Mad Dog Thomas Gravesen and His $100Million Poker Fortune

Move over Dan Bilzerian, there’s a new $100million poker amateur in town – former Everton and Real Madrid footballer Thomas Gravesen hitting the headlines this week with some far-fetched poker antics…

That’s what the British tabloid newspapers are claiming, at least, with the Daily Star describing the retired Danish midfielder as having “amassed over $100m through poker winnings.”

That fortune allegedly includes losing “$54m in one night at the table”, which if true would see Gravesen put Bilzerian, and notorious gamblers such as Kerry Packer and Archie Karas, firmly in the shade.

Bilzerian once claimed to have won “$50million” in a 12-month stretch of rungood in underground games – responding with “That’s a fucking fact” when questioned on the True Geordie a couple of years ago.

The self-styled Instagram King playboy also famously told Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates:

“Definitely won more money than your ass in poker, that’s a fact.”

Bilzerian’s claims of winning more than $10million in a single night, are, of course, almost impossible to verify, and so it is with Gravesen.

The Danish footballer, nicknamed “MadDog” played for the English Premiership side Everton for 5 years, earning a reputation for his madcap approach to the game and life.

Described as a “grenade with the pin pulled out,” Gravesen then moved to Real Madrid, and his personal life saw him date a porn star, and eventually marry Czech model Kamila Persse.

Following his retirement in 2009, he moved to Las Vegas, and that’s where his poker reputation appears to have been made, or perhaps created.

An unverified 2plus2 forum post stated:

“I can confirm he has made £80m but it did not come easy. I was there in one of the sessions where he was playing some guy heads-up and lost £54m in one night. Can't say who it was against, though.”

Well, we could all say that, but we don’t all live in the same gated community as Nicholas Cage and Andre Agassi, as Gravesen reportedly does.

However, a more likely source of his riches are a series of $multi-million investments Gravesen is said to have made back when he was earning the equivalent of $100,000 a week during his footballing heyday.

That would certainly allow him to live the highroller lifestyle in Vegas, though we’ve yet to see him at a casino table with the other big-spending poker amateurs.

Gravesen versus Bilzerian heads-up for $100million poker rollz? Don’t hold your breath!