With $4 In His Pocket, Nick Pupillo Hits It Big After Loan from His Grandparents
If you haven't heard the name Nick Pupillo, you're bound to in the near future. Since hitting the tournament circuit just two years ago, the Illinois native has amassed $346,228 in live tournament earnings and obtained a coveted one-year Team Pro sponsorship with the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT). This weekend, Pupillo will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the MSPT Potawatomi event, which is sure to set a new state record for largest turnout in a $1,000-plus buy-in tournament.
The oldest of seven children, Pupillo grew up in Addison, Illinois, and like so many poker players, he had a strong interest in sports. First it was soccer, but before long he moved on to basketball.
"I really wasn't good at first, but I loved the nature of the competition, so I forced myself to get better by spending countless hours working on my game on and off the court," Pupillo explains. "Around the same time I started playing basketball for my high school team, I got a part-time job working the sales floor at Ace Hardware. Soon after, I was offered a full-time position at the store, so I needed to decide between working or playing basketball. I ended up taking the full-time job and the money that came along with it."
Pupillo first learned to play poker in grade school, but at the time it was nothing more than an entertaining card game. It wasn't until he met a new friend, Brandon, at Ace Hardware that his desire to play was jumpstarted. His first foray into the world of gambling was at a place they called "Da Shed," which is where a fellow named Russ held weekly $25 tournaments and small-stakes cash games. In his first tournament, Pupillo managed to finish in third place for a score of $85.
"From that night on, I was hooked," Pupillo explains. "I started playing every chance I could get, while still maintaining my full-time job and going to school. One night, I went to a different game and lost a few buy-ins. I was pretty bummed, so I started talking to my now-good friend, Aaron. He told me, 'You have to start playing more hands out of the box.'"
Pupillo took his friend's advice and began playing even more; in fact, almost every spare moment was dedicated to poker. It worked, too, as Pupillo immediately began to notice results. In order to be closer to the games, he ended up moving out of his parents' house to live with Brandon and his grandma, which was followed by moving in with his then-girlfriend and her parents.
"I graduated high school with no desire to attend college," reveals Pupillo. "It was around that time I knew I wanted to dedicate even more time to becoming a better poker player. I eventually quit Ace Hardware and my side job at Home Depot with the intention of putting more time on the felt."
From the time he was 18, Pupillo was not only playing regularly, but dealing as well, a side gig that allowed him to build a bankroll after going broke countless times. He also put in time studying the game by discussing hands with other players, like Gary Tsui and David Droeger, two of his poker mentors.
"Watching Gary, who is one of the better cash-game players in the Chicago area, helped me to see and learn the game," Pupillo explains. "Dave would regularly talk poker with me, specifically tournament poker strategy. He has incredible game concept, and I was fortunate in that he spent a lot of time and energy coaching me. He also really believed in me, which gave me the confidence I needed, something crucial to multi-table tournaments."
Pupillo's first taste of major success came in June 2014 when he finished 12th in the World Series of Poker $1,500 Monster Stack for $99,981, still his largest cash to date.
"Even though I ended up placing 12th, it was my first-ever WSOP event and ultimately my big breakout score that allowed me to become the player I always wanted to be," Pupillo reflects. "I flew to Las Vegas with only $4 in my pocket on a pre-booked flight using my friend Dave’s airline miles. My grandparents live in Las Vegas, so when I arrived they handed me a loan of $2,400, which is what I used to enter the Monster Stack. I really cannot thank them enough; their belief in me and trust in loaning me that money really changed my life."
The Monster Stack run is still Pupillo's proudest poker accomplishment, but a close second is his victory in Event #3: $580 No-Limit Hold'em at the WSOP Circuit St. Louis stop this past February. The $15,600 prize money was nice, but it was capturing his first gold ring that was truly special.
During his run in that event, his girlfriend, Emma, made the four-hour drive to St. Louis to sweat her man, which was a shocker to Pupillo.
"Her surprise really meant a lot to me; it was at that point that I knew I had to win it all," Pupillo says, giving Emma a great deal of the credit. "It was such huge motivation, and I'm incredibly grateful that I was able to pull it off. It's not often that a multi-table tournament player can finish in first place, so winning is truly a great accomplishment. I feel very blessed to have won a WSOP Circuit ring."
As for the MSPT sponsorship, that came after an excellent showing in the tour's fifth season. It began when Pupillo placed seventh at the MSPT Evansville for $8,647, and then a couple months later notched back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the MSPT Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells and MSPT FireKeepers, good for $19,805 and $28,000, respectively. He also placed 41st in the MSPT Meskwaki for $2,054 and 21st in the season-ending MSPT Canterbury Park for $2,584. Most recently, in Season 6, he placed sixth in the MSPT Golden Gates for $18,845.
"Because I feel very strongly about the MSPT and felt that I could represent them in a very positive manner, I went out on a limb and talked to [tour owner] Bryan Mileski about a potential sponsorship," says Pupillo. "Within a few days, he got in touch with me gave me the good news. I'm excited to be an MSPT Team Pro this year and I'm looking forward to the upcoming events."
Building an impressive poker résumé and landing a deal with the MSPT also helped Pupillo silence any naysayers, which at times included his family and friends.
"My family and I had ups and downs in the past over poker," says Pupillo. "When I first started playing they didn’t want to support 'my addiction,' but as I proved myself as a strong player and really showed them that this game is my passion, I've received nothing but the utmost support from them. My parents are happy for me; their encouragement helps keep me focused and motivated. As for my friends, they're happy for me for the most part. It's always nice when I see people being genuinely happy for others — there should be more people in the world like that."
As a result of his whirlwind success, Pupillo will be playing his first full WSOP schedule this summer. He'll also be attending most, if not all, the Season 6 MSPT events, starting with this weekend's MSPT Potawatomi.
"The tournament itself is great; I really love the solid 'Chainsaw-Approved' structure with a perfectly priced buy-in size," Pupillo gushes. "However, I think the best part about the MSPT are the guys who run it. Bryan and Eric Anderson treat all the players as though they are professionals and really go out of their way to make their players happy. They have even offered to pick players up from nearby airports for the events — if that isn't great customer service, then I don’t know what is."
Nowadays, when he's not on the road, Pupillo lives in Chicago suburbs and is with his girlfriend of nearly two years. Poker is certainly his competition of choice, but while he no longer plays basketball, he still maintains a strong interest in the NBA.
You can follow Pupillo on Twitter here: @NickPupillo54.
*Lead photo courtesy of WSOP.
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
