Break in the Action: Hublot POY leader Tony Ruberto Fractures Leg in Roundabout Wreck

Dec 13, 2018

By Sean Chaffin

Tony Ruberto

Tony Ruberto ambled out of the Bellagio poker room during the first break in the action during Day 3 at the WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic. The crutches had “Boston Tony” moving slowly. Just outside the poker room, he eased into a mobility scooter.

“It’s ironic I’m on a scooter now,” he says.

On what he calls a “drunken night” on a recent trip to the Bahamas, Ruberto broke his leg and is now wearing a walking boot.

“Me and my friends decided to rent some scooters,” he says. “We were driving for about seven or eight hours and stopped at a bar of course. Coming back literally a half-mile from the hotel, I got to a roundabout.”

Ruberto lost control of the vehicle in the roundabout and put his foot down to stabilize the scooter and keep from falling. The accelerator and brake were located very close to each other on the vehicle, he says, and Ruberto hit the accelerator accidentally.

“I ran over my leg and broke it in two spots,” he says. “This was two days before Thanksgiving. It was bad.”

Scooter Story

While it may have been a rough Thanksgiving, things have gone well at the tables so far here at Bellagio for Ruberto. He’s on pain medication but playing well. After the crash, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Along with putting a cast on his leg and taking X-rays, doctors also had to stitch him up a bit.

“The doctor put five stitches in my chin, and I didn’t even know that I needed them,” he says. “There was blood all over my shirt, but I recognized nothing because I was in that much pain.”

The whole visit to the hospital took about five hours, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“I was good enough to get on a plane,” he says. “When I got back to the States I had to get surgery.”

The pain has eased a bit since the accident, but still not where he’d like it to be. Playing with the injury isn’t always easy.

“It’s more discomfort than pain now,” he says. “It was the worst pain of my life when it happened. I’ve had sprains and tears and bruises, but never a break. A broken leg in my experience is the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Player of the Year Race

While he may be the leader in the Hublot Player of the Year race, Ruberto remains focused on just performing well. This season, he finished fourth at WPT Choctaw in August for $166,605 and then won the WPT Maryland championship in September for $344,755. He was pleased so far with his run in the Five Diamond.

“The tournament’s going well, better than my leg,” he says. “It’s going really smoothly.”

As play continued into Day 3 at Bellagio, Ruberto looked to be making another deep run and likely adding to his Player of the Year points total, currently 1,800. Simon Lam, who sits in fourth place with 1,200 points after winning the WPT Gardens Poker Festival in August, is also running deep and looking to add to his total.

“It’s not a goal so much,” Ruberto says of winning Player of the Year. “There are a lot of tournaments from now until the end of the season. It would be pretty cool to win, but it’s nothing I’m striving for or anything.”

Yet another trip to a WPT final table would be nice. In the meantime, Ruberto’s taking it a little easier on his mobility scooter.

“This one doesn’t go as fast,” he says. “It doesn’t pose too much of a risk.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.


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