Jesse Sylvia, hailing from West Tisbury, Massachusetts, had the run of his life during the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. Prior to this deep run, Sylvia had a single cash in the WSOP in 2011, which was good for almost $3,000 and came in a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max event. He's top dog entering the 2012 WSOP October Nine with 43.8 million in chips.His biggest live cash prior to the deep run in the 2012 WSOP Main Event came four years prior by virtue of finishing second in a Caesars $200 Mega Stack tournament for just over $15,000. That contest saw him nearly beat out a field of over 500 players.
In January 2012, just months before his Main Event run, Sylvia took fifth in a $350 No Limit Hold'em Turbo tournament during the WSOP Circuit's stop at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and cashed for $4,200. That tournament brought out nearly 250 players and featured Canadian poker pro Alemu Makonen coming away with the win for $17,000.
Throughout the 2012 WSOP Main Event, Sylvia steadily amassed chips and was known to say hello to his father Wayne, who is in attendance watching his son. Who says the Main Event isn't about family?
On Day 5 of the Main Event, Sylvia got unlucky when he raised in middle position with pocket kings and Netherlands poker player Neils van Alphen 3bet shoved his remaining 235,000 chips in with A-Q. The flop came 2-9-A, turning Sylvia's dominating hand into a heavy underdog. The turn and river did not improve Sylvia's hand and he doubled up Alphen's short stack to bring his own chip count down to 3,050,000.
Despite Sylvia's lack of cashes in WSOP events, he is primed to be firmly entrenched in WSOP history.
