Event #67: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed High Roller

James Calderaro has accomplished a lot on the poker felt. He ran deep in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, just missing the final table with a 13th-place finish. He has a WPT title under his belt and several other six-figure scores over the years. Early Saturday morning, Calderaro added a WSOP bracelet to his list of accolades, besting a field of 205 in Event #67: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed High Roller. For Calderaro, the win and the money won are something to be proud of, and having his son Anthony there for this moment made it that much more special.

"The bracelet is amazing to me," Calderaro said after taking winner photos. "I had my WPT Championship and I gave it to my firstborn son, and I promised my second son and my daughter they would get the next ones. So my second son got the bracelet. Now I have a granddaughter, so now I gotta get two more, so I can't quit. It means everything to me. My boy right here, his bracelet right here in the World Series, him being here with me, it means everything to me."

Calderaro was sixth in chips after Day 1, second in chips after Day 2, and was in excellent position to contend for the bracelet on Day 3. Not long after play began, he was on top of the chip counts following a massive hand against chip leader Iraj Parvzizi, who had held the chip almost the entire tournament. Calderaro flopped a monstrous hand with the nut straight and top two pair, getting it in against Parvizi and a shorter stack. Calderaro's hand held up, giving him about 30% of the chips in play with 14 players remaining.

"He (Iraj) is crazy, I love playing with him. I got friendly with him. He's just a wildcard, he's crazy. He loves to play and loves to gamble, and I love to gamble. I feel like I'm playing a cash game when I play with that guy. We got involved in a hand...I loved the spot I was in, and I couldn't believe he repotted it after I potted it. He's used to winning those kinds of hands, and that's how he got his chips throughout the tournament, and this time it didn't pan out for him."

Final Table Results

From there, Calderaro went into the final table holding the chip lead. The rail became loud and boisterous, especially with three players remaining. There were sizable cheering sections for Calderaro, runner-up Alexey Rybin, and third-place finisher Esther Taylor. Emotions ran high and things became contentious numerous times among the many fans for each player. Calderaro did his best to soak all of the raucousnesses in.

"Oh I loved it. It makes it even more enjoyable for me, because as you know I like to shuffle it up, get people going, talk to them and everything else. So as far as getting into the loudness and wildness, that's usually my game anyway. I like to talk at the table, I like to go crazy, and I like to get people to talk. I get people to laugh and have a good time because otherwise, it's boring. I like getting wild and stuff like that."

The tumultuous three-handed battle saw Taylor battle valiantly with a much shorter stack than her opponents, but ultimately bow out in third place. Calderaro began heads-up play as about a 2:1 underdog, but never had any doubt about the outcome. Even earlier in the final table when things looked bleak after losing a crucial hand to Rybin, Calderaro turned to his dejected rail and told them everything would be okay.

"I never thought I was losing. Especially when I lost the aces to the aces, my rail... their faces ... and everybody else looking down...I looked at my boy in the eyes and said it doesn't mean nothing. I'm not losing this. I knew I wasn't losing this. I knew how much chips I could lose on that hand. I played that hand horribly, I should never have played it like that. But I really believed I was winning this thing hands down, from the get go. From the time I walked in today, from the time I started playing."

Calderaro never wavered, never gave up, and never stopped believing that he was going to share this moment with Anthony.

"It means everything."

In a limped pot, the flop showed     and both players checked. Alexey Rybin also checked the   turn and James Calderaro bet 400,000, which Rybin called. The   fell on the river and Rybin bet the pot for 1,280,000.

"Queen nine is basically the only hand you can have," Calderaro said and took his time before calling. Rybin rolled over      for a full house and Calderaro mucked     for a flush.

James Calderaro	17,455,000	-2,430,000
Alexey Rybin	8,180,000	2,430,000

Alexey Rybin raised to 700,000 from the button, and James Calderaro made a pot-sized three-bet to 2,100,000 from the big blind. Rybin called.

The flop came    , and Calderaro instantly announced a pot-sized bet of 4,200,000, putting Rybin to a decision for most of his remaining chips. He quickly folded, and Calderaro took the pot.

James Calderaro	19,050,000	2,100,000
Alexey Rybin	6,585,000	-2,100,000

Alexey Rybin raised to 600,000 from the button, and James Calderaro three-bet to 1,800,000 from the big blind. Rybin called.

The flop came    , and Calderaro instantly announced a pot-sized bet of 3,600,000. Rybin showed    and sent his cards into the muck.

Alexey Rybin	17,200,000	50,000
James Calderaro	8,435,000	-50,000

James Calderaro raised to 500,000 from the button, Esther Taylor called from the small blind, and Alexey Rybin called from the big blind.

The flop came down    , and action checked to Calderaro, who bet 800,000. Taylor check-folded, Rybin check-raised to 2,000,000, and Calderaro folded.

Alexey Rybin	15,000,000	3,800,000
James Calderaro	8,580,000	-2,920,000

James Calderaro raised to 500,000 from the button, and Esther Taylor moved her entire stack into the middle from the small blind. She could only raise to 1,700,000 and had just 85,000 behind after her three-bet. Alexey Rubin folded his big blind, and after a few moments, Calderaro called. Taylor put her last 85,000 in the pot in the dark, and Calderaro called before the dealer ran out the board.

Taylor:     
Calderaro:     

Taylor had the preflop advantage with her queens, and Calderaro needed help from the deck to take the pot and eliminate Taylor.

The flop came    , which changed nothing, and the turn brought the   to give Taylor a lock on the pot with queens full. The meaningless   fell on the river, and Taylor scooped the pot to double up.

James Calderaro	12,800,000	-1,200,000
Esther Taylor	3,780,000	1,880,000

Esther Taylor raised to 700,000 from the button, Alexey Rybin called from the small blind, and James Calderaro called from the big blind.

The flop came    , and Rybin checked. Calderado checked, as well, and Taylor moved all in for about 880,000, prompting uproarious cheers from her rail. Rybin quickly folded, and after showing     , Calderado did the same.

Taylor took the pot.

James Calderaro	13,100,000	-400,000
Esther Taylor	2,900,000	1,300,000

Alexey Rybin raised to 500,000 from the button, James Calderaro three-bet to 1,600,000 from the small blind, and Rybin called.

The flop came down    , and Calderaro bet the pot. Rybin folded, and Calderaro won the pot.

James Calderaro	13,500,000	1,700,000
Alexey Rybin	10,130,000	-1,600,000