Max Pescatori: Four-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner and Mixed-Game Specialist
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Max Pescatori has built one of the most accomplished poker careers produced by an Italian player. The Milan-born professional has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two WSOP Circuit rings, with his bracelet victories coming across four different poker disciplines.
Known as “The Italian Pirate,” Pescatori has demonstrated unusual versatility over a career that stretches back more than two decades. His WSOP championships include victories in no-limit hold’em, a mixed pot-limit hold’em/Omaha event, razz and seven-card stud hi-lo.
As of August 31, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Pescatori with $4,918,039 in live tournament earnings and a career-best live cash of $682,389. He also remained active at the 2026 WSOP, adding multiple cashes to a tournament record that began in the early 2000s.
⠀
Who Is Max Pescatori?
Massimiliano “Max” Pescatori is an Italian professional poker player from Milan. He became a tournament regular during the early years of poker’s international boom and developed a reputation for competing successfully across a much wider selection of games than no-limit hold’em alone.
The World Series of Poker lists Pescatori with four bracelets and two Circuit rings. His success across hold’em, Omaha, razz and stud-based formats makes mixed-game versatility one of the defining features of his tournament career.
Pescatori has also been closely associated with the growth of poker in Italy. When the WSOP named him a Poker Hall of Fame finalist in 2017, it noted that he had written two poker books in Italian intended to help educate players and grow the game in his home country.
His nickname, “The Italian Pirate,” has followed him throughout much of his professional career and has become closely associated with his public identity in poker.
⠀
Max Pescatori’s WSOP Career
Pescatori’s World Series of Poker record is the centerpiece of his tournament résumé.
As of August 31, 2026, the WSOP lists Pescatori with four bracelets, two Circuit rings, 27 final tables, 163 cashes and $3,277,501 in WSOP earnings. Those figures include results across many different poker variants and more than two decades of competition.
His four bracelet victories are:
2006: $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em — $682,389
2008: $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha — $246,509
2015: $1,500 Razz — $155,947
2015: $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship — $292,158
The list illustrates the breadth of Pescatori’s game. His first bracelet came in no-limit hold’em, while his later championships required success in pot-limit games and traditional mixed-game disciplines.
⠀
Pescatori’s Breakthrough 2006 WSOP Bracelet
Pescatori earned his first WSOP bracelet in 2006 by winning a $2,500 no-limit hold’em event.
The $682,389 first-place prize remains the largest recorded live tournament cash of his career according to The Hendon Mob.
That victory established Pescatori as a WSOP champion at a time when the tournament poker boom was producing much larger fields and introducing a new generation of players to the World Series.
He added a second bracelet two years later, winning the 2008 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha event for $246,509.
Rather than establishing a record based entirely on one poker format, those first two titles provided an early indication of the versatility that would later become central to his career.
⠀
Max Pescatori Won Two Bracelets at the 2015 WSOP
Pescatori produced one of the strongest stretches of his WSOP career in 2015, winning two bracelets during the same series.
His third bracelet came in the $1,500 Razz event. Pescatori defeated a 462-entry field and earned $155,947.
The victory was especially significant because razz is a lowball form of seven-card stud in which players compete to make the lowest qualifying five-card hand rather than the strongest conventional high hand. Success requires a different strategic foundation from the no-limit hold’em tournaments that dominate most modern poker schedules.
Pescatori followed that victory by winning the $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship just weeks later.
According to the WSOP’s official account of the championship, the event attracted 111 entries and generated a $1,043,400 prize pool. Pescatori earned $292,158 after overcoming a final table that included Stephen Chidwick, Daniel Negreanu and Gary Benson.
The victory gave Pescatori his fourth bracelet and his second championship of the 2015 WSOP.
⠀
Why Max Pescatori Is Known for Mixed Games
Pescatori’s bracelet record provides clear evidence of his ability to compete across multiple poker formats.
He has won bracelets in:
No-limit hold’em
Pot-limit hold’em/Omaha
Razz
Seven-card stud hi-lo
His two 2015 victories are particularly important to that reputation because both came in stud-family games, including a $10,000 championship event featuring experienced mixed-game professionals.
Pescatori has continued entering mixed-game events deep into his career. At the 2026 WSOP, for example, he cashed in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event, further demonstrating that his tournament schedule still extends beyond hold’em.
Calling Pescatori a mixed-game specialist does not depend on a subjective assessment of his style. His tournament titles and continued participation across multiple disciplines provide a documented competitive record in those games.
⠀
Max Pescatori’s Live Tournament Earnings
As of August 31, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Pescatori with $4,918,039 in total live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded live cash is the $682,389 he earned for winning his first WSOP bracelet in 2006.
Tournament earnings figures should be treated as changing statistics rather than permanent career totals. Future cashes can increase Pescatori’s total, and different databases may categorize some events differently.
His overall earnings have been accumulated through hundreds of recorded tournament results rather than a single massive score. That distinguishes his résumé from players whose career totals are dominated by one seven-figure high-roller or Main Event result.
⠀
Max Pescatori on the World Poker Tour
Pescatori has also recorded results on the World Poker Tour, although a WPT title is not part of his résumé.
The World Poker Tour’s Max Pescatori player page lists nine Main Tour cashes and $182,102 in WPT earnings, with zero WPT wins.
His WPT results include cashes at major properties and festivals such as the Bellagio, the Bicycle Casino and the Gardens Casino.
The difference between his WPT and WSOP records further illustrates where Pescatori achieved his greatest championship success: the World Series of Poker and its broader range of poker disciplines.
⠀
Poker Hall of Fame Recognition
Pescatori’s career has also received recognition through the Poker Hall of Fame nomination process.
The WSOP named him among the finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame in both 2015 and 2017. Although being a finalist is not the same as induction, repeated consideration placed Pescatori among a select group of players and poker figures evaluated for their accomplishments and contributions to the game.
In its 2017 finalist announcement, the WSOP highlighted his four bracelets, long-term tournament consistency, success in multiple disciplines and work as an Italian-language poker author.
That recognition reflects an important part of Pescatori’s significance. His career has combined tournament success with a visible role in Italian poker during a period when the game expanded rapidly across Europe.
⠀
Max Pescatori’s Recent Poker Results
Pescatori remained an active tournament player during the 2026 World Series of Poker.
The Hendon Mob records three live cashes for him at the 2026 WSOP:
40th in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event for $5,318
1,070th in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event for $17,500
1,338th in the $300 Gladiators of Poker for $600
Those results followed multiple WSOP cashes in 2025, including finishes in seven-card stud, mixed Omaha, pot-limit Omaha hi-lo and no-limit hold’em events.
The range of games remains consistent with the broader pattern of Pescatori’s career. Even decades after his first major tournament results, he continues to compete in both hold’em and mixed-game events.
⠀
Max Pescatori’s Place in Italian Poker
Pescatori occupies an important position in the history of Italian tournament poker because of both the length and breadth of his accomplishments.
His four WSOP bracelets made him one of the country’s most successful World Series competitors, while his championship victories across four different formats demonstrated that his success was not limited to one game.
His career also spans very different eras of tournament poker. Pescatori was already producing recorded tournament results before the mid-2000s poker boom, won his first bracelet during that expansion, captured two more titles nearly a decade later and was still cashing at the WSOP in 2026.
Combined with his poker writing and international tournament presence, that longevity has made Pescatori a recognizable figure in both Italian and international poker.
⠀
Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Max Pescatori have?
Max Pescatori has four WSOP bracelets. He won them in 2006, 2008 and twice in 2015.
⠀
How many WSOP Circuit rings does Max Pescatori have?
The World Series of Poker lists Max Pescatori with two WSOP Circuit rings as of August 31, 2026.
⠀
How much has Max Pescatori won in live poker tournaments?
As of August 31, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Max Pescatori with $4,918,039 in live tournament earnings. Tournament earnings are changeable statistics and can increase as he records additional cashes.
⠀
What is Max Pescatori’s biggest tournament cash?
Pescatori’s largest recorded live tournament cash is $682,389, earned when he won the 2006 WSOP $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em event and captured his first bracelet.
⠀
Why is Max Pescatori called “The Italian Pirate”?
“The Italian Pirate” is the nickname widely associated with Pescatori throughout his poker career. The WSOP has used the nickname in its official coverage of his tournament accomplishments.
⠀
Is Max Pescatori still playing poker?
Yes. Tournament records show that Pescatori remained active in 2026. He recorded multiple cashes at the 2026 World Series of Poker, including in the WSOP Main Event and the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event.