Jonathan Jaffe was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, part of the generation inspired by the 2003 "Moneymaker Boom." Before his poker ascent, he worked as a summer camp counselor, using his modest earnings to make his first $200 online deposit. He attended Westfield State University, but his tenure in higher education was short-lived; after just one semester, he convinced his parents to let him drop out to pursue poker full-time.
Jonathan Jaffe Poker History
Jaffe first made his mark as an online heads-up specialist under the screen name "Iftarii." He transitioned to live play with immediate success, notably finishing runner-up in the 2008 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals for $670,636.
In 2013, Jaffe finished 42nd in the WSOP Main Event for $185,694 before winning a WPT title the following year. He took home $409,657 for winning WPT Montreal.
He final-tabled the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in 2019, and the WPT Tampa Championship in 2021 for combined cashes of almost $600,000.
The first seven-figure cash of Jaffe's career came in the 2023 WPT Alpha8 for One Drop for over $1.5 million. Later that year, Jaffe won his first Triton Poker Series title in Monte-Carlo for $501,000. Jaffe has gone on to amass multiple seven-figure scores as a regular on the Triton Poker Series. This includes a $1,330,000 cash at Triton Poker Series Monte Carlo in 2024 and a second Triton title in Jeju the following year for $1,061,672.
The largest cash of Jaffe's career came at the 2025 Triton Invitational in the Bahamas, finishing fourth for $2,860,000.
Jonathan Jaffe Top 5 Poker Cashes
| Date | Event | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 | $250,000 Triton Invitational (WSOP Paradise) | 4th | $2,860,000 |
| July 2023 | $111,111 WPT Alpha8 for One Drop | 1st | $1,537,600 |
| Nov 2024 | $125,000 Triton Main Event (Monte Carlo) | 5th | $1,330,000 |
| Aug 2025 | $25,500 SHRPO High Roller | 1st | $1,061,672 |
| Dec 2025 | $150,000 Triton 8-Handed (WSOP Paradise) | 5th | $891,000 |
| Sept 2023 | $50,000 Poker Masters Finale | 1st | $756,000 |
Wealth - What is Jonathan Jaffe’s Net Worth?
Jonathan Jaffe’s net worth is estimated to be between $10 million and $15 million. This estimate is grounded in his $20,766,300 in lifetime live tournament winnings as of early 2026. Beyond tournament cashes, Jaffe generates significant income from his role as a lead coach at PokerCoaching.com and his involvement with GTO Lab. While he is a "crusher" in high-stakes cash games, his net worth accounts for the substantial buy-ins required for the Super High Roller circuit and the standard practice of selling action or swapping percentages with other players.
Jonathan Jaffe Controversies
The "Dolphin Trainer" Prank
During an early WSOP broadcast on ESPN, Jaffe famously pulled a prank on the production team. When asked for his background for the televised graphics, he humorously claimed to be a professional dolphin trainer. The niche "fact" was aired to millions before the poker community realized it was a complete fabrication.
