By Sean Chaffin
It just seemed inevitable. Tony Ruberto first etched his name on the WPT Champions Cup in Season X after winning WPT Jacksonville. There were several deep runs in more events through the years as he hoped for that second title. Eventually, something just had to give.
In Season XI, Ruberto had 11th- and 12th-place finishes at the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida. In Season XV at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, he took ninth. Just last month he finished fourth at WPT Choctaw in Oklahoma.
And now after four days of action, it happened. Ruberto has become a two-time champion after topping a field of 554 entries to take down the title at Live! Casino & Hotel. He adds his name to the Champions Cup for the second time.
How does it feel to snag a second tour title?
“It feels really good,” he said after winning the tournament. “I won seven years ago and the play has changed really dramatically since then. It’s difficult to win nowadays because everyone is just a lot better. It’s not how it was about eight or 10 years ago. It feels really good to win.”
Despite those deep runs not ending in a title, Ruberto remained confident and felt that second win would eventually happen.
“I think if you play enough tournaments, you’ve got to have a lot of confidence in yourself,” he says. “I’ve got a big theory on winning, and everyone who knows me knows I think this. Winning isn’t for everybody. Winners win. Not everybody can win and I’m a big believer in that.”
Ruberto entered the final table second in chips but took command early in the day after getting some big hands and key knockouts. After finishing off Shankar Pillai heads-up, who took home $220,780 as runner-up, Ruberto had eliminated four of his five opponents.
“I made some good hands and made some good bets,” he says. “And my good bets all worked out.”
With a total of 554 entries, Ruberto was the only player to enter both Day 1 starting flights and bag chips in both.
“It was a miracle I bagged chips on Day1a, and I was in for four bullets,” he says. “So I gave it another shot on Day 1b. I guess that worked out. I’m a big, ‘What’s another bucket of water when you’re already wet’ guy.”
No stranger to the winner’s circle, in a career dating back to 2006, Ruberto has numerous five and six-figure scores. He took down two events earlier this year in at Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, FL for a total of $33,346. He also won the $1,650 No-Limit Hold’em $500 KO event in January at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $34,390.
In September 2017, Ruberto added a WSOP Circuit ring to his trophy case with a win at the Seminole Hard Rock for $20,804. His latest WPT championship only adds to an illustrious live tournament resumé that now tops $3.5 million in winnings.
Beyond the title and nice payday, Ruberto also becomes the leader in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race with 1,800 points and $511,360 in WPT winnings this season. WPT Borgata Poker Open champion Erkut Yilmaz, who also cashed in this event, sits in second with 1,250 points.
Overall, Ruberto was pleased with the tournament and his time in Maryland. He now plans to take a little time off and relax, and then get back to the poker table.
“I enjoyed being here,” he says. “I think it was real nice. It was well run and the tournament was held in a different location this year, which I actually liked a lot more than previous years. I think there was a lot more space.”
“The next few weeks, there’s nothing really going on, but I’m going to make an appearance at a few upcoming tournaments. I’m then going to be at the WPT bestbest Jacksonville.”
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and host of the True Gambling Stories podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @PokerTraditions.
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