DerbyWars Double for Trezza - $25K Bracket Champ + $10K High Stakes

Anthony Trezza had a very good weekend, turning in an incredible DerbyWars Double on Sunday!

Trezza, known as Youare2020, scored $10,000 when he defeated Damian Verno (Skezzer) in the Final round of the $25K Head-to-Head Bracket Championship, and within minutes of that big win, he also took down the $5,000 first prize in the weekly $10K High Stakes game for a total weekend payoff of $15,000!

"Sunday I woke up, drank a 5 hour energy and began analyzing the races for the day. After a few hours of review, I knew I had several weapons in my arsenal," said Trezza. "I texted my group of friends who watch and said, 'I'm playing to win-all out.'"

Trezza, of East Stroudsburg, Penn., is a regular face among the leaderboard toppers on DerbyWars, most recently winning the $20K Saturday game on Dec. 20. His frequent play gave him valuable experience to draw upon during the Finals.

 

"The head to head championship was by far the most challenging of any of the tournaments on the site. Early on in the tournament, my strategy was to get an early lead on my opponent and then force him or her out of their game," he said. "Since I play in so many games on site, I have become familiar with certain player's tendencies, so blocking picks once I get a lead has become part of that strategy. As the tournament progressed, the players seemed to step up their game. I was fortunate enough to squeak by Brett Workman (Brw26) on Saturday in a game that could have gone either way. That put me in the Finals. I noticed that Damian Verno was next up, and I had to be at my best. He is as hot as anyone on DerbyWars and was making his second straight appearance in the Final Four and coming off an 102 (Beyer) win January."

It would take every bit of experience, strategy and luck to face Verno, who is a formidable foe in Head-to-Head games.

 

"I'm more excited about the trophy... Beating an elite field of handicappers is priceless!" 

"Damian "Skezzer" came out jabbing, scoring on the first three races to take the lead, but I knew I had one of my best plays coming up. I hit a Wesley Ward first timer, City of Vengence, at 7-1 to put me back in the game. I was hoping to stay close for a few races because I had another first timer coming up from the Tom Proctor stable - Emyvale Court. When my friends saw my pick at 26-1, I could hear gasps for air. The horse did not disappoint and ran a game 2nd, paying $14 for place. Immediately following that race, I cashed in Grand Bill, 6-1 at Gulfstream, paying $19.20 to take a $25 lead."

But it wasn't over yet! The Final game was an all-out battle down to the wire that will live in Head-to-Head Championship history.

 

 

"I knew despite a fairly comfortable lead, Damian was not going down without throwing a haymaker, and he did. He cashed in $25.80 on Persuasive Paul at Santa Anita to take an 80-cent lead with 2 races left. I only had a minute to decide the next race, and I was torn between the favorite, Zloty, with a hot JJ Castellano, or the second choice, Night Song, with a cold Luis Contreras. That choice in Night Song turned out to be the deciding factor for the contest. Damian was not going away though - he hit the next race for place and pulled within $2. The final race of a brutal four-week contest was being decided by one run. I had a decision to make in the final race between the favorite and 2nd choice. And since I had no real opinion on the race, I decided to let him pick the winner, force his hand and chose the favorite. Both of us missed the last race and the rest was history."

Trezza's final score was $80.80, just $2 ahead of Verno's $78.80. His $10,000 first prize check also includes a DerbyWars champion trophy.

As runner-up, Verno takes home $5,000. The Final Four round players, Eric Moomey (Moomeyer) and Brett Workman (Brw26) each won $2,500. Elite Eight round finishers Sarah Wiener (Swiener), Steve Orden (Sapo), Mark McGuire (Maguru) and Josh Gilbert (Binjo) all earned $1,250.

  

 

View the Full January $25K Head-to-Head Bracket 

As all of this drama unfolded in the Championship Final, Trezza also had plays in the $10K Sunday High Stakes game.

"I peaked over at my $10K High Stakes game from time to time, and knew I had a decent lead late on, so my final picks where just strategic in nature," he said. Those strategic picks turned out a $91.50 final score, to top second-place dead-heaters Richard Guggenheim (Guggie) and Andres Snaider (Lafuga66) for the $5,000 cash prize. Guggenheim and Snaider finished with a tie score of $70.40 and each cashed out with $2,500.

"Winning the $10K tourney was just the icing on the cake, which included hitting an $8K Pick 6 Friday, and winning the $25K Head-to-Head Championship. A truly wild and incredible weekend," said Trezza.

His incredible weekend comes after less than a year playing in horse racing contests. Trezza joined DerbyWars May 10, 2014, after his interest was piqued by the Esquire Network show, Horseplayers. To date, he has earned over $32,000 playing DerbyWars games!

 

"As far as the money, it is secondary," said Trezza. "I will do the usual with it - replenish the bankroll for future contests, save a majority for a rainy day and of course send my mom some casino money.  I am more excited about the trophy.  The money is nice, but beating an elite field of handicappers is priceless."