Barry Greenstein

Biography

Barry Greenstein was born in Chicago, Illinois and exposed to cards by his father while he was growing up. Although Barry found love for the games of gin rummy and hearts, it was poker that provided him with a way to earn some extra income while growing up.

After graduating high school, he earned a computer science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before going on to study for a mathematics Ph.D. Greenstein never did fully complete his Ph.D. studies. Instead, he relocated to California and began working for a company called Symantec. By the age of 36, Barry realized he could give up his day job and focus on poker full time.

Working hard and putting in long hours on the felt allowed Barry to make huge strides with poker, but it wasn’t until 2003 that he really won something big. In March of that year, Greenstein took first place in Larry Flynt’s Poker Challenge Cup for an enormous payday of $1 million.

After winning the tournament, he decided to take a large chunk of the money and make a donation to a charity. Greenstein did just that, giving a large percentage of his winnings to charity. This is where his nickname “The Robin Hood of Poker” stemmed from. Still to this day, Greenstein uses his tournament winnings to donate to various charities and do his part.
In 2004, Greenstein won the Jack Binion World Poker Open WPT Event for over $1.2 million and then went on to capture his first bracelet in No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball. Over the next few years, he won two more bracelets and cashed in a slew of events. Barry also became a staple in the “Big Game” at the Bellagio with the likes of the late Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and Chau Giang.

Barry is a very professional player and never seems to lose his cool at the table, even if he does lose the occasional $1 million pot on an episode of High Stakes Poker. Maybe not the most intimidating player at the table, Greenstein employs a calculated and very analytical approach to that game that makes him a feared force by the other members of any table he sits down at.

Doyle Brunson respects talent when he sees it and sought Greenstein out to write a chapter in Super/System 2. After that, Greenstein went on to author his own book called Ace on the River, which he’ll happily give you an autographed copy of if you bust him out of a tournament.