Professor Larry Pileggi Triumphs At Pittsburgh Poker Open Championship

Professor of electrical and computer engineering Larry Pileggi has won the Pittsburgh Poker Open Championship for $71,782 after first besting a tough field of talented pros, which included such notable names as Greg Raymer, Dan O’Brien, and 2009 WSOP runner-up Darvin Moon.
The $1,000 buy-in Main Event was held at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, and was televised as part of the Poker Night in America series. The event also succeeded in creating the largest tournament prize pool ever recorded in the Rivers Casino’s history.
By the time the final table of six had been reached, Larry Pileggi had to contend with a tough group of players which included Joseph Couden, Douglas MacKinnon, as well as other finalists David Tannenholtz, Donald Trenney and Daniel Hill.
Eventually, the wheelchair confined professor powered his way to a heads-up confrontation against David Tannenholtz, and as his wife Leah Pileggi (photo) noted in her blog entitled “It’s a wonder-filled life”:
“By the time it was heads up, the chip stacks were so large that Larry couldn’t reach beyond them. Management called me over to help. Sometime I stack chips for Larry, but I don’t usually put in his bets for him. This time I had to. ..I’m just thankful I understood how the big and small blinds work in heads up. I felt like I was wearing boxing gloves, but I tried my best not to be seen.”
Larry Pileggi then succeeded in closing out the heads-up battle to consign David Tannenholtz to a runner-up finish worth $35,890, while professor Pileggi took home the $71,782 first place prize, as well as a commemorative crystal trophy.
Final Table Results:
1. Larry Pileggi (Pittsburgh) – $71,782
2. David Tannenholtz (Nevada) – $35,890
3. Joseph Couden (Ohio) – $20,098
4. Douglas MacKinnon (N.Y.) – $17,227
5. Donald Trenney (Pennsylvania) – $15,792
6. Daniel Hill (Pennsylvania) – $12,920
As part of the Poker Night in America series, the Rivers Casino also hosted a special televised invite-only cash game, which featured Greg Raymer, Dan O’Brien, Darvin Moon, Joe Cada, Steve Dannenmann, and Larry Ormson, who eventually walked away the winner for $28,000.