Matthew Berkey (born January 29, 1982) is an American professional

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

player from

Leechburg, Pennsylvania Leechburg is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. Situated along the Kiskiminetas River, it is part of the Allegheny-Kiski Valley region. Leechburg was founded in the early 19th century and became known for its role in t ...

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 known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...

''. 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 Ho ...

main event. 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, and the primary property at the CityCenter complex, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by The Blackstone Group and operated by MGM Resorts International. Constru ...

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 and Pot-Limit Omaha 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, drawin ...

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 bracelet events including the third edition of ...

$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 Garrett Adelstein (born May 16, 1986) is an American professional poker player from Tucson, Arizona who focuses on live no-limit hold 'em cash games. He appeared on '' Survivor: Cagayan'' where he was the second player voted off. Poker career ...

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. In 2023, Matt Berkey beat high-stakes regular NikAirball for $1,029,700 in a heads-up grudge match. The match was held at Resorts World Las Vegas.

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 wor ...

, & Jamie Kerstetter.

References

External links

Card Player profile

Hendon Mob profilePokerNews profile

WPT profile

WSOP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkey, Matthew American poker players Living people 1982 births