Barry Greenstein

Barry Greenstein is the poker pro that has been described as the Robin Hood of Poker. The reason for this is his huge donations to charity. In a world of so many young stars he brings to the table not only his experience of having been around a bit longer but also the courage to do things differently. As a member of Team PokerStars Barry shares his continued actions in the poker elite with anyone curious to know what he is up to. He also runs his own web site to expand on the book he wrote on how to succeed in poker.

Family and Poker

Barry Greenstein started to play poker full time at the age of 36. This was after having left his career at Symantec. It was initially his father that sparked his interest for poker and taught him the basics. He never completed his PhD in mathematics but perhaps some of this knowledge has helped him achieve success in the world of poker. Greenstein has two children and four step children. One of the step sons, Joe Sebok, is also a professional poker player. Greenstein’s former girlfriend Mimi Tran is said to have learned how to play poker in exchange for teaching him to speak Vietnamese.

Accomplishments

Barry Greenstein has earned three WSOP Bracelets with the last one being in 2008 in the $1,500 Razz. The amount total that he has won in tournaments has reached an impressive $6,400,000. Greenstein appeared on the first three seasons of the NBC Poker After Dark and he has won two World Poker Tour titles. The fifth Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open brought him $1,278,370 and the 2006 WPT Invitational at the Commerce Casino $100,000.

A special Bet

The 2+2 Poker Forums bet him $10,000 to say “lol donkaments” on an episode of High Stakes Poker. When he won a hand against Erick Lindgren he won the bet and this greatly amused other poker players. They were so excited that they donated another $27,000 to the original bet.

The Robin Hood of Poker

Barry Greenstein is known for his commitment to charities. He is said to have once donated all of his tournament winnings to charitable causes. He gives the most to Children, Incorporated which serves to help children all over the world with clothes, schooling and medical needs. On his personal web site Barry Greenstein presents all of the charities he supports and how much he has given to them.

Sharing the Trade

When Barry Greenstein wrote his book Ace on the River he felt that he was opening up a dialogue with its readers. He therefore created the web page that now serves as his personal web site. People who read his book and have questions can easily get in touch with him through this forum and it contains a lot of information also for those who didn’t get the book. As a gimmick Greenstein gives the book to players that eliminates him in poker tournaments together with his autograph.