Brent Hanks is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

sports commentator In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

and professional

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

player mostly known as being a member of the PokerGO break desk. He is also the co-host with Jeff Platt of the ''

No Gamble, No Future No Gamble, No Future is an American poker television program that airs on PokerGO, and premiered on August 1, 2022. The original series was announced by PokerGO on July 21, 2022, and provide cash game-focused entertainment with a variety of stak ...

'' video podcast on PokerGO that evolved into a cash game-focused entertainment show in July 2022.

Early life and education

Hanks was born in Fillmore, New York, and attended

St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858. In athletics, the St. Bonaventure Bonn ...

where he obtained a Master's Degree in Elementary Literacy in 2007. After graduation, Hanks was a fifth-grade math and social studies teacher before becoming a professional poker player.

Career

Hanks is the Director of Programming for PokerGO and is tasked with putting together lineups for popular shows such as

High Stakes Poker ''High Stakes Poker'' is an American cash game poker television program. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. The first four seasons ran from January 16, 2006 to December 17, 2007 on GSN. The next three seasons ran fr ...

and Poker After Dark. As part of the PokerGO team, Hanks is also one of the co-hosts alongside Jeff Platt on the ''No Gamble, No Future'' video podcast. During PokerGO's coverage of tournament series such as Poker Masters,

U.S. Poker Open The U.S. Poker Open is a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. Created in 2018, it takes place at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and all final tables are streamed live on PokerGO. In addition to the Main Event, the player who ...

, PokerGO Cup, and

Super High Roller Bowl The Super High Roller Bowl is a recurring high stakes No-Limit Hold'em poker tournament that takes place at venues across the world. The first edition of the event was held in July 2015 and featured a $500,000 buy-in, drawing a field of 43 playe ...

, Hanks serves as one of the break desk members alongside Platt and Maria Ho. In July 2022,

was announced as PokerGO's newest show that would provide cash game-focused entertainment. The show would be filmed at the PokerGO Studio with Hanks and Platt hosting. Season 1 is expected to begin airing in August.

Poker career

Hanks began playing poker while attending

and registered his first tournament result in 2006. After leaving teaching behind and travelling to Las Vegas, Hanks won his first

WSOP The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...

gold bracelet at the

2012 World Series of Poker The 2012 World Series of Poker was the 43rd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada between May 27 – July 16, 2012, with the final table of the Main Event delayed until late Oct ...

in Event #2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em when he topped the 2,101-player field to win the $517,725 first-place prize. In May 2013, Hanks won the 2013 California State Poker Championship after defeating a 258-player field to win the $117,760 first-place prize. At the WSOP, Hanks has cashed 38 times following the

2022 World Series of Poker The 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was the 53rd edition of the event and run from May 31-July 20. After being held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino since 2005, the event moved to Bally's Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas for the first time. ...

which includes a total of three WSOP Main Event cashes. As of July 2022, his live tournament winnings exceed $1,850,000.

Personal life

Hanks met his wife Liz in Western New York, and were married at the Red Rock Country Club in 2013. Hanks currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife Liz. Hanks is also an avid

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

fan.

References

{{reflist Poker commentators Living people People from Buffalo, New York St. Bonaventure University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)