Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

As everybody know there are 3 type of pros. 1. Those who have built their bankroll by grinding cash games. 2. Those who have just won big tournament and 3. Those who have got their money from somewhere else.

What I know for example Ivey, Sbrugby, PA have built their bankroll starting from absolut 0 where Guys like Negreanu, Farha and Elezra have gotten money to play from somwhere else. Then there are also theese guys like Gold and all other WSOP main event winners who have just won a big tuornament a declared "im a pro". But what about other well known high stakes players ?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

I thought Negreanu came up thru poker?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

My guess would be family money or other business investments, learned the game and turned pro. I don't have any examples though.

I wouldn't wanna be backed, too much pressure and paranoia. As if gambling for a living doesn't contain enough of this already.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

DN was a 40 hour a week grinder for a lot of years before the tourney success.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

erm pretty much every other high stakes player grinded their way up. people like farha, elezra, guy (hint: the bad players, NO WAI) are the exception to the rule. so we could name people like brunson, and harmon, but i think you already know the answer to all of them.

and yes, DN grinded his way up.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

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DN was a 40 hour a week grinder for a lot of years before the tourney success.

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I think I have heard that he had quite a fortune when he started playing poker.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

He was a high school drop out when he started playing poker...

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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DN was a 40 hour a week grinder for a lot of years before the tourney success.

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I think I have heard that he had quite a fortune when he started playing poker.

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Nope

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Oh.. And then there is also group 4 : Guys like Matusow who get millions from sponsorship deals and then dump those millions to Full Tilt.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing poker ?
 

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DN was a 40 hour a week grinder for a lot of years before the tourney success.

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I think I have heard that he had quite a fortune when he started playing poker.

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I think you heard wrong. Here are a few early cardplayer articles that chronicle DN's grinding days:

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4814

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/6468

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4644

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/7134

The above one is pretty funny - about the first time he met Harman

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4496

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/7237

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

daniel actually went broke a couple of times taking a shot at playing the games in vegas.

PA got all of his money from modeling ldo.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

From wiki -

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Daniel dropped out of high school and began his life as a rounder playing at the local charity casinos and looking for illegal games around the city. While in Toronto, Daniel met and began dating Evelyn Ng[2], who would also become a well-known professional poker player. After building up his bankroll, he left for Las Vegas at the age of 21 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional poker player. However, "The Strip" got the better of him and he was forced to move back home to Toronto to rebuild his bankroll.

[edit] Poker career

In 1997 his luck began to change when he won two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, earning himself $133,600 as well as being named the tournament's best all-around player. Negreanu followed this triumph in the 1998 World Series of Poker by winning $169,460 at the $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event and becoming the youngest WSOP bracelet winner in history — a record he held until 2004.[3]

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Pretty much is along the same lines as everything else I've heard about him being a cash grinder until his big tourney run.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

I think PA mentioned somwhere that when he started playing he made 200$ deposit and never got broke. He started playing with Ziigmund and he has gone broke like 100 times. Everytime Zig went broke PA lend him money.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Didn't Farha play Pac Man for money to start his bank roll?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

PA would stake Zig in exchange for chest wax. His chest is so smooth sandpaper wouldnt do a damn thing.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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Didn't Farha play Pac Man for money to start his bank roll?

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please start posting more 'where did sammy get his money from' pics. still epic.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

How about guys like Esfandiari, Laak, Sheikan ?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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How about guys like Esfandiari, Laak, Sheikan ?

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Esfandiari-Poker I believe

Laak-Worked on Wall Street for a while. Then played poker.

Sheikan-Tattoo shops I believe.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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How about guys like Esfandiari, Laak, Sheikan ?

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Esfandiari- From his love for America.

Laak-Worked on Wall Street for a while. Then played poker.

Sheikan-Tattoo shops I believe.

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Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Annette_15 never deposited online....freerolls to millions.

DN played cash games underground T. for many years...made loads of money as a kid and never looked back.

Those are 2 pro's I know have made there money strictly from poker.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Esfandiari:

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/6276/efiz6.jpg

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

John Juanda has said that he bought in for 100 dollars at a 1-3 stud game and just worked his way up from there, moving up in limits as his bankroll allowed. He said that unlike most other poker players, he has never gone broke.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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DN was a 40 hour a week grinder for a lot of years before the tourney success.

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I think I have heard that he had quite a fortune when he started playing poker.

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I think you heard wrong. Here are a few early cardplayer articles that chronicle DN's grinding days:

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4814

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/6468

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4644

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/7134

The above one is pretty funny - about the first time he met Harman

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/4496

http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/36/7237

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Thanks for posting these sir!

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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John Juanda has said that he bought in for 100 dollars at a 1-3 stud game and just worked his way up from there, moving up in limits as his bankroll allowed. He said that unlike most other poker players, he has never gone broke.

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i cant remember the last time i didnt go broke... maybe i should become a wildly successful door to door bible salesman to spite him?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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John Juanda has said that he bought in for 100 dollars at a 1-3 stud game and just worked his way up from there, moving up in limits as his bankroll allowed. He said that unlike most other poker players, he has never gone broke.

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i can see juanda being a big bankroll nit.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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How about guys like Esfandiari, Laak, Sheikan ?

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Esfandiari-Poker I believe

Laak-Worked on Wall Street for a while. Then played poker.

Sheikan-Tattoo shops I believe.

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Didn't Laak play backgammon as well - probably helped his roll a bit. Plus wasn't there an incident with a safe in a New York club. Also, there is the guy who claimed that Laak had a lucrative import/export business between USA and Thailand. Of course, now he has access to half of Sam Simon's fortune.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

What about Brad Booth? Where did he get that cool million from?

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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What about Brad Booth? Where did he get that cool million from?

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hahahahahahahahhhahahah. gold.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

all i know is that sammy got all his money through poker.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

me thinks u dont know too much

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Jamie Gold slowly built up his bankroll and now is one of the big winners on high stakes poker.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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How about guys like Esfandiari, Laak, Sheikan ?

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Esfandiari- From his love for America.

Laak-married into money

Sheikan-Tattoo shops I believe.

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Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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John Juanda has said that he bought in for 100 dollars at a 1-3 stud game and just worked his way up from there, moving up in limits as his bankroll allowed. He said that unlike most other poker players, he has never gone broke.

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i can see juanda being a big bankroll nit.

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how? he's a crazian!

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Nick Rivers.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

I was playing in a home game for a few months and I got to know the dealer pretty well and he seemed like a nice honest guy. This was before the famous Moneymaker WSOP, but he told me that Sammy owed him $800 and that he was basically a huge degenerate who borrowed money from multiple people. Not sure what that was about.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Is Andy Bloch still gambling with his MIT-BJ money ? He makes me feel sick. He probably couldn't beat NL25$.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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Didn't Farha play Pac Man for money to start his bank roll?

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If this is true, he's my new hero. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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Is Andy Bloch still gambling with his MIT-BJ money ? He makes me feel sick. He probably couldn't beat NL25$.

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Must mean he sucks out a ton at those steaks

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

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Is Andy Bloch still gambling with his MIT-BJ money ? He makes me feel sick. He probably couldn't beat NL25$.

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I have no idea why you feel that way. The few times I've watched Andy play he was pretty solid. As far as what I've heard he's also skilled in more than just hold'em.

Re: Who are the top pros that have built their bankroll by playing pok
 

Antonius doesn't count in this category. He made an absolute fortune as an affiliate long before his cash game success.