Barry Greenstein (born December 30, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional poker player and former mathematics postgraduate student. He has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, primarily Children Incorporated, earning him the nickname "the Robin Hood of poker".[1] He was elected into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011.[2]
| Barry Greenstein | |
|---|---|
 Greenstein in the 2006 World Series of Poker | |
| Nickname(s) | The Robin Hood of Poker |
| Residence | Rancho Palos Verdes, California |
| Born | December 30, 1954 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 3 |
| Final table(s) | 17 |
| Money finish(es) | 102 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 22nd, 1992 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | 2 |
| Final table(s) | 5 |
| Money finish(es) | 19 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 2 |
Personal life edit
After graduating from Bogan High School,[3] he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He studied for a PhD in mathematics without ever defending his completed dissertation.
According to his book, Ace on the River, Greenstein was doing well playing poker, but figured a more conventional job would improve his chances of adopting his stepchildren, so he went to work for the new startup company Symantec, where he worked on their first product Q&A. He left the company in 1991 at age 36.
Greenstein has two children and four stepchildren, and he resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. His stepson, Joe Sebok, with whom he started PokerRoad—a poker strategy and entertainment website—also played professionally for a few years.[4]
Poker career edit
Greenstein has appeared in each of the first three series of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and all seven seasons of the GSN series High Stakes Poker[5]. He has also appeared in the first three seasons of the late night series Poker After Dark on NBC. Greenstein has also won two World Poker Tour (WPT) titles: the Fifth Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open ($1,278,370), and 2006 WPT Invitational at the Commerce Casino ($100,000).[6][7] He has also won two other WPT titles in special events: WPT Father and Sons Tournament, 2006 World Poker Finals;[8] and WPT Poker by the Book: Chapter 2.[9][10] As of 2008, he began donating his net winnings to charity.[11] At the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Greenstein cashed in six events, including the H.O.R.S.E. $50,000 event, for a total of $768,461.[10][12] He also finished second in the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year standings, behind Erick Lindgren.[13] In 2011, Greenstein cashed five times at the World Series of Poker, including a 3rd place in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $169,512 and a 15th place in the $50,000 Player's Championship.[10][14][15]
In 2005, Greenstein wrote a book titled Ace on the River.[16] Tuan Le, a WPT Season 3 champion, claims that book showed him how to succeed on the poker circuit. Greenstein is known for giving away a free copy of his book to the player who eliminates him in a tournament, including his autograph and details of the hand. Greenstein taught former girlfriend Mimi Tran how to play poker in exchange for her teaching him how to speak Vietnamese. He also played online at PokerStars, under the alias "barryg1" and was a member of the cardroom's Team PokerStars.[17]
He accepted a bet of $10,000 from 2+2 Poker Forums to say "lol donkaments" on an episode of High Stakes Poker, which he did after winning a hand against professional poker player Erick Lindgren. After the initial $10,000, he also received a further $45,000 in donations from other charitable poker players who were amused by the bet.[18]
World Series of Poker bracelets edit
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | $5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw | $296,200 |
| 2005 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | $128,505 |
| 2008 | $1,500 Razz | $157,619 |
As of 2023, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,500,000.[19] His 102 WSOP cashes account for $3,148,034 of those winnings.[20]
Philanthropy edit
Greenstein often uses his poker winnings to further his philanthropic and charitable interests, earning him the "Robin Hood of Poker" nickname. After winning $770,000 at Larry Flynt's $1 million Seven-Card Stud event in 2003,[21] he donated $440,000 to Children Incorporated – a gift of $1,000 to each of the charity's 440 employees.[1] In 2006, Greenstein announced that he would be donating net earnings from tournaments to charity. "Until now, I was donating the pay-off each time I cashed but I can't afford to continue doing that. I didn't anticipate the growth and expense of tournament poker," he said.[21]
Bibliography edit
- Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide. Last Knight Pub. 2005. ISBN 0-9720442-2-1.
References edit
- ^ a b Shulman, Allyn (February 27, 2004). "Barry Greenstein: A Modern-Day Robin Hood". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Collston, Bret (October 27, 2011). "Barry Greenstein, Linda Johnson Voted Into Poker Hall of Fame". PokerNews. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ Bogan High School Alumni profile. Boganhs.org (December 31, 1999). Retrieved on October 22, 2011.
- ^ "Joe Sebok's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Haney, Jeff (April 8, 2009). "Barry Greenstein, Tom Dwan clash in huge poker hand". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "The Fifth Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open, Main Event - No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "2006 L.A. Poker Classic, WPT Invitiational - No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "2006 World Poker Finals, WPT Father and Sons Tournament". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "World Poker Tour - WPT Poker by the Book: Chapter 2, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Barry Greenstein's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Katz, Lena (August 8, 2008). "Rumor-Busting With Barry Greenstein". All-In Magazine. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008.
- ^ "39th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2008, H.O.R.S.E." The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "2008 World Series of Poker Final Player of the Year Standings". WSOP.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
- ^ "42nd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2011, Limit Hold'em Championship". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "42nd World Series of Poker - WSOP 2011, The Poker Players Championship - 8 Game". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Greenstein, Barry; Brunson, Doyle (June 30, 2005). "Ace on the River: an Advanced Poker Guide". Amazon.com. Last Knight Pub Co. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Holloway, Chad (January 11, 2018). "Miracle River Saves Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein on the Bubble". PokerNews.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Christopher. "Charity Poker - 'Lol donkaments' still paying out for the kids". PokerListings.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Barry Greenstein's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Barry Greenstein". WSOP.com. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Barry Greenstein - The Robin Hood of Poker". PokerListings.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011.