Dario Sammartino: Biography, Career and Poker Results

November 2, 2026

Table of Contents

Dario Sammartino is an Italian professional poker player from Naples, born in 1987, who plays high roller tournaments and mixed games. He finished second in the 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event for $6,000,000, and after years on lists of the best players without a bracelet, he won his first WSOP title in a $2,500 mixed split-pot event in 2024. ^[1][4][5][6]

Dario Sammartino, Italian poker player, during a World Poker Tour interview in 2016 — Photo: World Poker Tour, licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Dario Sammartino: key facts

Full name	Dario Sammartino
Online aliases	Madgenius87, later Secret_M0de ^[1][6]
Country	Italy ^[1]
Born	April 5, 1987, Naples ^[6]
Known for	Runner-up in the 2019 WSOP Main Event; high roller and mixed game results ^[4]
WSOP bracelets	1 (259 cashes and 31 final tables on WSOP.com) ^[2]
Best result	2nd, 2019 WSOP Main Event, $6,000,000 ^[4]
Poker Hall of Fame	Not inducted ^[8]
Live tournament earnings	$17,211,023 as of October 27, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: learning the game in Naples

Sammartino was born in Naples on April 5, 1987. According to his PokerListings profile, he learned poker from his father after the death of his grandfather. The poker boom of the Chris Moneymaker era drew him further into the game, and he played his first live tournaments in local clubs in Italy while building his early career online. ^[6]

Beginning in poker

Online he played on PokerStars as “Madgenius87” and later as “Secret_M0de”, and PokerNews notes that he has won millions of dollars on the internet, mostly under the second name. ^[1][6] His first recorded live cash came in November 2008 in a €1,100 buy-in tournament in Egypt. His first live title followed in April 2013, when he won a €5,250 buy-in Italian Poker Tour event in Sanremo for €30,000. ^[1]

In 2014 he reached his first WSOP final table, finishing sixth in the $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $91,670. The following year he finished fourth in the €100,000 Super High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo for €709,500, and in January 2016 he took third in the $25,000 High Roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $542,160. ^[1][6]

Playing style

Sammartino describes his approach as adaptive rather than fixed. Speaking to PokerNews before the 2019 Main Event final table, he said: “I change my play a lot. I change based on the table, the stack, the player,” adding, “I don’t have one basic strategy, and that is good.” ^[3] His record backs up the range: alongside high roller No-Limit Hold’em results, he finished third in the 2019 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship and ninth in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, and his only bracelet came in a mixed game. ^[1]

Greatest achievements

Runner-up in the 2019 WSOP Main Event

Sammartino arrived at the 2019 WSOP with more than $8 million in live earnings and had already recorded seven cashes and two final tables that summer before the Main Event. He started the Main Event final table with 33,400,000 chips, or 33 big blinds. ^[3] The tournament drew 8,569 entries and a prize pool of $80,548,600. PokerNews reported that he was widely seen as the best player at the final table, and he held the chip lead early in heads-up play against Hossein Ensan of Germany. Ensan then wore him down over about 100 hands to roughly 40 big blinds. On the final hand Sammartino check-raised all in on the turn with a combination draw against Ensan’s pocket kings, and the river missed. Ensan won $10,000,000 and Sammartino $6,000,000, the largest cash of his career. ^[1][4]

The 2024 WSOP bracelet

Event #61 of the 2024 World Series of Poker, a $2,500 mixed tournament alternating Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better, drew 507 entries and a prize pool of $1,128,075. It was Sammartino’s 24th WSOP final table and the third time he had played heads-up for a bracelet. He beat Jon Kyte of Norway in a heads-up match of just under ninety minutes and won $222,703, ending a run in which PokerNews had long counted him among the best players without a bracelet. ^[5][7]

Selected tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2019	WSOP Main Event, $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (8,569 entries)	2nd	$6,000,000	[4]
2017	WSOP Event #6, $111,111 High Roller for One Drop	3rd	$1,608,295	[1]
2015	EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller	4th	€709,500 ($782,465)	[1]
2016	PCA $25,000 High Roller	3rd	$542,160	[1]
2022	WSOP Event #2, $100,000 High Roller Bounty	3rd	$498,696	[1]
2019	WSOP Europe €10,350 Main Event	4th	€341,702	[1]
2024	WSOP Event #61, $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo / Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo (507 entries)	1st	$222,703	[5]
2019	WSOP Event #29, $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship	3rd	$184,854	[1]
2016	EPT Grand Final €5,300 Main Event	8th	€91,860	[1]
2014	WSOP Event #32, $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship	6th	$91,670	[1]
2026	WSOP Event #20, $1,500 Dealer’s Choice	4th	$49,383	[1]
2013	Italian Poker Tour Sanremo, €5,250 buy-in	1st	€30,000	[1]

World Series of Poker record

His WSOP.com profile lists one bracelet, 259 cashes, 31 final tables and $14,383,424 in earnings, a total that also includes the EPT results shown on that profile. ^[2] Besides his 2019 runner-up finish, his Main Event record includes 43rd place in 2017 for $176,399. Online, he finished second in WSOP Online Event #20 on GGPoker in 2021 for $159,588. ^[1] He remained active at the 2026 series, with deep runs including 19th in the $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship and 27th in the $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship. ^[2]

Hall of Fame and records

Sammartino is not a member of the Poker Hall of Fame; since 2009 nominees must be at least 40 years old. ^[8] When he won his bracelet in June 2024, PokerNews reported that he had reached the top of Italy’s all-time money list with about $16 million in lifetime earnings. ^[5]

In his own words

“I’m not retired. I just don’t play poker full-time.” PokerNews, 2019. ^[3]
“I still want to win a bracelet.” PokerNews, 2019. ^[3]
“It’s the best tournament you can play.” On the WSOP Main Event, PokerNews, 2019. ^[3]
“I hope it makes it hard for people to know how to play against me.” On changing his strategy, PokerNews, 2019. ^[3]
“And finally, after 12 years, I am so happy. It was a very tough field.” After his bracelet win, PokerNews, 2024. ^[5]
“I played online all year and many mixed games with some of the best players. I learned from the best by playing with the best.” PokerNews, 2024. ^[5]
“The main skills are: empathy, understanding people’s emotions, understanding if someone is afraid, has courage.” PokerListings profile. ^[6]

Iconic hands and moments

Sammartino against Sylvain Mazza at EPT Monte-Carlo 2019 (PokerStars)

Sammartino at the WSOP: the bracelet (PokerStarsNews, in Italian)

FAQ about Dario Sammartino

How old is Dario Sammartino?

Dario Sammartino was born on April 5, 1987, so he is 39 as of October 27, 2026. ^[6]

Where is Dario Sammartino from?

He is Italian and was born in Naples. ^[3][6]

What is Dario Sammartino’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $17,211,023 in earnings as of October 27, 2026, according to PokerNews. Online winnings and other income are not included in that figure. ^[1]

How much did Dario Sammartino win in the WSOP Main Event?

He won $6,000,000 for finishing second to Hossein Ensan in the 2019 Main Event, which had 8,569 entries. ^[4]

How many WSOP bracelets does Dario Sammartino have?

One. He won Event #61, the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better, at the 2024 World Series of Poker for $222,703. ^[2][5]

Who beat Dario Sammartino in the 2019 Main Event?

Hossein Ensan of Germany. On the final hand Ensan’s pocket kings held against Sammartino’s combination draw. ^[4]

Is Dario Sammartino in the Poker Hall of Fame?

No, he has not been inducted. ^[8]

What is Dario Sammartino’s online screen name?

He played on PokerStars as “Madgenius87” and later as “Secret_M0de”. ^[1][6]