Steven Paul "Steve" Dannenmann (born August 15, 1966, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

) is a CPA from

Severn, Maryland Severn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Severn is 57,118, a 22.6% increase from 44,231 in 2010. The zip code is 21144. Geography Severn is l ...

who gained attention in the poker world for his success in the

2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or t ...

, finishing runner-up to

Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem (; ; born 11 March 1966) is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for being the first Australian to win the World Series of Poker main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournam ...

in the

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

in his first attempt. He won $4,250,000 as the result of this second place finish.

Accounting career

Dannenmann has been a certified public accountant, financial advisor in his own firm since 1991. After his second place Main Event finish, Dannenmann said that he would not quit his job because it has taken a long time to establish his business and finds much passion advising his clients to make sound financial decisions.

Poker career

Arriving as a fresh face on the poker scene, during one WSOP segment he claimed to be merely "the fourth best player in his home game" prior to his entry in the Main Event. In fact the 2005 WSOP Main Event was his very first recorded tournament cash. Before this, he mainly played in his home game with friends. He did not want to pay the entire main event fee himself so he split the $10,000 entry fee 50/50 with his friend Jerry Ditzel. After finishing 2nd in the Main Event, Dannenmann split the $4,250,000 prize with him. Dannenmann feels that

Dan Harrington Dan Harrington (born December 6, 1945) is a professional poker player, best known for winning the Main Event at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tourna ...

's book on the end-game of No Limit Hold-Em tournaments helped him greatly with his success. He read volume II just days before playing. On the way to second place, he knocked out 1994 WSOP champion Russ Hamilton and

Mike Matusow Michael Matusow (born April 30, 1968) is an American professional poker player residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "the Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table. Matusow began playing poker seriously ...

. His finish in the main event qualified him for the 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions, where he finished in fifth place and won $100,000. During the final table, he lambasted Phil Hellmuth Jr for his behaviour toward the tournament director by refusing to stack his chips and purposely and continuously slowing the tournament down. Dannenmann considers himself to be

superstitious A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and p ...

. He refuses to ride in a cab unless the cab ended in an even number that year, wore the same shirt 7 days in a row during the tournament, and used his lucky globe as a card protector. In the

press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...

after the WSOP Main Event, Dannenmann said that he found that playing poker for seven consecutive days for 12–14 hours to be boring, which led to criticism from some professionals. He has also competed on 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 ...

and has cashed in two events. His highest WPT cash was $65,000 for his 11th-place finish in the 2008 Borgata Poker Open tournament in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. As of 2019, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,900,000.

References

External links

Official siteHendon Mob profileWPT profileWSOP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dannenmann, Steve 1966 births American poker players People from Baltimore Living people People from Severn, Maryland