Shaun Davis Becomes Latest Gardens Satellite Spectacular WPT Qualifier

By Sean Chaffin

Playing at the Gardens Casino has come with some extra benefits in recent years as the Los Angeles-area property continues to send more and more players to WPT events around the country. The property’s Satellite Spectaculars have become popular events and award WPT Passports for players to play at their choice of events.

Shaun Davis (pictured) was one of those winners and is among the field playing on Day 2. Davis won his way into the event after winning a $500 satellite at the Gardens. He parlayed that into a trip to South Florida.

“It’s been great, this place is awesome,” he says of the trip to the Seminole Hard Rock.

Davis is from San Diego and plays recreationally with more than $275,000 in live tournament wins. That includes a nice win a $1,080 Festa Al Lago event at the Bellagio in 2012 for $34,628 as well as some other nice five-figure scores. Davis has cashed on the WPT six times, with five of those cashes coming in the WPTDeepStacks San Diego event. In September, Davis took third place at Oceans Eleven Casino for $24,750. 

When not playing poker, Davis owns a plumbing company back in the San Diego area. He’s also married and has two children.

“My son’s in the Army, so that’s actually why we came out here,” he says. “He’s stationed on the East Coast, and flew in on Wednesday and stayed here with us.”

The trip made it convenient for his son to hang out with the family as Davis played poker. Davis’ qualifying bullet didn’t pan out, but he budgeted a second and is among the field on Day 2 after giving it another shot.

The Gardens will be sending more players to events in the coming months. It’s the only officially WPT-branded poker room in the country and hosts two Main Tour events each season. In July, Roger Teska took down the $5,000 Gardens Poker Festival for $368,475.

The $10,000 Gardens Poker Championship is set for Jan. 9-13. The property also hosts the WPT500 Los Angeles event starting in a few weeks. The $570 event features numerous Day 1 flights that begin on December 14.

More Gardens satellite players should also be heading to the Bellagio for the $10,400 Five Diamond World Poker Classic, which runs December 16-21.

A Gardens qualifier has yet to win an event, but there have certainly been some nice stories with some deep runs and nice scores. He may be on his second bullet, but Davis some of that Gardens mojo carries over to Day 2 for him here at the Seminole Hard Rock.

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