October 8-12
Number of entries more than in the 2025 Pompano Beach Main Event
-
1ST
Robert Gianquitti
$248,632
-
2ND
Nagui Yassa
$165,725
-
3RD
Marc Evanier
$115,891
-
4TH
Matt Zarcadoolas
$82,379
-
5TH
Joseph Duchman
$59,539
-
6TH
John Morris
$43,765
-
7TH
Ruslan Abusev
$32,728
-
8TH
Hugh Membrino
$24,907
-
9TH
Ricky Landais
$19,295
After nearly two decades of playing tournament poker, Robert Gianquitti finally has a World Series of Poker Circuit ring to call his own, and it comes with the biggest payday of his career.
Gianquitti took down the $1,700 No Limit Hold'em Main Event at the World Series of Poker Circuit at Harrah's Pompano Beach, outlasting a field of 1,011 entries to claim the top prize of $248,632 from the $1,531,665 prize pool.
It was far from a straightforward path to victory for the South Florida native, who entered the final day as the shortest stack among the seven remaining players. An early double-up with pocket kings against the pocket tens of Marc Evanier gave Gianquitti some much-needed breathing room, and from there, he steadily worked his way up the leaderboard.
Evanier eventually finished third for $115,891, leaving Gianquitti heads-up against Nagui Yassa. The two battled for nearly two hours before Gianquitti finally closed out the tournament, sending Yassa to the rail in second place for $165,725.
A win nearly 20 years in the making
For Gianquitti, who has been playing WSOP events since 2007, the victory was a long time coming.
Entering the final day with just 15 big blinds, Gianquitti wasn't necessarily thinking about winning the whole thing. His initial goal was simply to survive long enough to move up a few spots on the payout ladder.
"Honestly, I kind of had my mind set on if I could ladder to at least fifth place," Gianquitti explained.
He knew his stack was still large enough to put pressure on some of the middle stacks, but the early double-up against Evanier changed the situation considerably. From that point forward, Gianquitti was content to be patient and let the action develop around him, saying he just ‘kind of let it play itself out.’
Family first
Despite being a familiar face in South Florida poker rooms, Gianquitti has never been one to spend much time travelling the tournament circuit. Born and raised in South Florida, he has spent nearly 13 years working in the commercial painting business, where he handles sales. The job gives him enough flexibility to play tournaments locally and make the occasional trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP.
But these days, poker takes a back seat to something considerably more important - his wife and daughter.
"I hate leaving my family," Gianquitti explained. "My daughter's seven, and I just love spending time with her."
Of course, winning nearly a quarter of a million dollars might make a few more tournament trips easier to justify.
Before this victory, Gianquitti's largest tournament score was approximately $154K. His latest payday easily surpasses that mark, and while the money gives him more freedom to enter bigger events, don't expect him to suddenly abandon his day job and become a travelling poker professional.
"Even if I won the (WSOP) Main Event, which is life-changing money, I wouldn't quit my job. I'd still do the same thing; I'd just have a lot more money."
A team effort
Gianquitti was also quick to acknowledge the friends and supporters who were following his run throughout the final day. Having so many people rooting for him made the experience even more rewarding.
"I've got a lot of good friends out there. I always want nothing but the best for people. They just send it back."
After years of playing the game, Gianquitti can finally add a Circuit ring to his poker resume, along with a career-best payday.
As for what comes next, there is no grand plan to chase rings around the country, though a trip up the East Coast to WSOPC Cherokee may be in the cards. He has a career he enjoys, a family he loves spending time with, and now a little extra money in the bank. For Gianquitti, that's a pretty good outcome.
