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Dan Shak is an American hedge fund manager, commodities trader, and high-stakes poker player who has become one of the most successful “semi-professionals” in the history of the game. Known for his analytical mind honed on Wall Street, Shak has spent two decades competing at the highest levels, amassing over $15 million in earnings while maintaining his status as a feared regular in high-roller invitationals.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
With total live tournament earnings surpassing $15,630,000 (according to The Hendon Mob), Shak is currently ranked inside the top 50 on the United States All-Time Money List. His career-best live score of $1,178,980 came from his victory in the 2010 Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge, where he defeated Phil Ivey heads-up. While he has yet to capture a gold bracelet, Shak is a perennial threat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) , notably finishing 2nd in the 2023 WSOP Paradise $25k PLO High Roller for $537,900. He has remained incredibly active into early 2026, recording three cashes in the PGT Kickoff and Mixed Games series for a combined $51,800. His immense business success and poker winnings contribute to an estimated net worth of over $50 million.
Biography & Poker Background
Born in 1959 in New York City, Shak’s journey began not at the card table, but on the trading floor. A self-made success in the financial world, he founded SHK Management and became one of the most prominent gold and commodities traders on Wall Street. Shak discovered poker in the early 2000s as a way to apply his risk-management skills to a new arena. Unlike many professionals, he has always maintained that poker is a hobby, famously turning down business offers related to the game until joining “Ivey Poker” in 2013 as a favor to his friend Phil Ivey. Now a resident of Las Vegas, he is known for his philanthropy—famously donating his entire $243,893 winnings from the 2007 “Ante Up for Africa” charity event back to the cause. Despite his “amateur” label, his schedule and technical consistency rival that of any full-time pro.
Play Style & Strategy
Shak is renowned for a “disciplined, unconventional, and highly observational” play style. He often leverages his reputation as a “wealthy amateur” to induce mistakes from younger, hyper-aggressive pros who underestimate his technical depth. His strategy is characterized by a “small ball” approach and an elite ability to navigate Pot-Limit Omaha and Mixed Games, formats that reward the same pattern recognition skills he used as a trader. In recent years, he has successfully adapted to the solver era, though he remains vocal about preferring the “psychological battle” of live poker over pure mathematical memorization. He is famously known for his “poker face” and his ability to remain emotionally detached from the massive swings of high-stakes play. Whether competing in a World Poker Tour (WPT) championship or a Triton Poker Series invitational, Shak’s strategy revolves around “playing the man” as much as the cards.
Social Media & Online Presence
Want to follow Dan Shak as he continues to balance the world of high finance and high-stakes poker? You can find him here:
