on three separate occassions to go from having a short stack to taking the chip lead away.

In the late stages of play, the chip lead flip flopped back and forth as the duo neared the 200-hand mark.  After Harder's third double up, it was Santoro's turn to worry, but his fretting didn't last long, as he doubled back thru his friend and opponent just four hands later.

This back and forth battle continued a while longer and ended in a fitting manner for a duel that appeared to be too close to call.  The final hand came down to a coin flip, with Santoro holding AK to Harder's 1010.  Harder stayed out front after a jack-high flop and remained ahead with the 2 on the turn.  The river was a dramatic one though, as it brought the K, giving Santoro the pot, the match, and his first WPT title.

If you had to sum up Santoro's run in a single word, it would likely be unpredictable.  With emotions swinging from one pole to the other and back again over the course of a 200-hand final table, Santoro managed to keep a level head and his eye on the prize.  As a result of that resolve, he is now the latest WPT champion and the winner of the top prize of $449,910.

Here are the final table results from the Season X World Poker Finals:

1st: Daniel Santoro - $449,910
2nd: Christian Harder - $248,962
3rd: Bob Carbone - $166,271
4th: Steven Brackesy - $129,816
5th: Andy Frankenberger - $99,585
6th: Eli Berg - $83,580

Daniel Santoro Wins the 2011 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Hand #200: Daniel Santoro Wins! ($449,910)

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Christian Harder min-raises to 160,000, Daniel Santoro reraises to 425,000, and Harder thinks for about 30 seconds before he moves all in for about 2.5 million.

Santoro immediately calls with AK, and Harder turns over 1010 for a race situation. Harder will need his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board comes J852K, and Daniel Santoro wins the pot -- and the tournament -- with a pair of kings on the river.

Christian Harder finishes as the runner-up, earning $248,962.

Daniel Santoro wins the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals, earning $449,910, a WPT Champions Cup, and his prize includes his $25,500 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship.

Congratulations to Daniel Santoro!

1st:  Daniel Santoro  -  $449,910
2nd:  Christian Harder  -  $248,962
3rd:  Bob Carbone  -  $166,271
4th:  Steven Brackesy  -  $129,816
5th:  Andy Frankenberger  -  $99,585
6th:  Eli Berg  -  $83,580

Hand #199: Christian Harder

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Daniel Santoro min-raises to 160,000, Christian Harder reraises to 380,000, and Santoro folds.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,140,000
Christian Harder  -  2,530,000

Hand #198: Christian Harder

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Christian Harder min-raises to 160,000, and Daniel Santoro folds.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,310,000
Christian Harder  -  2,360,000

Hand #197: Daniel Santoro

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Daniel Santoro min-raises to 160,000, and Christian Harder folds.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,400,000
Christian Harder  -  2,270,000

Hand #196: Daniel Santoro

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Christian Harder min-raises to 160,000, Daniel Santoro reraises to 425,000, and Harder folds. Santoro takes the pot.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,310,000
Christian Harder  -  2,360,000

Hand #195: Daniel Santoro

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Daniel Santoro min-raises to 160,000, and Christian Harder folds.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,140,000
Christian Harder  -  2,530,000

Hand #194: Daniel Santoro

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Christian Harder min-raises to 160,000, and Daniel Santoro calls. Both players check to the river on a board of A5332, Santoro bets 180,000, and Harder thinks for a bit before he calls.

Santoro shows K4 to win the pot with a five-high straight, and Harder mucks.

Daniel Santoro  -  3,050,000
Christian Harder  -  2,620,000

Santoro retakes the chip lead.

Hand #193: Christian Harder

Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante

Daniel Santoro min-raises to 160,000, and Christian Harder calls. The flop comes AJ8, Harder bets 170,000, and Santoro folds. Harder takes the pot.

Daniel Santoro  -  2,700,000
Christian Harder  -  2,970,000

Harder takes the lead, but they are so close right now it may move back and forth a bit.