"Chicago Sam" Petrillo, one of the top players from the early days of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), recently passed away in his Las Vegas home at the age of 68. In the years 1979 and 1981, Petrillo made it to the WSOP's final tables, and built a name for himself as one of the top professional poker players of his time. He has been accredited with being one of the figures who helped boost poker's popularity over the years.

Petrillo got his start playing poker in the barrooms of his native Chicago. Years later, Petrillo decided to up his poker playing a notch and moved to Vegas to pursue gambling on a professional basis. Even after moving to Vegas, however, Petrillo still had a bit of capital to raise before he could realize his aspirations. Thus, he started out working at the Fremont, Sands and Stardust as a blackjack dealer, leaving the poker play to his spare time. Ultimately, however, Petrillo was able to turn his dream into a reality and became one of the most respected poker players on the pro circuit.

Source:  Poker777 Staff

Friday, 01 July 2005