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The size and nature of Dan Bilzerian‘s fortune is a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. Current estimates suggest he’s worth over $200 million but that real figure could be a LOT higher.
Based on stories from him and others, we know that Dan Bilzerian has had a successful career playing high-stakes poker. Unlike in the world of poker tournaments where you can just look up a player’s tournament earnings, there’s no real way of knowing how much someone like Dan Bilzerian has made playing poker when it’s all been in cash games.
He only has 1 World Series of Poker cash and that was $36,626 in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. But this story below reveals that Dan has made millions upon millions playing poker.
Chance Kornuth is very well-known in the poker community. Kornuth has 2 World Series of Poker bracelets and over $11 million in live poker tournament winnings. Here he shares a wild story about poker coaching Dan Bilzerian against a billionaire and Dan won MILLIONS.
9 years ago, I randomly got a call from Dan Bilzerian.
In his deep voice and no bullshit demeanor, he explained that he needed help preparing for an upcoming heads up match with a $1M buy-in against a billionaire in a few days.
Here's the crazy story 👇
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
The most Chance Kornuth has ever lost on a single poker hand was to Dan Bilzerian:
Dan and I had played cash together a couple of times previously and he actually stacked me in a $400K pot at Bobby's Room (his JJ held against my AK) in 2013 which is still the most that I've ever lost in one hand.
I hadn't heard from him much since that night.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
It turned out that Andrew Robl was too busy to coach Dan for his upcoming heads up match that Saturday with billionaire Alec Gores at Gores' 11 bedroom, 21 bathroom, $70 million dollar mansion and Robl told Dan to give me a call.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
An absolute no-brainer decision from Chance Kornuth here.
Dan explained that they were scheduled to play $5,000-$10,000 No Limit with a $1,000,000 minimum buy in.
Dan offered to give me a $10k freeroll if he won over a million dollars and I snap called!
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
We’ll go two tweets at a time now:
He said “Ehhh not really, just maybe figure out the range I can jam when he opens $100k in the dark and we each have a million.”
I was relieved that we weren’t FaceTiming as my jaw just about hit the floor…. Naturally, I said “No problem, talk to you Friday.”
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Here is how it all shook out:
Two days later, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of Park Meadows Mall in Colorado, talking on the phone with Dan, while my wife was inside Black Friday shopping.
We immediately got to work figuring out how to exploit Gores.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
It was also established that Dan shouldn't overuse this strategy as Gores would catch on and would stop open raising $100K in the dark.
Hopefully Gores wouldn't wake up with a real holding right off the bat and call or Dan could be down a million bucks in one hand!
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Easy money, right?
With the game plan we had developed, we both agreed that he was going to crush the billionaire at his own mansion with millions on the line.
I was virtually already spending my $10k in my head when we wrapped up the call.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait that long. I got woken up by a text around 4 or 5 am and all it said was “Owe you $10k”.
I replied, “How much did you win!?”.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Dan Bilzerian won $10.8 million off billionaire Ale Gores ($2.5B estimatd net worth):
When the next text informed me he won $10.8 million, I immediately jumped out of bed and called him to have him tell me some hands!
The one I remember is him telling me about 5betting pre with Aces to $1.5M and it coming AKJr. He ended up winning over $5M on that hand alone.
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Taking 1% of those earnings would’ve been awesome:
Getting a random call from Dan Bilzerian and coaching him through the biggest spot of his life from a parking lot in Colorado is one that I'll never forget.
My only regret is not insisting on a 1% freeroll rather than the $10K 😭
— Chance Kornuth (@ChancesCards) February 27, 2023
Must. Be. Nice.
Did Dan Bilzerian Earn $100 Million Playing Poker?!
There are videos floating around about Dan Bilzerian’s poker earnings. Videos like this one hint at the size of the fortune he’s earned on the felt:
Bilzerian has also been a guest on Poker After Dark battling the best in poker: