Satellite Star: Cedric Darrett Turns Satellite Win into Deep Run in WPT Gardens Poker Championship

By Sean Chaffin

With 16 players remaining in the WPT Gardens Poker Championship, Los Angeles native Cedric Darrett was among those hoping to head to Las Vegas to the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor on March 12 for a shot at adding his name to the Champions Cup. The 52-year-old was also looking at the possibility of a hefty profit after gaining entry into the $10,000 buy-in event via a $175 satellite.

Earning that satellite win didn’t come easy and his persistence paid off.

“Actually I played one and I got a bad beat,” he says. “I contemplated playing again and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to give it a try.’ About two rounds in I got another bad beat. So I was headed out and right before I grabbed the door handle I said, ‘That’s not sitting well with me. Let me try one more bullet.’ I wasn’t going to give up. It worked and I made it through.”

With $525 invested in satellite entries, Darrett stood to cash a minimum of $29,705 to add to his career earnings of $79,217. He’s already found some success here at the Gardens recently, winning a $110 preliminary event for $3,200 on Jan 7.

Darrett has three children and owns a marketing company that sets up websites and recruits for healthcare facilities. He got into poker in the 1990s and plays recreationally at the Gardens and other area card rooms a couple times a week.

By early afternoon he was in the upper half of the chips counts with about 450,000 with two tables remaining. Darrett is one of three qualifiers who have turned a small buy-in into a major score. Nicole Schwartz won a charity tournament for a $200 investment and then finished 20th for $25,225. Dayron Huertas-Carballo won a $20 promotion tournament at the Gardens to earn his buy-in and finished 19th for the same amount as Schwartz.

Throughout the tournament, Darrett was noticed a bit for sporting a nice newsboy-style cap and a stylish scarf.

“This has been bringing me luck, so I’m going to ride it out,” he says.

Ultimately, Darrett bowed out in 16th for $29,705 after an unsuccessful river bluff against WPT regular Ray Qartomy. It may not be the ending he hoped for, but he walks away with a tidy profit of $29,180 – not a bad week here in Hawaiian Gardens.

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