Mike Cappelletti

Armand Michael Cappelletti (April 18, 1938 – November 14, 2013)^[1] was an American lawyer most widely known as a bridge player and poker authority.^[2][3]

Cappelletti was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of carpenter Armand "Mondo" Cappelletti and Rose Marie (née Pugliese). Both sets of his grandparents were born in Italy.^[4]

He later lived in Alexandria, Virginia,^[5] where he practiced for the U.S. Department of Justice and later as a public defender in Washington, D.C.^[2] Among poker players he is known as the author of the books Cappelletti on Omaha, The Best of Cappelletti on Omaha, Poker at the Millennium,^[6] and How to Win at Omaha High-Low Poker,^[7] and also as columnist for the poker magazine, CardPlayer.^[8] He is well known among bridge players as the inventor of the Cappelletti convention. Cappelletti was an American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Grand Life Master with more than 24,000 masterpoints. He won a bronze medal in the 1974 World Mixed Teams. Cappelletti also authored the book 100 Bridge Problems: Using Poker Tactics in Contract Bridge.^[9]

Cappelletti made some contributions to bridge bidding including Cappelletti over notrump, Cappelletti over one-of-a-major doubled, Cappelletti two-suited cuebids.^[2][10]

Bridge accomplishments

Wins

• North American Bridge Championships (2)
  • Master Mixed Teams (1) 1967^[11]
  • Silver Ribbon Pairs (1) 2013^[12]

Runners-up

• North American Bridge Championships (7)
  • Reisinger (1) 1991
  • Men's Board-a-Match Teams (1) 1979
  • North American Swiss Teams (1) 1985
  • Blue Ribbon Pairs (2) 1973, 1977
  • Mixed Pairs (2) 1967, 1988
• Other notable 2nd places:
  • Goldman Pairs (1) 1968

References

1. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. Social Security Administration.
2. Brent Manley, ed. (January 2014). "Michael Cappelletti, Sr. 1938–2013". Bridge Bulletin. 80 (1). Horn Lake, MS: American Contract Bridge League: 34. ISSN 1089-6376.
3. "Mike Cappelletti, Sr. 1942–2013". ACBL. November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
4. 1930 United States Census; 1940 United States Census
5. Manley, Brent; Horton, Mark; Greenberg-Yarbro, Tracey; Rigal, Barry, eds. (2011). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge - Biographies and Results (compact disk) (7th ed.). Horn Lake, MS: American Contract Bridge League. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-939460-99-1.
6. Caro, Mike; Cappelletti, Mike (January 1, 2003). "Poker at the Millennium". Amazon.com. Mike Caro University. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
7. Cappelletti, Mike (December 23, 2003). "How to Win at Omaha High-Low Poker". Amazon.com. Cardoza. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
8. "Michael Cappelletti". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
9. "100 BRIDGE PROBLEMS". Cardoza Books. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
10. Alder, Phillip (November 20, 2013). "Michael Cappelletti and His One-No-Trump Opening". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
11. Truscott, Alan (August 22, 1967). "Bridge:; Talented Young Woman Makes A Brilliant Defensive Play". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
12. "Winners of Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs". Bridge Winners. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

External links

• "International record for Mike Cappelletti". World Bridge Federation.  
• Mike Cappelletti at Library of Congress, with 3 library catalog records