With his runner up finish in the 2009 WSOP, Ivan Demidov may have cemented Russia’s place among the best pokering nations of the world, but Vitaly Lunkin is providing some staunch support to even further that claim. Getting his start in strategic games such as backgammon and Renju, Lunkin was introduced to poker by a friend and his never looked back. More...
By JD
In conversations regarding who’s had the most successful career at the World Series of Poker, it makes sense that Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan are usually first to be mentioned – after all, they lead the pack with 11, 11 and 10 bracelets, respectively. However, a few names down the list you’ll find Layne Flack, who’s also had an incredible amount of success at the WSOP, with six bracelets of his own. More...
By JD
Gavin Smith is a Canadian poker pro from Guelph, Ontario. At a young age, Gavin’s father taught him cribbage and rummy, which no doubt later facilitated his interest in poker. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics, Smith got a job as a poker dealer, a position that would truly shape his future in the game. In 1998, after dealing for a year, and then running his own poker club for the year after that, Gavin Smith decided to take the plunge and play poker for a living. More...
By JD
Chris Moneymaker, the proverbial face that launched thousands of internet poker players, is the American who won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, taking home $2.5 million. “Money800,” as he’s known online, qualified through PokerStars by playing just a $39 satellite tournament and then subsequently outlasted 838 players to not only do the unthinkable – beat a field of experienced pros and veterans – but also to facilitate the unpredictable, popularizing poker to heights the game had never seen. More...
By JD
Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier is a Team PokerStars Pro with an extremely accomplished poker resume. Before getting into poker, “ElkY” was one of the top Starcraft players in the world, with multiple Top 5 finishes in the World Cyber Games, and a victory in the Euro Cyber Games of 2003. Once he turned his attention to cards, Grospellier had immediate success, finishing 2nd in the 2007 EPT Scandinavian Open in Copenhagen for $400K. More...
By JD
Jeffrey Lisandro, known as one of the best Seven Card Stud players in the world, proved he is just that at the 2009 World Series of Poker by being the first person to ever win all three Stud events in the same year. Lisandro bagged $125K in the $1500 Stud event, $431K in the $10K Seven Card Stud 8 or Better, and $188K in the $2500 Razz event for a total of over $740K in ’09 WSOP earnings. For his amazing feat Jeffrey Lisandro received the ’09 WSOP Player of the Year award.j More...
By JD
Vanessa Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars, and no doubt one of the best female poker players in the game today. Rousso – who’s been ahead of the learning curve her whole life – graduated with an economics major from Duke University after just two and a half years, and then moved on to Law School at The University of Miami. During Law School, Vanessa was a member of the editorial board of the University of Miami Law Review, and was also in the top 5% of her class. Despite the accolades, Rousso didn’t finish Law Scool, instead deciding to shift her focus to poker. More...
By JD
Phil Galfond, known as “OMGClayAiken” and “Jman” online, is a nose-bleed stakes cash game expert who also occasionally plays the juiciest tournaments, on both the real and cyber felt. Galfond’s biggest live accomplishment to date is his victory in the 2008 WSOP $5000 Pot-Limit Omaha Rebuy event, which earned him $818K. Perhaps more impressive than the near million-dollar score are the players he beat to get it – the final table featured the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Kirill Gerasimov, and David Benyamine. More...
By JD
J.C. Tran is a tournament poker phenom who hails from Sacramento, California. Tran’s biggest accomplishments include two World Series of Poker bracelets, a WCOOP Main Event victory, and five WPT final tables. His biggest cash is actually a 2nd place finish in the 2007 L.A. Poker Classic for $1.1 million, but he would later claim victory and $683K in the World Poker Challenge that same year. More...
By JD
Brock “tsoprano” Parker, is a long time online tournament grinder who exploded in 2009 by winning two WSOP bracelets, mere days apart. After getting a taste of World Series final table glory in 2008 – a 6th place in a Limit Hold’em event – Parker decided that what he really wanted was that bracelet, maybe even two. And so, four days after winning the $2500 Limit Hold’em six handed event for $224K, Parker shipped the $2500 No-Limit six handed event for $552K. More...
By JD
Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko is, quite simply, a master of the big score. Of his 9 live cashes, Timoshenko has five over $100K, including a massive $2.1 million payday for winning the 2009 Five-Star World Poker Classic. More...
By JD
Jamie Gold is the winner of the largest cash prize for a televised sports event - $12 million for the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event. After outlasting 8,772 players over the course of eleven grueling days, Gold instantly became a poker-star and one of the many faces of the game. Having been taught poker at a very young age by his grandfather, winning the WSOP was somewhat of a life-long dream for Jami Gold, who had a mere $100K in cashes before making the gargantuan score. More...
By JD
Justin Bonomo, or “ZeeJustin” to the online world, is not just a rising poker-star, but rather one of the brightest and most analytical players the game has ever seen, period. Born September 30, 1985 in Virginia, Justin got his competitive start at the tender age of 9 by thrusting himself headlong into the world of Magic: The Gathering. Magic being a card game which requires a great deal of skill and strategy to be successful, it’s no shock that Bonomo eventually made the transition over to poker. More...
By JD
Darvin Moon is from Oakland, MD, and was the chip leader of the “November Nine” with an astonishing 58.93 million in chips – just under a third of the chips in play. Moon held the lead of the 2009 WSOP Main Event since Day Six. The 45-year-old logger from western Maryland is a longtime poker player who learned the game at the feet of his grandfather. More...
By Earl Burton
Antoine Saout is from Saint Martin des Champs, France and is one of only two non-US born players of the 2009 “November Nine.” When the cards hit the air on November 7th, Saout will be one of the short stacks at the table with 9.5 million in chips. More...
By Earl Burton
Kevin Schaffel is from Coral Springs, FL, and is the oldest member of the 2009 “November Nine” at 51 years old. When play resumes on November 7th, Schaffel will be in the middle of the pack in sixth place with 12,390,000 in chips. More...
By Earl Burton
Like many young aspiring poker pros, Joe Cada realized that college wasn't for him. The Shelby Township, MI native took the leap toward becoming a professional poker player shortly after beginning classes at Macomb Community College. And while most dropouts find the transition difficult, Cada's decision to leave school turned out to be the most lucrative of his young life: a short time later he became a member of the 2009 World Series of Poker November Nine. More...
By Brett Collson
Steven Begleiter won't be quitting his day job anytime soon. But after making the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, he'll have some extra spending money to take back to his home in Chappaqua, NY. More...
By Brett Collson
Eric Buchman, 29, hails from Valley Stream, New York and will enter the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event with 34.8 million in chips; second only to Darvin Moon. Although the $1,263,602 that is guaranteed to each of the November 9 will be by far Buchman’s largest tournament cash, he has been excelling on the tournament circuit since 2002 and has amassed more than $900,000 in career tournament earnings. More...
By Nick Chappell
The Editor of CardPlayer Magazine, Jeff Shulman resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s 34 years-old and finished seventh in the 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, banking $146,000 when he was just 25 More...
By Dan Cypra
Akenhead, a British poker pro, has just two World Series of Poker (WSOP) cashes to his name, both of which came after deep runs on poker’s biggest stage. Akenhead is a former railroad conductor who now competes on the green felts for a living. More...
By Dan Cypra
When the argument about the best female player in the game is debated, there are a host of names that come to the list. From the female pioneers in the game, such as Barbara Enright and Wendeen Eolis, to current stars such as Annie Duke and Jennifer Harman to even Annette Obrestad, who many think may be the future of poker, the list is highly contentious. For longevity, success and continued drive at the tables, poker professional Cyndy Violette has to be added to that list. More...
By Earl Burton
Perhaps no one else in the world of poker owes more to the game than professional player Freddy Deeb. Deeb has been able to use his poker skills to amass a fortune and reach that dream that all poker players have - of having never held a “real” job. More...
By Earl Burton
Eric “Rizen” Lynch is an average looking guy. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and kids, he is neither a college dropout nor a hustler by trade. He’s a normal guy who happens to make millions of dollars playing poker online. More...
By Maria Del Mar
As a former Miss Teen Oklahoma, Cycalona "Clonie" Gowen might appear to be out of place at a poker table. Her stunning physique doesn't fit quite fit with the stereotypical male, out of shape card player.
But part of what makes Clonie Gowen so unique is that she's always just been one of the guys. Growing up in Kiowa, Oklahoma, Gowen was a regular high school jock. She was a member of a state championship basketball team and starred on her track and field team as a high jumper, where she was ranked seventh in the state of Oklahoma. More...
By Brett Collson
When it comes to style, Marcel Luske is in a class of his own. Always seen dressed in a suit, upside-down sunglasses and a smile, it's no wonder Luske has become one of the most popular poker players in the world.
Add a proclivity for singing at the table and one might peg Luske as a one-man act. But behind the goofy facade is a brilliant poker mind that has earned the title of European Poker Player of the Year twice (2001 and 2004). More...
By Brett Collson
Canada has provided the poker world with several great champions. Daniel Negreanu is recognized as one of the best players in the world and, along with other players like Gavin Smith, has led the charge of players from the Great White North. One person who learned about the game from Negreanu and has carved her own niche in the game today is Bodog pro Evelyn Ng. More...
By Earl Burton
The 2006 World Series of Poker was historic for several reasons. The Championship
Event drew a record-setting 8,773 players and two men were able to capture two of the coveted WSOP bracelets each in preliminary events. While Jeff Madsen went on to win the Player of the Year award that year, Bill Chen’s story of success was perhaps just as amazing. More...
By Earl Burton
Guy Laliberte is not nor ever has been a professional poker player. Guy Laliberte has been a professional fire breather. Guy Laliberte has been on the Time List for the 100 Most Influential People in the World. More...
By Nick Laurrell
The greatest poker players in the history of the game have nicknames. Texas Dolly, Kid Poker, The Poker Brat… durrrr? Building on a screen name invented by a 17 year old with a $50 bankroll to inspire tilt in his opponents, Tom Dwan has turned the name “durrrr” into a different sort of tilt inducing moniker than he originally intended. In the realms of ultra-high stakes internet poker, the name “durrrr” has come to signify one of the great legends in the relatively young history of online poker. More...
By Nick Laurrell
Antonio Esfandiari is a member of the most ultra-exclusive of high stakes poker tournament clubs – a winner of both a World Series of Poker and a World Poker Tour title. Not only that: Esfandiari has already made it to a final table in the newly created European Poker Tour and is a common fixture in many of the highest stakes poker games in the world. More...
By Nick Laurrell
Thuan Nguyen was born a different man than most will know him when he dies. Thuan was born on October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang in the war-torn nation of Vietnam, the first of 13 children born to his parents. More...
By Nick Laurrell
Phil Gordon is an uncommon professional poker player in that he has the dubious distinction of having made it financially before he ever bet a dime on the felt. More...
By Jeremy Olson
Born, raised and still residing in Paris, France, poker professional David Benyamine is living proof that whatever you set your mind to do, you can succeed at. More...
By Earl Burton
Of the men who have captured the gold bracelet as World Series of Poker Championship Event winner, one of the most mysterious is 1986 victor Berry Johnston. Born in Oklahoma in 1935, very little is known about Berry’s early life.
More...
By Earl Burton
Phil “The Unabomber” Laak is certainly to be counted amongst the elite of the poker world. Not only is he one of the very few players to find considerable success in both the highest stakes cash games and biggest tournaments, he is half of perhaps the most visible power couple in the poker world. In fact, he and longtime girlfriend Jennifer Tilly represent the only romantically linked pair to combine for both a WPT and WSOP victory. More...
By Maria Del Mar
Jennifer Tilly may be the most visible female poker celebrity in the world. After her 2005 World Series of Poker victory in the Ladies-Only No Limit Texas Hold’em event, the Academy Award nominated actress joined boyfriend and revered poker pro Phil Laak as the only poker couple to combine for a WSOP and WPT victory. More...
By Maria Del Mar
Hal Lubarsky's dream was coming true: at 29 years old, he was on his way to Las Vegas with aspirations of becoming a professional poker player. A regular in the $150-$300 H.O.R.S.E. games around town, Hal found himself mixing it up with some of the best in the world. “I was extremely well-known in cash games. I’ve played with all the big names except for Doyle (Brunson) and Chip (Reese),” he said during an interview with MSNBC. More...
By Brett Collson
Most poker players gain their fame through playing the game first, and then some branch out into writing books and other materials on the subject. Mike Caro is certainly one exception to this rule though, as he is definitely more noted for his theories and strategic opinions on the game rather than his playing accomplishments. More...
By Jeremy Olson
When one first hears of Michael Mizrachi’s nickname, “The Grinder”, they don’t really expect him to be one of the richest poker players in the world. After all, most people think of a poker grinder as someone who typically puts a lot of hours into the lower limits of the game in a job-like fashion. The last thing they’d expect is for Mizrachi to be a player who’s earned over $6,700,000 playing in poker tournaments. More...
By Jeremy Olson
Whether it’s grinding at the tables for 10 hours a day or constantly having to travel to the next big tournament, many professional poker players get to a point where the game begins to consume their life. Bernard Lee is one professional poker player who’s managed to avoid letting the game control his life though, instead becoming a well-rounded person in the process. More...
By Jeremy Olson
Mike Sexton is best known as the host of the World Poker Tour – but he is so much more. An author, commentator, promoter and player, Sexton is widely regarded as the chief ambassador in the game today. More...
By Brett Collson
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Kathy Liebert spent most of her life on Long Island in New York, New York. When it came time to make a college choice, Kathy decided on Marist College and was able to graduate with a degree in Business and Finance from there. With her degree in hand, Liebert was fortunate enough to land a nice job with Dun & Bradstreet analyzing stocks. More...
By Jeremy Olson
When speaking of poker players who have been just as great at making a name for themselves with their words as they’ve been with their play, Mike Matusow would have to rank right at the top of the list. In fact he has been nicknamed “The Mouth” for his brash talk and questionable antics at the table, which could oftentimes be construed as bullying. More...
By Jeremy Olson
If you’re looking for Huckleberry Seed at a poker tournament he’s not that hard to find. You probably won’t notice him because he’s not an excessive talker at the table or a great self-promoter who draws attention to himself wherever he goes. Rather, you’ll notice the quiet, mild-mannered Huck Seed because of his 6’7” height. More...
By Jeremy Olson
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