Matthew Berkey (born January 29, 1982) 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 from

Leechburg, Pennsylvania Leechburg is a borough in southern Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. A population of 2,149 residents live within the borough limits as of the 2020 census, according to US Census Bureau. Leechburg was fo ...

who focuses on live no limit hold 'em cash games.

Early life

Berkey grew up in

with two siblings and aspired to be a baseball player. His parents struggled financially and were separated. His family received help from his grandparents. By the age of 13 Berkey moved in with his grandparents who pushed him in the right direction. In his youth, Berkey earned the nickname ''Eeyore'', the donkey from ''

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

''. Originally, Matt Berkey wanted to become a professional baseball player. He even had a chance to take baseball scholarships from colleges, but he turned those opportunities down because of the distance from his hometown. Berkey attended Gannon University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. While he started playing poker in high school, playing against friends for quarters, it was college where he decided to take the game more seriously. His newfound passion was a product of the Moneymaker Boom. He went to his closest Indian Casino where he started to grind live cash games, and after graduating from college, Berkey chose his poker career over baseball.

Poker career

Berkey plays online under the nickname ''berkey11''. Berkey finished 43rd in the

2010 World Series of Poker The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hol ...

. He was knocked out shortly after being crippled by Jonathan Duhamel's boat. In 2013, Berkey finished 3rd in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed event for $199,733. Berkey won the 2015 $25,000 No Limit Hold'em High Roller event at the

Aria Casino Aria Resort and Casino is a luxury resort and casino, part of the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Aria consists of two curved glass and steel highrise towers adjoined at the center. It opened on December 16, 2009 a ...

in December 2015 earning $315,180. In May 2016, Berkey finished 5th in the $300,000

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 ...

earning $1,100,000. In 2017, Berkey was regularly seen playing live televised cash games. He finished 5th in

2017 World Series of Poker The 2017 World Series of Poker was the 48th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). It took place from May 30 – July 17 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was a record 74 WSOP bracelet, bracelet events including the th ...

$1,500 Six-Max No-Limit Hold'em earning $87,141. Berkey started his own poker academy called Solve For Why. The academy intends on hosting a charity event in March 2018. Berkey appeared on

Poker After Dark ''Poker After Dark'' is an hour-long poker television program that originally aired on NBC, premiering on January 1, 2007.

in November 2017 where he lost a $459,000 pot to poker player Garrett Adelstein while holding against Adelstein's . The board came giving both players a set. Both players went all in on the river. As of 2022, Berkey's total live tournament earnings exceed $4,300,000

Poker Projects

Matt Berkey is the founder of "''Solve For Why''", a Poker Academy. In 2021 , with Tom Wheton, he announced the creation of "''Above The Felt entertainment''", a marketing agency for poker, in collaboration with Daren Elias,

Chris Moneymaker Christopher Bryan Moneymaker (born November 21, 1975) is an American poker player who won the Main Event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a worl ...

, & Jamie Kerstetter.

References

External links

Matt Berkey Hendon Mob profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkey, Matthew American poker players Living people 1982 births