No One Loves It More Than Dean Baranowski

By Matt Clark

When the World Poker Tour travels across the country, a pattern establishes of familiar faces who play in most of the events. Whether a professional or a part-timer, the WPT provides something for everyone. In recent seasons, Texan Dean Baranowksi (pictured) is one of those players.

Since he started WPT play in Season XIII, the 42-year-old Baranowski has cashed in nine events. Already in Season XVI, Baranowski made the money in WPT Choctaw and the recent WPT Borgata Poker Open. Baranowski is in attendance for Day 1b of WPT Maryland at Live! Casino as he attempts to add a third payday to his haul from the current season.

Baranowski works as a chiropractor and is as competitive as any player in the field when he pursues his hobby. Only a few years ago, Baranowski started to play poker tournaments outside of his home league and cashed in the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event.

There is a lot for Baranowski to weigh as he leaves his family to play in WPT events on a regular basis along with the responsibilities of his clinic.

“It is definitely a challenge,” Baranowski said. “It’s a balance of shutting down the clinic on Mondays and Tuesdays and open the rest of the week as soon as I get home. We have four kids at home, too. So it’s just been kind of crazy.”

In his first-ever World Poker Tour event, Baranowski placed seventh in the Season XIII Lucky Hearts Poker Open and as he says, has been “hooked ever since.” Baranowski has been chasing his first career World Poker Tour final table for the last few years and is fully prepared to devote his maximum energy to the table when he arrives at a stop.

“I have to cash every time,”Baranowski told WPT.com. “I’m leaving the family, I’m flying here. I’m not screwing around, I have to be focused when I come. And the ones I don’t cash, it’s disappointing. It’s a long flight home. I know it’s unrealistic to cash every time, but you have to try. If I have a cold streak, I’m just really taking time away from the family.”

Season XV saw Baranowski cash five times, including final two-table finishes at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic and WPT Rolling Thunder.

Baranowski’s wife, Colleen, is supportive of her husband’s poker fire and his interest in playing more live tournaments grows with each ensuing cash. Following up his 2013 WSOP Main Event cash, Baranowski played again in 2014 and placed 135th from a field of 6,683.

“I always had a passion for it, watching it on tv,” Baranowski said. “I told my wife, ‘I can do this,’ just like every guy in the living room. So I didn’t play another tournament until I won the league again, and then I cashed [in the Main Event] again. That Christmas I was thinking, ‘I should play more of these.’ That’s when the circuit came to Choctaw, and I cashed there. And then I tried the Lucky Hearts.”

Baranowski looks at the tournament calendar in advance to see when it makes the most sense for him to travel and play events. The buy-in level that Baranowski looks for is usually within the range of $3,500, like WPT Maryland, and he makes a travel plan accordingly.

Should he win a World Poker Tour event, Baranowski plans to take his family to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and celebrate with them there.

Baranowski’s table so far on Day 1b has had Ari Engel, Matt Glantz, and WPT Champions Club member Art Papazyan at it, but if anything, Baranowski likes not having it easy.

“When you’re competing like this, it’s fun to play against these great players and my goal is to try and beat them,” Baranowski said. “That’s the goal each and every time. The competition is fun.”

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