John Spadavecchia

John Spadavecchia was born on July 17, 1938, in Lighthouse Point, Florida. He has been active on the poker tour since the 1980s, with his first WSOP cash coming in the 1988 Main Event, where he finished 28th for $8,750.

In 1991, Spadavecchia won his first WSOP bracelet by defeating three-time bracelet winner Dewey Tomko in the $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event, earning $58,500. In 1994, he made the final table of the WSOP Main Event and finished third for $294,000, the second-highest single payout of his career. In 1995, he finished runner-up to Dan Robison in the $2,500 Seven-Card Stud event, narrowly missing another bracelet.

He cashed in the WSOP Main Event three times (1988, 1994, 2007), including another cash in 2007 for $154,194. Over his career, he recorded 26 WSOP cashes, with total WSOP winnings exceeding $1.1 million.

Spadavecchia also performed well on the WSOP Circuit, with seven cashes including two victories. His largest score came in the 2005/2006 WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Championship, which he won for $648,320. That victory also earned him a seat in the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions. As of 2009, his live tournament earnings had surpassed $2.5 million, with a final Hendon Mob database record of $2,715,607.

Beyond the WSOP, Spadavecchia also posted results in the World Poker Tour (WPT) and European Poker Tour (EPT). He made one WPT final table, with total WPT winnings of $182,161, and one EPT cash for $52,000.

Spadavecchia was known for his patience and disciplined bankroll management, skilled at using position and ICM pressure in tournaments. While not a high-profile star, he earned the respect of his peers through consistent profitability and solid technique.

Spadavecchia continued to compete into his old age, with cashes recorded as recently as 2022 and 2024. He passed away on June 10, 2023, at the age of 84.