Justin Zaki

Justin is a live poker specialist that began grinding on the scene full-time in 2010. He received a warm welcome to the live arena as he made a WSOP final table in his very first cash. Though the Florida native’s luck ran out prematurely after he exited in seventh-place at the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event, he did earn himself a hefty five-figure score and outlasted a tough field that included English Triple Crown winner Roland de Wolfe and high roller regular Stephen Chidwick.

Less than one year later, Zaki clinched his most lucrative tournament score to date at the 2011 $10,000 NLH Championship event at the WPT stop in Hollywood. On this outing, Justin came closer than ever to a major title when he made it down to the final three. Unfortunately for him, he was the first of the trio to exit and had to settle for $415,680.

The WSOP has been a bittersweet series for Zaki on numerous occasions. In 2013, he fell just three places short of a monumental bracelet win after he busted in fourth in the $1,111 NLH Little One Drop event for $218,771. He made a third final table in 2016 – this time in the $1,000 NLH event. While his deep run earned him another large score, it was tarnished by the fact that it was another opportunity missed to seize the gold.

In an interview recently, he reflected on his desire to win a major trophy:

‘If I had the option between winning a $1 million for first or getting second-place for $1.5 million I would choose the win and get $500,000 less. It’s about the trophies, right? Isn’t that why we play poker, to win? And I have yet to win. That’s my priority’.

Although The University of Central Florida graduate might still be chasing that tournament win, his collection of live cashes have surpassed $1,700,000 and are a testament to his skill as a player.