Ricardo Festejo

Birthplace
Philippines

Hometown
Margate, NJ

Total Winnings
$799,280

Ricardo Festejo was born in the Philippines but came to America early in life. Perhaps it was the plethora of opportunities at his feet that made it overwhelming, but it took him many years to find a career that suited him. Finally, it was dealing blackjack in the Atlantic City area that caught his eye, and he enjoyed the casino environment. During his off time, though, he found that he got much more enjoyment out of playing poker, as it was a game of skill and with time and effort it could be a career. In 1999, Ricardo was ready to call himself a professional poker player. He mainly played low limit games and tournaments, constantly struggling to build his bankroll but always managing to find success when it was necessary. He consistently cashed in tournaments but because of the low buy-ins, the prize pools were never anything life-changing. His largest cash came in 2003 at the World Poker Finals when he finished in second place in the $300 limit hold'em event for $28,872. Ricardo seemed more ready for the big time in 2005 at the Borgata Poker Open. He made his way into the World Poker Tour's main event and took his years worth of experience to plow through the field and land at the final table. He ultimately took second place in the event for a payout of nearly $800,000. With his bankroll no longer in jeopardy, he set out to play bigger tournaments, even cashing in a World Series of Poker stud event in 2007. The sixty-something gentleman doesn't seem ready for retirement any time soon.