When Ervin Prifti came the United States fifteen years ago, he had a poker background but was more concerned with becoming acclimated to his new country. He spent some time working at his brother’s pizza shop in Pennsylvania, but the draw to get to the poker tables was too much. He finally gave in to his instincts and began to play full-time, something that he has done for nearly 12 years now. As he said, “I think I was born to play poker.”

While Ervin’s name may not be well-known in major poker circles, people in Atlantic City are quite familiar with the pro, as he plays regularly at the Borgata. He mainly plays seven-card stud but also competes in the Omaha and hold’em games. Higher no-limit games are where he is comfortable and where he plays his best. While he normally steers clear of tournaments because there is too much of an element of chance, that would change on one night in January of 2008.

Ervin had lost money on a Friday night and decided not to play on Saturday, but being at Borgata already, he decided to play a super satellite for the World Poker Tour main event of the Borgata Poker Classic. With a buy-in of $2100, he won the seat and was suddenly immersed in one of the biggest tournaments in the country. While he enjoyed it more than he anticipated, it was making it to the final table that was the biggest reward. In the end, he finished in sixth place, but he made $233,600 in the process and enjoyed the journey.