Lyle Arnold Berman (born August 6, 1941, in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
) is an American 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 and
business executive
A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.
Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations g ...
.
Business
Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
where he was graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father's leather business, Berman Buckskin. When the business was sold to W. R. Grace in 1979, he stayed on as
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. The company was then later sold to the
Melville Corporation
Melville Corporation, formerly based in Rye, New York, was a large retail holding company incorporated by Ward Melville in 1922 from Melville Shoe Company. It became CVS Corporation in 1996 under a massive reorganization plan. The company trade ...
where it became Wilsons Leather. From 1994 to 2000 he was the chairman and CEO of the
Rainforest Cafe chain of restaurants and retail stores.
Berman also played an important role in gaming companies. In 1990 he was a co-founder of
Grand Casinos
Grand Casinos () was a casino operator, co-founded by poker player Lyle Berman and Dave Anderson, Founder of Famous Dave's BBQ Restaurants, that started out managing several casinos in Minnesota in 1990.
The company ceased to exist when it was pur ...
, a company that sought to create gambling establishments outside of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
. Grand Casinos'
Native American casino holdings were spun off into a new company,
Lakes Entertainment
Lakes Entertainment, Inc. was an American Gambling, gaming company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota. It merged with Golden Gaming in 2015 to form Golden Entertainment.
History
The company was created on December 31, 1998 as pa ...
, and Berman was named CEO. Additionally, Berman is the chairman of the board of the
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...
and
Pokertek.
He won the
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...
''Great American Traditions'' award in 1995 and the ''Gaming Executive of the Year'' award in 1996.
Berman was one of the many investors victimized by the
massive Ponzi scheme of
Bernie Madoff, though his actual losses are unknown.
[Jennifer Robison]
Investors with ties to Las Vegas appear on Madoff's list
Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 7, 2009, accessed November 10, 2011.
Poker
Berman has won 3
World Series of Poker
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 ...
(WSOP) bracelets and is a member of the
Poker Hall of Fame
The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker in the United States. Founded in Las Vegas, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest ...
.
In 2005, Lyle Berman competed in the
National Heads Up Championship. He finished in fifth place losing to eventual champion
Phil Hellmuth
Phillip Jerome Hellmuth Jr. (born July 16, 1964) is an American professional poker player who has won a record sixteen World Series of Poker bracelets. He is the winner of the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the Main Event ...
Jr. in the quarterfinals.
Although he prefers high-stakes cash games, he has as of 2009 won over $2,500,000 in live poker tournaments. His 16 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,446,317 of those winnings. He was inducted into the
Poker Hall of Fame
The Poker Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional poker in the United States. Founded in Las Vegas, it was created in 1979 by Benny Binion, the owner of the Horseshoe Casino, to preserve the names and legacies of the world's greatest ...
in 2002.
According to the
James McManus
}
James "Jim" McManus (born March 22, 1951) is an American teacher, writer and poker player living in Kenilworth, Illinois. He is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts program for writers at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Poker and ''Positi ...
book ''Positively Fifth Street'', Berman has bankrolled
T. J. Cloutier in numerous
poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table (called a "heads up poker, heads-up" tournament), and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on th ...
s, including the 2000 WSOP main event, where he finished 2nd. The book ''All-In'' is about Berman's life.
Berman currently resides in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and has 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
World Series of Poker Bracelets
Publications
Berman co-authore
''I'm All In : Lyle Berman and the Birth of the World Poker Tour''() with
Marvin Karlins. The autobiography details Berman's life from his childhood to his life as an adult, covering his business ventures, his opinions on poker and
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and his experiences with designing and developing the World Poker Tour into what it is today.
References
External links
World Poker Tour profileCasino City Times book reviewHendon Mob tournament results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Lyle
1941 births
Living people
Carlson School of Management alumni
American poker players
World Series of Poker bracelet winners
Super Bowl of Poker event winners
Poker Hall of Fame inductees