When the event started, there were 2,139 entrants, 409 of whom qualified through GGPoker. Just 25 remained at the start of the final day, and eight were left after the dinner break; only one was from the field of GGPoker players. We had a chance during the dinner break to sit with him, and while originally the hope was for an early night home, but when the interview was done, we knew we wanted him to win, sleep be damned.
Joseph Balsano, who currently resides in Woodbridge, Ontario, with his wife and two young children, appears to be a very gentle and unassuming young man. He was very happy to sit and talk with GG about himself and his poker history. Balsano came from a modest background and first found poker at 18. He and his friends would sit around and play for fun, but for Joseph, it was more than just a game; it was a passion. He really started to enjoy poker and was playing more, both online and live, as time would allow, with young children at home.
His first big live poker tournament was played in Las Vegas in 2019, a $250 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit event at Planet Hollywood, where he finished third! From that win, he continued on, learning and improving, eventually winning his first WSOP Circuit ring in the 2023 WSOP Spring Circuit Online Event #17 at GGPoker, defeating well-known Ontario poker professional, Mike Leah.
Joseph attributes much of his success to studying through Jonathan Little’s books and online coaching course, along with his wife, who had come out to support him in what was slowly becoming an epic moment.
GG: Joseph, other than your first big live tournament in Las Vegas and your WSOP Spring Circuit win, have you played in the WSOP Main Event or other major tournaments?
JB: The Main Event in Las Vegas, no, I haven’t played in that. It’s a major time commitment and that is very difficult with young kids. I did play in this tournament last year and finished 40th.
GG: Wow, well done on last year’s finish, and congrats on improving upon that this year, which is not an easy task. And I fully understand about the kids. So how did you qualify for the WSOP Toronto Circuit Main Event this year?
JB: I played in a $50 qualifier and made it in.
GG: Do you have a regular game that you are part of when you are not at the Great Canadian Casino Toronto or playing online?
JB: Yes, I am part of the York Poker League. It’s run by a great group of guys, and the Friday night tournies are always fun.
GG: Is there anything else you would like the GG Community to know about you?
JB: I am a physiotherapist by day, a poker player by night, and a huge fan of the Canadiens.
GG: The Habs? Well, I guess that’s fine and I won’t hold it against you. (I am totally going to hold it against him – GO LEAFS GO!) Physiotherapy or poker, which is your favourite?
JB: Physiotherapy and poker. I love them both equally.
The first level post-dinner break was fairly uneventful for his stack. Some ups and downs, but Joseph started the level with 6.25M and ended it with 7.25M. But the eight was now down to six, and he was not the short stack. His minimum cash was now guaranteed to be 6-figures.
And just 15 minutes later, there were five, but sadly, that’s where his run ended. He was not able to find any cards, and after 2 full orbits with the blinds at 300K/600K with a big blind ante of 600K, he was sitting with just under 3 million after paying the small blind. The first player to act folded, and UTG+1, who was sitting with approximately 38 million chips of the 85 million in play, went all in. Joseph went into the tank for a while. Sitting with just 5 bigs behind, it had been a while since he had a playable hand – he had only played one hand while not the big blind since before the dinner break, and eventually he called. The big blind, who was marginally ahead of Joseph in chips, eventually folded, and the hands were exposed: Joseph with A-9 off, neither card was a spade, and the villain with pocket jacks, including the jack of spades. The flop came down K-5-3, all spades, reducing Joseph’s outs to 2. The river was a nine, giving one last ray of hope before a 3 on the river ended his run. “GG’s” were offered around the table as Joseph stood up and walked, dejectedly, from the table to the rail.
It was an amazingly well-played game for someone who never really had cards on the final day. From a $50 satellite buy-in, Joseph Balsano came ever so close to doing something we all dream of, doing a ‘Moneymaker’. He turned the satellite entry into a $136,292 score, better than 2,700 ROI.
So, if you are ever up in Woodbridge, and in need of an expert Physiotherapist and a poker game, you will know who to look up. And Joseph, if you are reading this, congratulations! We are happy to have met you and had a chance to talk. Looking forward to seeing you at the final table next year and eventually on the Road to Vegas for the Main Event.