Gardens WPT Passport Winner Adrian Gallardo Hopes Success Continues at Borgata

By Sean Chaffin

Yet another Gardens Casino satellite winner is among the field in the WPT Borgata Poker Open. Adrian Gallardo (pictured) recently won a $5,000 WPT Passport as part of the property’s Satellite Spectacular V, and is now cashing that in here in Atlantic City.

The promotion has sent numerous qualifiers to WPT events across the country including the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic, Choctaw, and other events over the last year. Gallardo played a $540 satellite event that saw 10 players earn a $5,000 package. The WPT Passport can be used for any event on the Season XVIII schedule.

Midway through Day 2, Gallardo is sitting with an above-average stack of 160,000 and looking for his first WPT cash.

A native of Orange County, California, Gallardo plays part-time while also driving for Uber. In the past he worked in construction and as a food server – played poker on the weekends. He’s now ramped up his poker more but still not sure of pursuing the game full-time despite some recent success.

“I’m trying to get another job at the moment just in case it doesn’t work out, but I’m going to try poker a little more,” the 33-year-old says. “I like to say I’m more of a tournament player, but I like mixed games too.”

Gallardo has almost $37,000 in live tournament winnings and had a huge run in WPT Gardens Poker Festival preliminary events. He took down a $250 Monster Stack Turbo event for $13,460. Later in a $275 event, he finished runner-up for $7,210. He also had a seventh-place finish in another $250 event for $4,130.

A trip to the Borgata seemed like a nice idea for his big poker trip and he’s hoping that nice runs of cards is able to continue.

“I could have gone to the Bike, but I wanted to come here because I’ve never been to the East Coast or New Jersey,” he says. “If I lose I may go to New York. That’s always been a bucket list item for me.” 

“It’s a great atmosphere here. I’m just taking it all in. I hope I don’t have to go to New York because I’m leaving Saturday and if I go far I’ll still be here. If not, then I’ll go to New York.”

Hopefully, for Gallardo, a tourist excursion to Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, or Central Park is put on hold for a bit.

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