The final table has been set at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Jacksonville BestBet Open as the field was narrowed from 16 to just 6 players on Tuesday. Shawn Cunix will start the final table with a solid chip lead over the rest of the field, holding 2.77 million. That’s more than 600,000 more than the next closest player, James Calderaro, and 1.2 million more than the third place player, Will Failla. In preparation for the home stretch, let’s take a look at the members of our final table.
Seat 1: James Calderaro
James “caldo” Calderaro does not have an overabundance of cashes to his credit, but he has made the most of them. In 2008, he finished 20th in the $25,000 WPT World Championship, good for $105,525. The following year, he just missed the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, placing 13th and earning himself $633,022. He followed that up with a 3rd place finish in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em Championship at the 2010 WSOP, a score worth $284,845. All told, he has won over $1.2 million on the live tournament circuit.
Seat 2: Daniel Buzgon
New Jersey’s Daniel “WiLDmAn_75” Buzgon has made almost $800,000 in live tournaments, but like many 20-something poker players, he made his name online (at least before the online poker market fell apart in the U.S.). He has won over $2 million in online poker tournaments and was ranked as high as 161st in the PocketFives.com Worldwide Poker Rankings. His best live cash was $335,433, accomplished in last year’s Borgata Poker Open, where he placed 3rd.
Seat 3: Will Failla
Will “The Thrill” Failla seems to always be in the spotlight in big tournaments. He is no stranger to success on the World Poker Tour, having won the 2011 WPT Legends of Poker to the tune of $758,085. That was the start of a hot run for him last year; he followed it up with a 14th place finish in the Partouche Poker Tour Cannes Main Event, an 11th place finish in the Borgata Poker Open, , and then a runner-up finish in a preliminary event at the WSOP Europe. Just this March, Failla won the Heartland Poker Tour St. Louis Main Event, earning $119,064. In his career, he has won almost $3.5 million.
Seat 4: Tony Dunst
To fans of the World Poker Tour, Tony “Bond18” Dunst needs no introduction, as he is the host of the WPT’s “Raw Deal” and commentator on WPT final table live streams. Of course, he won’t be announcing this final table, and he is likely very happy about that. The handsomely dressed native of Wisconsin has won over $700,000 in live tournaments, including close to $200,000 from a win in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2008 Bellagio Cup IV.
Seat 5: Shawn Cunix
Shawn Cunix is the founder and owner of Wireless, a Verizon Wireless retailer in Ohio with over 60 stores, as well as Cunix Enterprises, a parent company of a number of service-oriented businesses. According to his website, his core purpose is “inspiring happiness.” He has won almost $800,000 in his live poker career, about $200,000 of which came from a 2nd place finish in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2008 Borgata Poker Open. Cunix will begin the final table as the chip leader with 2.770 million chips.
Seat 6: Darren Elias
Darren Elias has been at or near the top of the chip counts for most of this tournament. Like Buzgon, Elias was an online poker tournament maven before the major poker rooms had their problems in the U.S. He has over $2 million in online tournament winnings and rose as high as 104th in the PocketFives rankings. He doesn’t have any major live wins, but he has made over $1.1 million in live tournaments overall. His best cash was for $230,610 in last year’s Borgata Poker Open, where he placed 5th. As you might be able to tell, there is a lot of familiarity amongst the players at Wednesday’s final table, as Buzgon, Elias, and Failla all placed in the top 11 of the 2011 Borgata Poker Open.
The final table will commence at 4:00pm ET Wednesday. Poker fans can follow the action semi-live with just a 30-minute delay at wpt.com.
World Poker Tour Jacksonville BestBet Open – Final Table Chip Counts
1. Shawn Cunix – 2,770,000
2. James Calderaro – 2,110,000
3. Will Failla – 1,535,000
4. Tony Dunst – 1,315,000
5. Darren Elias – 1,280,000
6. Daniel Buzgon – 570,000
