Who Are The Best Poker Players From Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is the most populous state in the New England region of the United States. The Bay State has produced some incredible poker players over the years. Some of those players are world-renowned, and you’re about to find out why.
The top five winning Massachusetts players have $64,822,469 in live tournament winnings. Five WSOP bracelets adorn their wrists, including a WSOP Main Event bracelet. It may not be the first state you consider when thinking about poker, but it may be after this article.
Dan Colman Is One of the Biggest-Ever Winners Not Just in Massachusetts
Dan Colman of Holden, Massachusetts, is the state’s biggest winner and by some margin. Colman has an incredible $28,925,058 in winnings, placing him 12th in the world all-time money listings. This lofty position is no mean feat but even more impressive considering he’s not cashed in a live poker event since December 2017.
Colman was already feared in the online poker world when he burst onto the live circuit in 2014. He won the EPT Grand Final Super High Roller for €1,539,300 ($2,127,398). Colman banked one of the biggest-ever prizes two months later. He won the 2014 Big One for One Drop for $15,306,668, defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up.
Twenty scores of at least six-figures followed before Colman stepped away from poker. Nobody knows if Colman will grace a poker table again. His opponents hope not.
Nick Petrangelo Moved to Nevada from Massachusetts
Nick Petrangelo lives in Las Vegas, Nevada but Feeding Hills, Massachusetts is his hometown. Petrangelo has $17,498,983 in live poker tournament winnings and another eight-figures from playing online poker tournaments.
Petrangelo is a beast of a poker player, one who is fearless. He specializes in High Roller and Super High Roller events. His first bracelet came in the $100,000 High Roller at the 2018 WSOP, a finish worth $2,910,227. Bracelet number two came during the same series; he won the $50,000 High Roller for $720,103!
The elite grinder hasn’t been able to play live poker because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s been busy smashing the online world to pieces. Read our recap of his WPT World Online Championships victory to discover the type of player Petrangelo is.
Jesse Sylvia, the 2012 WSOP Main Event Runner-Up from Massachusetts
Jesse Sylvia hails from West Tisbury, Massachusetts and he came agonizingly close to winning a WSOP Main Event. Sylvia tried his arm at becoming a professional poker player in 2012 and it worked out for him.
Sylvia finished second in the 2012 WSOP Main Event, losing out to Greg Merson heads-up. Second-place weighed in at a cool $5,295,149, which gave the Massachusetts man a substantial bankroll.
Sylvia has struggled to reproduce that 2012 form, but he’s enjoyed some impressive results. His victory in a $3,500 WPT Borgata Poker Open for $821,811 in 2016 is the highlight of Sylvia’s scores.
Dan Harrington is One of the Most Influential Poker Players Ever
Seventy-four-year-old Dan Harrington moved from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Santa Monica, California and is one of the most influential poker players to have lived. Harrington cut his teeth in the poker at the famous Mayfair Club. The likes of Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, and Steve Zolotow played alongside Harrington.
Harrington is the epitome of a tight-aggressive poker player. His solid style allowed him to reached dozens of final tables during his career. Harrington won the 1995 WSOP Main Event. He finished third in the same tournament in 2003 and fourth in 2004.
The Poker Hall of Fame member is also an accomplished author. He penned the trilogy of MTT strategy books Harrington on Hold’em, seen as the bible of tournament poker by large sections of the poker community.
Brian Altman Is a Modern-Day Grinder
Brian Altman is Massachusetts through and through. Longmeadow is where he was born and he now resides in Boston. Altman has accumulated $4,310,025 in winnings throughout his career. He’s won more than $550,000 every year except one since 2015, including 2020.
The first of Altman’s 10 six-figure hauls came in 2015. He won the $3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open for $723,008, which is still his largest score. Amazingly, Altman won the same even in January 2020 for an additional $482,636!