Bryn Kenney is an exceptionally talented poker player who is currently number one on the all-time money list, with tournament winnings of $65,195,990. He's also a polarizing figure in the poker world, who often rubs his opponents the wrong with his brash demeanor and cockiness. But, as they say, it’s not cocky if you can back it up. And he’s been backing his mouth up for years.
Who is Bryn Kenney?
You won’t mistake Bryn Kenney for Phil Ivey, who possesses a quiet demeanor at the table, or Phil Galfond, one of the friendliest players in the game. He has a New York swagger, and he isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks of you. That’s how he rolls, whether you love it or hate it.
One thing is certain about Kenney: he’s as real as they come. Some poker players put on a fake smile and have a fake personality in front of the cameras. But not Kenney. He’s the same on television or live-stream as he is when the cameras aren’t rolling.
As a poker player, he’s long been one of the best high rollers in the game, but he hasn’t always been one of the best money managers. Still, he can grind with the best of them, and his poker resume is one of the strongest in history.
Bryn Kenney biography
Bryn Kenney was born November 1, 1986 in Long Beach, New York, and he is a true blue New Yorker at heart. Not only does he have the New York swagger going for him, he’s also an avid fan of the local teams such as the NBA’s New York Knicks. For his entire life, he’s stayed true to his roots.
Before discovering poker, Kenney was an avid and skilled Magic: The Gathering player, and was ranked #1 in the world in the 2000s. Much like many other top poker pros, he’s been successful in multiple card games. In 2007, he began playing poker regularly in casinos after he turned 21. On May 12 of that year, he recorded his first live poker tournament cash, a $34,446 score for 2nd place in the $1,070 East Coast Poker Championships.
From then on, he began crushing the game of poker, although there were some hiccups along the way. However, unlike most poker players who would never publicly admit to going broke, Kenney isn’t shy about telling the truth about his struggles.
Losing it all in an instant
The biggest destroyer of any talented poker player’s career is poor bankroll management. That happens in various ways — either they blow their money at the blackjack table or sports betting, or they simply play poker above their bankroll. Kenney, admittedly, lost his roll numerous times gambling it away or playing poker above his means.
He claims he’s gone broke at least four times in his career. He also admits that even in some years when he cashed for well over $1 million in tournaments, he had a losing year. On multiple occasions, by his own account, he went from wealthy to dead broke having to borrow money to pay his bills within a month.
Bryn Kenney poker accomplishments
Kenney has certainly had his ups and downs in poker. He’s made millions, lost it all, made it all back, lost it all, and made it back, quite a few times. But he suggests those days are over and he’s now financially set for life and has confidence in his game to never go broke again.
On the felt, the New York native is among the best ever and will be a lock for the Poker Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2026. He holds two significant poker records. The first is as the all-time winningest live tournament player, with over $60 million in cashes. That includes a $20.5 million score, another poker record, for his runner-up performance in the 2019 $1 million buy-in Triton Super High Roller. Anton Zhang won the event but received a smaller payout ($16.8 million) because the players agreed to a heads-up chop before the tournament ended.
Kenney is also a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. In 2014, he took down the $1,500 10-Game Mix 6-Handed at the WSOP for $153,220. But like many high rollers of today, he isn’t much for grinding a full WSOP schedule each summer. Instead, he focuses on the juicy high stakes cash games in Las Vegas during the series, and he's also a regular at the Triton Super High Roller Series. The poker superstar also has an extensive history of crushing it online, with millions more in cashes at various online poker sites. He previously represented GGPoker as an ambassador, along with Daniel Negreanu and Fedor Holz.
4Poker online site and cheating allegations
The Bryn Kenney-founded online site 4Poker launched in 2023, but it hasn't hit the heights Kenney would have hoped. The site had to pull back on some big early guarantees, but it is still operating. Kenney himself was hit with allegations of cheating, which he has consistently denied. Players such as Daniel Negreanu have questioned the allegations, which still remain unproven.
