Poker Dealer Turned Champion: Christopher Campisano’s Unbelievable WSOPE Win

Campisano’s Journey to the Win

Campisano has been a regular at King’s Resort tournaments over the past year, shifting from behind the dealer’s table to sitting in front of it. With his tournament life on the line multiple times during the final table, the Italian showed true grit.

His defining moment came when, despite being a nine-to-one underdog against Frederic Marechal, Campisano doubled up not once but thrice, keeping his dream alive.

The pivotal all-in came when his ace-three bested ace-queen, flopping trip threes and leaving spectators in awe. “I thought maybe the dream was over, but after that first double-up, I knew it was possible,” said Campisano, brimming with relief and excitement.

Photo Credit: Tomas Stacha

Final Table Action

So, how did it all go down?

The final table began with Luc Ramos in a precarious position, holding just eight big blinds. Luck did not favor the Swiss player as he was eliminated by Xiaohua Yang in the very first orbit, his ace-eight falling short against Yang’s ace-king.

Yang, full of momentum, went on to eliminate Frederik Thiemer after flopping a set of jacks. Thiemer, who pushed in with ace-eight, was sent packing in sixth place, leaving Germany’s hopes on the shoulders of Andreas Krause.

Krause’s run was also short-lived. After shoving with pocket jacks, he saw his tournament life vanish as Marechal rivered a flush. It was a brutal way for Krause to bow out in fifth, and with Marechal’s stack growing, he began to pull away from the rest of the competition.

Luigi Pignataro, who started near the top of the leaderboard, fell into trouble early on, eventually running pocket queens into Anastasakis’s pocket kings, ending his dream in seventh place.

With Yang and Marechal in command, Campisano found himself in a tough spot, shoving with ace-three against Yang’s ace-queen. The dealer’s magic seemed to kick in once again as he flopped trip threes to stay in contention.

Three-handed play was a marathon, with all three players — Campisano, Marechal, and Anastasakis — trading the chip lead. A critical hand saw Marechal five-bet shove with ace-ten, forcing Campisano to fold ace-queen, a move that left him with a short stack. Despite this setback, Campisano hung tough, eventually calling down Marechal’s bluff to edge back into contention.

The heads-up battle against Marechal was a true comeback story if we ever saw one. Starting as a two-to-one underdog, Campisano managed to turn things around dramatically, winning key hands, including one with queen-six that hit against Marechal’s ace-five.

In the final hand, Campisano shoved with king-nine suited, and Marechal called with ace-three. A flush draw on the flop and a king on the turn sealed Campisano’s fate as the new WSOPE champion.

Photo Credit: Tomas Stacha

WSOPE €1,350 Mini Main Event Final Table Rankings

Rank	Player Name	Country	Prize
1	Christopher Campisano		€213,950
2	Frederic Marechal		€145,550
3	Dimitrios Anastasakis		€105,850
4	Xiaohua Yang		€78,650
5	Andreas Krause		€59,950
6	Frederik Thiemer		€46,850
7	Luigi Pignataro		€37,650
8	Luc Ramos		€31,050

Christopher Campisano Keeps the Dream Alive

After his epic victory, Campisano expressed his disbelief. “I feel good, very good,” he said with a grin, as he discussed his plans to celebrate with friends and look forward to the upcoming WSOPE Main Event, for which he now holds a ticket.

Living locally and competing regularly at King’s Resort, Campisano has gone from dealing cards to holding a WSOP bracelet — a testament to what can happen when opportunity, skill, and a little bit of luck align.