Dan Smith: Biography, Career and Poker Results

October 29, 2026

Table of Contents

Dan Smith is an American professional poker player from New Jersey, born in 1989, who has spent more than a decade in the world’s most expensive tournaments. A former competitive chess player, he won the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in 2013, finished third in the 2018 $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2022 and his first Triton title in 2023. Away from the tables he runs Double Up Drive, a charity matching campaign he founded in 2014. ^[1][4][7][8]

Dan Smith, American poker player, at the WPT World Championship in December 2023 — Photo: World Poker Tour, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Dan Smith: key facts

Full name	Dan Smith (listed by WSOP.com as Daniel Smith) ^[2]
Online alias	Danny98765 ^[1]
Country	United States ^[1]
Born	February 23, 1989, Manalapan Township, New Jersey ^[4]
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada ^[1]
Known for	High roller tournaments since 2012; the Double Up Drive charity campaign ^[10][1]
WSOP bracelets	1 (123 cashes, 26 final tables on WSOP.com) ^[2]
Major titles	Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge 2012; EPT Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller 2012; WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic 2013; WSOP $25,000 Heads-Up Championship 2022; Triton Monte Carlo $200,000 Invitational 2023 ^{[1][6][8][10]}
Live tournament earnings	$61,356,629 as of October 27, 2026 ^[1]

Early life and chess

Smith was born on February 23, 1989, in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, and grew up there. ^[4][3] In a 2013 Card Player cover story he described learning chess in grade school: within about two days he was beating his sister, five years older, and within two weeks his father. His parents found a local chess club that met at a library, and he went on to play in more than 200 chess tournaments before and during high school. ^[3] PokerListings reports that he was admitted to college on a chess scholarship and later left school to play poker. ^[4]

He sees a direct link between the two games: “I think that playing chess is great preparation for later becoming a professional poker player.” ^[3]

Beginning in poker

Smith first played poker with friends in high school and in online play-money games. He deposited $25 online and built that bankroll while studying at the University of Maryland, where Steve Silverman introduced him to Andrew Lichtenberger and Randall Flowers and he became immersed in online poker. He moved from sit-and-gos to cash games, starting at $2-$4 no-limit, and admitted later: “When I was 18 years old I would sometimes play games I couldn’t afford.” ^[3]

His name first appeared on the live circuit in 2008, when he won the Heartland Poker Tour Verona $1,500 Main Event for $101,960. ^[1]

Playing style

Smith is a No-Limit Hold’em specialist who has played super high roller events since 2012. Before 2022 he was often called the best player without a WSOP bracelet, despite eight top-three finishes at the series. ^[8] He tends to play down short-term results: “It’s not an exciting answer, but the sample size of a handful of tournaments is just pretty irrelevant,” he said in 2022, adding “I think my heads-up game is pretty decent”. ^[9]

Greatest achievements

The 2012 breakthrough

Smith’s first big year on the live circuit was 2012. He won the Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge for A$1,012,000, took three side events at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, and later that year won the EPT Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller for €962,925. ^[1] In December 2013 he won the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event at the Bellagio for $1,161,135, his first WPT title and third seven-figure score, beating Gary Benson heads-up. ^[6]

Tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2019	Triton Million, London	3rd	£7,200,000	[1]
2018	WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop (27 entrants)	3rd	$4,000,000	[7]
2023	Triton Monte Carlo $200,000 Special Triton Invitational (73 entries)	1st	$3,870,000	[10]
2016	WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop (183 entrants)	2nd	$3,078,974	[5]
2012	EPT Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller	1st	€962,925 ($1,183,100)	[1]
2013	WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event	1st	$1,161,135	[6]
2023	WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller	6th	$912,022	[1]
2012	Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge	1st	A$1,012,000	[1]
2018	WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship	3rd	$521,782	[1]
2022	WSOP $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship (64 entries)	1st	$509,717	[8]
2012	EPT Grand Final, Monte Carlo €5,000 No-Limit Hold’em	1st	€250,500	[1]
2014	EPT Barcelona €2,200 No-Limit Hold’em	1st	€159,500	[1]
2008	Heartland Poker Tour Verona $1,500 Main Event	1st	$101,960	[1]

World Series of Poker

For years Smith came close at the WSOP without winning. In 2016 he reached heads-up in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop, a 183-entrant event with a $19,316,565 prize pool, and lost to Fedor Holz after about an hour, collecting $3,078,974 for second place in his 25th WSOP cash. ^[5] In 2018 he finished third in the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, a 27-player event with a $24,840,000 prize pool, for $4,000,000, after his queen-ten suited lost to the king-ten of eventual winner Justin Bonomo. ^[7] The same summer he was third in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $521,782. ^[1]

The bracelet finally came on June 5, 2022, in the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship, capped at 64 entries. Smith won six matches, against Jake Daniels, Laszlo Bujtas, Alex Foxen, Jonathan Jaffe, Dario Sammartino and, in the final, Christoph Vogelsang, and collected $509,717. ^[8] “I think it is wonderful to get the monkey off my back,” he told PokerNews two days later. ^[9] WSOP.com now credits him with one bracelet, 123 cashes, 26 final tables and $18,749,357 in earnings, a total that includes Triton events listed on that profile. ^[2]

Triton Super High Roller Series

In the 2019 Triton Million in London Smith finished third for £7,200,000, about $8.8 million, which PokerNews ranks as the largest score of his career. ^[1][10] In October 2023 he won his first Triton title in the $200,000 Special Triton Invitational in Monte Carlo, which drew 73 entries for a $14,600,000 prize pool. He beat Mario Mosböck heads-up for $3,870,000, the tenth seven-figure score of his career. PokerNews noted that the win lifted his career earnings to $49.1 million and placed him sixth on the all-time money list at that time. ^[10]

Double Up Drive

Smith founded Double Up Drive in 2014. The campaign runs year-end drives in which Smith and other high-stakes players pledge matching funds for donations to selected charities, and PokerNews credits it with raising more than $24.7 million. ^[1] An earlier drive was organized with Dan Colman. The 2016 drive raised $1,700,818 with 134 other donors, with Smith matching donations up to $175,000 and Tom Crowley adding $500,000; recipients included the Against Malaria Foundation and GiveDirectly. ^[11]

By its fifth year in 2018 the drive announced up to $1,140,000 in matching funds, which grew to $2,417,000 after an anonymous $150,000 pledge and $1,127,000 from Tom Crowley. Matchers that year included Stephen Chidwick, and the charities included the Malaria Consortium, GiveDirectly, Helen Keller International and Raising for Effective Giving. ^[12] After his 2022 bracelet Smith said: “We have raised $25 million for good causes,” adding “I am happy that poker has been my vessel to do this good”. ^[8]

In his own words

“If you convince someone else to donate to a cause you believe in, that can make a very real difference.” On his charity drives, January 2017. ^[11]
“I didn’t steal a pot easily, every pot was a fight.” After winning the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, June 2022. ^[8]
“I think this is an important checkbox on my legacy as one of the all-timers.” June 2022. ^[8]
“Poker’s really tough these days and only getting tougher.” After his first Triton title, October 2023. ^[10]
“I started playing super high rollers in 2012 and there’s only like seven of us who are still left from back then.” October 2023. ^[10]

Iconic hands and moments

Hands from the EPT Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller run (PokerStars)

A queen-high bluff against Matt Berkey on Poker After Dark (PokerGO)

FAQ about Dan Smith

How old is Dan Smith?

Dan Smith was born on February 23, 1989, so he is 37 in October 2026. ^[4]

Where is Dan Smith from?

He is American, was born in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, and lives in Las Vegas. ^[4][1]

What is Dan Smith’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $61,356,629 in earnings as of October 27, 2026, according to PokerNews. Prize totals do not show buy-ins, staking deals, the share of his action sold to others, or the money he has given to charity. ^[1]

How many WSOP bracelets does Dan Smith have?

One, from the 2022 $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship, which paid $509,717. ^[2][8]

What is Dan Smith’s biggest tournament win?

His biggest win is the 2023 Triton Monte Carlo $200,000 Special Triton Invitational, worth $3,870,000. His largest single cash is the £7,200,000 he received for third place in the 2019 Triton Million. ^[10][1]

What is Double Up Drive?

Double Up Drive is a charity matching campaign Smith founded in 2014. Smith and other players pledge matching funds for donations to selected charities; PokerNews credits it with raising more than $24.7 million. ^[1][12]

Has Dan Smith won a WPT title?

Yes. He won the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main Event at the Bellagio in December 2013 for $1,161,135. ^[6]

Did Dan Smith play chess?

Yes. He learned chess in grade school and played in more than 200 tournaments, and PokerListings reports that he was admitted to college on a chess scholarship. ^[3][4]

Related Poker Legends

Read more about Fedor Holz, who beat Smith heads-up in the 2016 High Roller for One Drop, Justin Bonomo, winner of the 2018 Big One for One Drop in which Smith finished third, and Stephen Chidwick, one of the matchers in the Double Up Drive.