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Real Hustle: Two-Time WPT Borgata Final Tablist Zach Gruneberg Wins Two Borgata Events in Two Weeks

Sep 17, 2019

Zachary Gruneberg

By Sean Chaffin

Zach Gruneberg is no stranger to success at the Borgata. In Season XV, he finished runner-up in the WPT Borgata Poker Open for $490,617 and took third in the property’s Winter Poker Open in Season XVI for $321,533.

If that weren’t enough, Gruneberg took down two preliminary events in this year’s BPO and made Day 2 of the WPT Main Event. A bit more than a week ago, he won the $500 Black Chip Bounty for $56,073 in the third event of the series. A week later he added a second bounty title by winning the $1,060 Purple Chip Bounty for $31,502.

A full-time poker player since age 18, Gruneberg usually just plays a few events in the Borgata series but made an exception for this year’s BPO. A new focus on his lifestyle seems to have paid dividends.

“This time my friend and I decided we were going to come down for the whole series,” says this player from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. “I’ve really been focusing on working out, eating healthy, and lifting weights – even on poker trips. I would have never, ever done that before this trip and I’m sticking to it.

“I don’t want to say that I won was just because of that because I ran really good in the tournaments and didn’t get unlucky. I just feel better throughout the day. Even if I do take a bad beat or something, I just feel much better about myself. I feel like all that really contributes to playing well.”

With those two wins, Gruneberg now has three titles at the Borgata. In 2017, he took down a $400 Saturday Series event as part of the Spring Poker Open for $35,996. 

It’s been quite a hot streak for the 29-year-old. Away from the tables, Gruneberg has been honest about his battle with drug addiction. He spoke with WPT.com last year about his struggles with drugs that ultimately had him out of the game in 2011 after making millions playing online. Drug addiction cost him quite a bit of his bankroll. 

“At my lowest, I was probably taking 300 milligrams of Oxycontin a day, so my drug habit was almost 300 bucks a day,” he says. “If I didn’t have it, I’d start withdrawing almost instantly and I could barely get out of bed without it. I think I may have overdosed once, but never ended up in the hospital or anything.

“I was skinny and everybody knew I was pretty much on the verge of not being around anymore. So I went to rehab twice and that was it.”

Away from poker, Gruneberg enjoys playing tennis and is a big football fan who cheers on the Penn State Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also enjoys hiking and other outdoor activities as well as reading and watching television.

February marks six years sober and he’s proud of how his life turned around. 

“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke weed, I don’t do any drugs,” he says. “I don’t even smoke cigarettes.”

Part of his turnaround has also been serving as an inspiration to players struggling with their own drug and alcohol issues. Gruneberg is always willing to help others and sees it as part of his mission in life.

“When people reach out to me and ask for my experiences and what worked for me, that’s when I get the most fulfillment because poker is not very fulfilling in itself,” he says. “But I really enjoy helping other people who are struggling with addiction. I relate obviously on a different level than most people.”

With more than $1.8 million in live tournament winnings, Gruneberg also plays poker on a different level than most. He’s hoping for another final table run this week – and possibly a third win in the series.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.

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