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Barry Greenstein is an American professional poker player from Chicago, Illinois, known as “The Robin Hood of Poker” for donating large parts of his tournament winnings to charity. A former Symantec programmer, he made his name in the biggest mixed cash games of the early 2000s, won three World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011. [1][5]
Barry Greenstein: key facts
| Name | Barry Greenstein |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Robin Hood of Poker [1] |
| Country | United States [1] |
| Born | December 30, 1954, Chicago, Illinois [1][2] |
| Hometown | Rancho Palos Verdes, California [2] |
| Known for | High-stakes mixed cash games, charity donations, the book Ace on the River |
| Poker Hall of Fame | Inducted 2011 [5][7] |
| WSOP bracelets | 3 (2004, 2005, 2008) [1] |
| WPT titles | 2 (2004 World Poker Open, 2006 L.A. Poker Classic Invitational) [1] |
| Live tournament earnings | $8,635,372 as of October 5, 2026 [1] |
Early life and education
Greenstein grew up in Chicago playing cards. As a boy he played with his mother after school, and his father, a winning poker player in the Army, gave him pointers. By age 13 he was often making $30 to $50 a night in home games. [4] He earned a computer science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then studied for a Ph.D. in mathematics, which he never fully completed. [1] According to Card Player, he spent about 10 years in the doctoral program while supporting himself at poker. [4]
When he married, he took a regular job so that he and his wife could obtain custody of her three children. He joined the Silicon Valley startup Symantec, where he worked on Q&A, a database and word processing program that won many awards in 1986. [4] PokerNews reports that by the age of 36 he was able to leave his day job and play poker full time. [1]
When he entered the Hall of Fame in 2011, PokerNews described him as the father of six, including four stepchildren. [5] One of them is the former professional player Joe Sebok, whom Greenstein raised from the age of six. [12]
Beginning in poker: the cash game years
For most of his career Greenstein was a cash game player first. He told Card Player that he first played World Series of Poker bracelet events around 1990 or 1991, and for years entered few tournaments, mainly the deuce-to-seven event and the Main Event. [10]
His results in the big games are what made his name. During the 2003 World Series of Poker he played the $4,000/$8,000 mixed game with Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Lyle Berman, Bobby Baldwin and Chau Giang, and Brunson told him he was the biggest winner in that game. [4] Card Player later reported that he won $5 million in the big games during the 2003 World Series of Poker alone. [14]
The Robin Hood of Poker
In March 2003 Greenstein won Larry Flynt’s Million Dollar Seven Card Stud Tournament, a $125,000 buy-in event at the Poker Challenge Cup, for a first prize that Card Player records as $1,000,000. [3] Card Player magazine reported that he and Flynt split the money and that Greenstein then gave $1,000 to each of the roughly 440 coordinators of the child sponsorship charity Children, Inc., who work in 21 countries. [4] PokerNews links the nickname “The Robin Hood of Poker” to that donation and to his practice of giving his tournament winnings to charity. [1] By 2011 he had donated more than $3 million to charities through his poker winnings, according to PokerNews. [5]
Playing style
PokerNews describes Greenstein as a player who “never seems to lose his cool at the table” and who “employs a calculated and very analytical approach” to the game. [1] When he entered the Hall of Fame, Card Player called him “widely regarded as one of the best cash game players of all-time”. [6] His titles are spread across several games: No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw, Pot-Limit Omaha, Razz, Seven Card Stud and No-Limit Hold’em. [3]
Greatest achievements
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | $5,000 No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw | 1st | $296,200 | [3] |
| 2008 | Event 26, $1,500 Razz (453 entries) | 1st | $157,619 | [8] |
| 2005 | $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha | 1st | $128,505 | [3] |
He told Card Player that 2004 “was really the first time I started caring about the tournaments”, after the producer Mori Eskandani told him that nobody knew who he was because he did not play tournaments. [10] His third bracelet came in the 2008 Razz event, where he beat Chris Klodnicki heads-up. [8] Card Player’s database credits him with 147 WSOP cashes, 24 final tables and $3,399,503 in WSOP winnings. [2] Other deep runs include 6th in the 2008 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship for $355,200 and 3rd in the 2011 $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship for $169,512. [3]
Other major tournament results
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | WPT Jack Binion World Poker Open, $10,000 Championship, Tunica (367 entries) | 1st | $1,278,370 | [3][17] |
| 2003 | Larry Flynt’s Million Dollar Seven Card Stud Tournament, Poker Challenge Cup ($125,000 buy-in) | 1st | $1,000,000 | [3] |
| 2004 | Five-Star World Poker Classic, Bellagio, $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em | 1st | $215,969 | [3] |
| 2005 | Poker Superstars Invitational | 8th | $100,000 | [3] |
| 2006 | WPT L.A. Poker Classic No-Limit Hold’em Invitational | 1st | $100,000 | [1] |
| 2008 | EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo, €10,000 Stars of Poker | 1st | €50,000 | [1] |
At the 2004 World Poker Open in Tunica, Mississippi, the key hand was a $2.4 million pot in which his ace-king eliminated both James Tippin and Chip Reese. [4] In World Poker Tour main events, Card Player records 21 cashes, 2 titles, 7 final tables and $2,433,923 in winnings. [2] Across all events, PokerNews lists $8,635,372 in live tournament earnings as of October 5, 2026, using data from The Hendon Mob, while Card Player records $8,675,719 over 272 cashes, a total that includes confirmed online results. [1][2]
Poker Hall of Fame, 2011
On October 27, 2011, Greenstein and Linda Johnson were voted into the Poker Hall of Fame by a 35-person panel of Hall of Famers and media members, becoming its 41st and 42nd members. [5] They were inducted on November 8, 2011, shortly before the WSOP Main Event final table, with Doyle Brunson introducing Greenstein. In his speech he predicted that players would one day be inducted solely on their online results, “assuming we have a functional Congress.” [6] WSOP.com lists him among the Hall of Fame members of 2011. [7]
Ace on the River and Team PokerStars
Doyle Brunson asked Greenstein to write a chapter for Super/System 2. The text grew into a much longer manuscript, which Greenstein expanded into his own book, Ace on the River, published in 2005. PokerNews’s review at the time noted that it covers money management, the pitfalls of the professional life and game theory as well as hand examples from his own play. [13] Greenstein is known for giving an autographed copy of the book to the player who eliminates him from a tournament. [1]
In July 2006 he joined Team PokerStars, the online site’s group of sponsored professionals. [11]
High Stakes Poker
Greenstein was a regular in televised cash games such as High Stakes Poker. [6] PokerNews’s 2010 list of the show’s most memorable hands includes three of his pots: [9]
- $548,700 against Tom Dwan: with jack-nine of hearts against Dwan’s aces, Greenstein chose to run the board only once, made two pair on the turn and won the pot. [9]
- $919,600 against Tom Dwan: this time Greenstein held aces and Dwan king-queen of spades; Greenstein declined to run it more than once, and Dwan made trip queens on the turn. [9]
- $361,800 against Sammy Farha: Greenstein’s aces lost to Farha’s kings after Greenstein declined to run the board twice. [9]
In his own words
- “The people all over the world who give their time and effort are the real heroes.” On the Children, Inc. coordinators, 2004. [4]
- “These contributions are the best things I have ever done in my life.” 2004. [4]
- “Then, at the 2003 World Series of Poker, I beat up the big game pretty good.” 2004. [4]
- “Tournament players weren’t even looked at as poker players, to tell you the truth. They were as much poker players as actors on General Hospital are doctors.” On the WSOP before the poker boom, 2019. [10]
- “I’m happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember.” 2011. [5]
Iconic hands and moments
Tom Dwan’s aces cracked on High Stakes Poker
Barry Greenstein hits quads on High Stakes Poker
FAQ about Barry Greenstein
How old is Barry Greenstein?
Barry Greenstein was born on December 30, 1954, so he is 71 as of October 5, 2026. [2]
What is Barry Greenstein’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $8,635,372 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Much of his poker income came from cash games, whose results are not published, and he has given large parts of his tournament winnings to charity. [1][5]
Why is Barry Greenstein called the Robin Hood of Poker?
Because he donates his tournament winnings to charity. After winning Larry Flynt’s Seven Card Stud event in 2003 he gave $1,000 to each of about 440 coordinators of the charity Children, Inc., and by 2011 he had donated more than $3 million. [4][5]
How many WSOP bracelets does Barry Greenstein have?
Three: the 2004 $5,000 No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw, the 2005 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha and the 2008 $1,500 Razz. [1][3]
What is Barry Greenstein’s biggest tournament win?
The 2004 WPT Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica, worth $1,278,370. [3]
When was Barry Greenstein inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?
He was voted in on October 27, 2011, together with Linda Johnson, and inducted on November 8, 2011. [5]
What book did Barry Greenstein write?
Ace on the River, published in 2005. It grew out of a chapter Doyle Brunson had asked him to write for Super/System 2. [13]
Is Barry Greenstein still playing poker?
Yes. His most recent listed results are from the 2025 World Series of Poker, including 21st place in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet for $8,553. [2]
Is Joe Sebok Barry Greenstein’s son?
Joe Sebok is his stepson. Greenstein raised him from the age of six, and the two later teamed up to win the WPT’s made-for-TV Fathers and Sons event. [12]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Tom Dwan, his opponent in the largest High Stakes Poker pots above, and about Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese, his opponents in the big mixed game.
Sources
- PokerNews, Barry Greenstein player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- Card Player, Barry Greenstein player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
- Card Player, Barry Greenstein tournament results, accessed October 5, 2026.
- Card Player magazine, Vol. 17, No. 5, Barry Greenstein: A Modern-Day Robin Hood, by Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, 2004.
- PokerNews, Barry Greenstein, Linda Johnson Voted Into Poker Hall of Fame, October 27, 2011.
- Card Player, Barry Greenstein, Linda Johnson Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, November 9, 2011.
- WSOP.com, Poker Hall of Fame, accessed October 5, 2026.
- PokerNews, 2008 World Series of Poker, Event 26: $1,500 Razz, June 2008.
- PokerNews, Most Memorable Hands from High Stakes Poker, Part 1, February 10, 2010.
- Card Player, ‘Tournament Players Weren’t Looked At As Poker Players’, June 16, 2019.
- Card Player, Poker Star Barry Greenstein Joins Team PokerStars, July 5, 2006.
- PokerNews, The PokerNews Profile: Joe Sebok, March 2009.
- PokerNews, Poker Books: Greenstein’s Ace on the River, July 2005.
- Card Player, Poker Stories Podcast: Barry Greenstein, November 13, 2017.
- PokerGO on YouTube, Tom Dwan’s Aces Cracked on High Stakes Poker
- PokerGO on YouTube, Phil Hellmuth Blow Up? Barry Greenstein Hits Quads! | High Stakes Poker
- WSOP.com, Barry Greenstein player profile, accessed October 5, 2026.
Last verified: October 5, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
