Titan Poker
Born in Milan in 1971, Max was fascinated by cards at a relatively early age. As a young adult, he moved to Las Vegas to learn more about the intricacies of Poker. The first mentor he had in Las Vegas was Valter Farina, the famed Italian Poker player. Max later befriended Full-Tilt’s husband and wife combination of Mario Traniello and Jennifer Harman. Both friendships were instructive and Max took their advice to heart.
Max’s appetite for pro tournament play was whetted in 2002. In 2003, his career took flight. He scored two wins in WOP Challenge play and he hasn’t looked back since.
Max, nicknamed the “Italian Pirate” on account of the tri-coloured bandana he wears in homage to the Italian flag, has amassed over $2.5 million through 2008 play. There seems no limit on his potential success.
The Beginning: Max’s career interest in Poker started at age 15, when he won a local tournament in the Italian card game of “scopa”. Soon afterwards, Max determined that Poker should become his vocation. Upon moving to Las Vegas in the early 1990’s, Max befriended fellow countrymen, Valter Farina, a hard-nosed Italian Poker player who gained esteem when he became a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Farina taught Max the intricacies of the game from a professional standpoint.
The husband and wife duo of Mario Traniello and Jennifer Harman were the next big influences to come into Max’s life. They introduced Max to Full-Tilt Poker, and allowed Max to study their moves during tournament play in the Bellagio on the Vegas strip. Jennifer, in particular, was extremely important in the development of Max’s playing style. She taught him the psychological aspects of tournament Poker play, a lesson that he took under advisement and has used to his advantage throughout his career.
Career Highlights: The career of Max Pescatori has been ascending rapidly since 2003. Within his professional tenure, Max has won over $2.5 million in prize earnings. In January of 2005, he won Harrah’s Limit Hold’em Tournament in Atlantic City. He followed that success with a 2nd place finish in the Mirage Poker Showdown in May and a 5th place in the World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha the next month.
In 2006 and 2007, Max won the Vegas Open, World Series of Poker No Limit Hold’em and the Italian Championship Tournaments while placing in the top 7 positions in eight other tourneys. This year, Max added the WPT Limit Hold’em and the prestigious World Series of Poker Pot Limit Hold’em and Omaha Championship gold bracelets to his awards mantle.
Epilogue: Max has won 10 Championships in Poker and there is no reason for him not to continue on his storied career. He thanks his many friends and, especially, the mentors who have helped him buoy his career. He says his Poker game is still evolving and he continues to learn during the course of each game, from the good players as well as the bad ones.
Max resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, but remains Italian at heart, right down to his red, white and green bandana. The next time you turn on a televised Poker event and notice a gentleman sitting at the table wearing a flashy bandana wrapped around his head, sit a spell and watch a real pro operate at the Poker table.
