The East Coast poker community knows Gags30. Many in the broader poker community have also heard his name, some have seen Gags30 at the online tables over the past two decades, and diehard poker fans recognize him from his 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) live bracelet in Las Vegas.
But in East Coast poker rooms like Borgata in Atlantic City, players know that Michael Gagliano is one of their own, a New Jersey grinder who has put in the time and done the hard work.
It has never been a surprise to hear that Gagliano made a final table somewhere, whether in online or live poker. The man has more than $3,000,000 in live tournament earnings and nearly twice that number online. When he put on the BetMGM Poker patch to serve as a brand ambassador, no one blinked, as it made sense that a top poker brand would want him to represent them in the local scene and broader poker world.
But when he made it to The Main Event Final Table this month – guaranteeing him a $1,000,000 payout but dangling $10,000,000 in front for first place – everyone took notice. There’s nothing quite like this tournament or this grand stage.
Gagliano has four WSOP bracelets to date, his first the aforementioned 2016 win in a $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event for nearly $450,000 and online events in 2022, 2023, and 2025. That experience will undoubtedly help when he returns to Las Vegas on August 3 to play The Main Event Final Table.
Also helpful will be his decades of experience – playing nearly all of his adult life, turning pro in 2009, coaching more than 50 players since 2010 (one of whom won the WSOP Main Event) – not to mention the support of his family and many friends in the industry.
We asked Gagliano a few questions ahead of that August endeavor, and he unsurprisingly took the time to answer almost immediately. That’s the Gags30 we know.
A Q&A with Michael Gagliano Ahead of The Main Event Final Table
BetMGM: The Main Event Final Table is unlike any other tournament, with its eight days of play to get to the final table. Some days, you finished with an average or encouraging stack. On Day 4, however, you bagged just 12 big blinds. How do you stay positive at that point in such a long grind?
Gagliano: The WSOP Main is certainly like no other tournament. Its sheer length alone makes it such a unique event. Day 4 was the day we made the money. I had a good stack coming in, did well through the bubble and most of the day. But then the last level went very poorly. I don’t think I made any large mistakes, but every pot just seemed to not go my way. Bagging under 300,000 was certainly frustrating, considering I had over a million not long before. With that being said, I went into Day 5 thinking that I’d played so many tournaments in the past and am well-versed at playing shorter stacks, so even though I likely will soon bust, I’m just going to try to make the best decisions and see what happens. Fortunately, more than a few hands went my way, and I was able to bag over 5,000,000 chips that night.
BetMGM: How do you balance your emotions throughout such a long tournament?
Gagliano: Balancing emotions for me has really come with experience. When I first started playing live poker, any time I lost a pot, I felt this urgency to try to win another, which led to a lot of mistakes. These days, I just try to focus on the hand that’s in front of me and try to make the best decision in the moment. Sometimes that means putting in a lot of chips and then folding, and other times, it means not winning pots for a long stretch. That’s poker. The more clearly I can focus on these spots, the better my long-term results will be.
BetMGM: How will you approach this final table differently than the WSOP event you won in 2016, in relation to how you’ve grown as a player and a person in the decade since?
Gagliano: This final table is quite different from the one in 2016. For starters, the stack distribution is wildly different. In 2016, I came in relatively short-stacked, so I was kind of forced to make some plays or blind out early. The average stack is much higher in the Main Event. Even though I’m toward the middle/bottom of the pack going into the final table, most players have 30 or more big blinds, which leaves for some more play.
BetMGM: You’re known for coaching other players. How willing are you to accept poker coaching for this final table?
Gagliano: Coaching is interesting. I definitely plan to continue to work on my game and brush up on some spots, but I don’t plan to do a full coaching regimen. I’m happy with my overall game and just want to polish a few areas where I can get even sharper. I think it’s a mistake to try to rebuild your game from the ground up in only two weeks.
BetMGM: How do you even start studying for a final table like this one with so much money on the line?
Gagliano: Preparing for this final table is interesting. Each player will have different goals. Some want to win, some want to get a few pay jumps, and some may want to reach a certain payout amount and then play for the win after that. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I have thought a lot about my goals and exactly what I want to focus the most on. When the day comes, I’m just going to do my best to continue doing what I have all tournament long and focus on the decisions in front of me.
BetMGM: You noted in your PokerNews interview that your family watched Day 8 streamed online. Are they all coming to Vegas for the final table? Who else is going to be there on your in-person rail?
Gagliano: They’re all coming out to Vegas, but my children will stay at the rental house and watch with their grandma while enjoying Las Vegas during the day. I’m going to have a great rail. I have a bunch of friends and family flying out from the East Coast, some local friends in Vegas are coming, and some of the BetMGM team will be there. It should be a lot of fun. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’ve received just an unreal number of messages congratulating me and rooting me on. It’s truly amazing to see the level of support from so many people across the entire poker community.
Playing Online Poker at BetMGM
It will be difficult to play like Michael Gagliano, as he has spent decades taking his game to a level that very few players can reach, but you can play the same games on the same site as Gags30. And you might even see him at the tables – just not during the first week of August, as he has a little something on his calendar.
It’s quite simple to set up your real-money online poker account at BetMGM, and you can be playing the cash games or tournaments you choose in no time at all. When you make your first deposit, don’t forget to use our exclusive online poker welcome bonus to capitalize on the new player offer. And if you see Gags30 at the tables, make sure to say hi!
