Barry Greenstein - Poker With A Purpose

Poker, as a general rule, does not lend itself to being an area of good will. The objective of taking your opponents money to add to your own bankroll, plus the combative nature of the game, isn't the first place you might look to seeing philanthropic outlets. One person who has used tournament poker as a way of benefiting mankind is the game's very own "Robin Hood," Barry Greenstein.

Greenstein was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and, from his youth, showed a propensity for games and particularly at the poker tables. His father played poker as well, which could be where Barry picked up the game at. The young Greenstein started to play the game with his friends in high school, where he was routinely was the victor, and carried it over into his early adult life while he attended the University of Illinois.

In these early years, Barry thought about the potential for becoming a poker professional. He was able to support himself from his poker earnings and also saw that it could potentially be a very lucrative career. He also realized at the same time that it was a career choice that was fraught with dangerous roadblocks and pitfalls at every turn. With these thoughts in mind he continued his education, eventually earning his college diploma in computer sciences and coming up just short of finishing his PhD at the University of Illinois.

In 1984, he headed into the workforce when he joined the software company Symantec, where he was one of the leaders in their software development. The lure of the poker tables was still there, however. Eventually, through circumstances in both his professional and personal life, he left the company and began his career trek into the poker world. He hasn't looked back since.

Long known as one of the best cash game players in the world, Greenstein didn't seriously concentrate on tournament poker in his early years. In the early 90's, however, Barry was able to make some noise at the World Series of Poker, where he cashed six times before the turn of the century. He continued to make a living from the ring games of the greatest poker rooms in California and Las Vegas but, when tournament poker exploded in 2002, he came to the conclusion that he could use these tournaments (and the winnings that he earned from them) to benefit his fellow man.

In the 21st century, Barry has been perhaps one of the greatest and most consistent tournament players around. He adjusted his cash game proclivity to the tournament stylings and has achieved great success in every poker tour or arena he has approached. He has also held forth in his commitment to making the world a better place by donating those tournament winnings to several charities, most notably Children, Inc., which provides the essentials to children in the United States and around the world.

He has captured two World Series of Poker bracelets, with the last victory coming in 2005 in Pot Limit Omaha. Along with those two bracelets, Barry has added twenty one cashes in World Series competition. On the World Poker Tour, he has also shown his talents in capturing a championship in an open tournament (the 2004 Jack Binion World Poker Open) and has made the money in many of the events since the Tour's inception. His most recent victory on the WPT was in Los Angeles in 2006 in the WPT Invitational. Even with all of this success in the tournament world, Greenstein continues to this day to be a force in the highest limit cash games, wherever they may be played.

Greenstein has also made an impact on the way players approach the game of poker with his seminal book "Ace On The River." The book was a result of being approached by the legendary Doyle Brunson, who wanted him to pen a chapter for "Super/System 2" on making and managing money in poker. When Barry presented him with his 100-page thesis, Doyle suggested that he create his own book. The result of this is one of the more influential poker books of recent times. In the book, he gives the present and future players of the game guidance which many lack in a multitude of areas that most poker books do not approach.

At the tables, Barry is known for his quiet, thoughtful approach to the game. He rarely makes a move during the play of a hand when he is not in a position of power and, as such, does very well in many of the tournaments he enters. He also is very approachable, known for chatting amicably with fans during breaks in the action and is always ready to espouse the virtues of having some other options than strictly playing poker for a living.

Barry Greenstein is perhaps one of the true Renaissance men in the poker world. A philanthropist, an author, and a tremendous poker player in both cash game and tournament action...all of these, and many other things, could be attributed to him. He also should be one of the guiding lights in the poker community for many years to come.

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