We mentioned briefly in yesterday’s post that Barry Greenstein is a very generous man, but aside from all of his charitable donations of money, he also like to give the gift of knowledge to people who want to learn. He has a stepson, Joe Sebok, who is a poker pro too, no doubt he learnt many of the tools of the trade from his father-in-law. Barry also famously taught his ex-girlfriend Mimi Tran, now also a high stakes poker professional, and big-money winner to play the game, in exchange she taught him Vietnamese which she is fluent in! The two often debate who is the better teacher, as Mimi has obviously excelled in her poker career, whilst Greenstein’s Vietnamese is perhaps not quite on the world scene yet! Barry usually uses this to claim he is the better teacher, whilst Tran claims this only proves she is the more willing student!
As Barry had obviously fine-tuned a lot of his skill in mentoring other poker players, in 2005 he went on to write a book, called Ace on the River. The book is a huge success in its field, and in Greenstein’s own words is a book about how to make money in poker, although he is keen to point out that it is not a ‘cookbook’. The book’s massive success may have been partly spurred on by the fact that Tuan Le, a World Poker Tour champion who we will profile later on, publically claimed that Ace on the River helped him to succeed in poker and was a large reason behind where he has reached today.
It is a great book for any budding poker enthusiast, and whilst you have a chance of getting a free copy (Greenstein often gives away a free copy to any player who eliminates him from a tournament), your best bet would be to buy a one!

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Barry Greenstein

Greenstein is commonly and affectionately known as the ‘Robin Hood of poker’, although at the table he is often known by his true nickname “The Bear”. This is because he donates the majority of his winnings from poker to various children’s and worth charities. Greenstein doesn’t do this for an ego trip or because it makes him a hero; he does it as he feels it is the only and the right thing to do when winning that much money. Greenstein is also known as one of the best poker players to grace the poker scene.

While growing up in Illinois, Greenstein studied science and maths and got himself a PhD in the latter. Greenstein started playing poker after he retired at only 36 years after working at the company Symantec. He has of course played cards since being a small boy. His father taught him the ins and outs of many card games, fuelling a passion he would later turn into a money making hobby.

Greenstein has won the World Poker Tour twice and when he did so in 2004 he took home and donated a massive $1.2 million to charity. He has also many other cashes and has won other major competitions along the way; always donating a huge chunk of his winnings to various charities. To date his total winnings could be as much as six and a half million dollars. The list of Greenstein’s great poker honours is extensive, but key points to note in his career could not skip his three world series of poker bracelets in 2004, 2005 and 2008.

As he is an all round player, he can take his mathematical skills and his talent for poker to new heights never seen before. The fact that he donates all of his winnings only makes him greater. He is consistent, a regular winner and an excellent poker player. We love Barry and will bring you more about him soon- including the ways he has passed his poker knowledge on to those around him, as well as the rest of the world…

For now, you will have to settle for this clip of Barry “The Bear” Greenstein, in action:-

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