Matt Giannetti

Matt Giannetti was born and raised in Austin and found life as a poker pro soon after graduating from the University of Texas. Originally a cash game player that battled at the highest stakes as ‘hazards21’ online, Matt’s most well-known achievements have actually come in the world of live tournaments. He gained recognition for being one of the 2011 November Nine where he entered the final table third in chips. Unfortunately, his standing didn’t remain that way as he exited in fourth – a result that no doubt sat sorely with Giannetti for a little bit but was softened by the $3,012,700 he received for the epic run.

Although the now Vegas resident is yet to win a WSOP bracelet, he has made four other final tables at the series and the majority of his live tournament winnings come from these events. In 2012, he earned a six-figure payday when he finished in seventh in the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event - ahead of studious tournament crushers Pratyush Buddiga and Andrew ‘LuckyChewy’ Lichtenberger. Two years on saw the Texas native have another missed shot at the gold but still another sizeable cash when he exited in fifth at the $25,000 NLH Mixed-Max event for $171,461.

Fortunately for Matt, his career hasn’t been characterised entirely by these ‘almost’ moments. He is a two-time WPT winner after taking down the 2011 €3,000 NLH Main Event in Malta, and also triumphing at the 2013 $3,500 NLH Championship in Hollywood where he earned $298,304.

In addition to his $4,600,000+ in live tournament earnings, Giannetti has been known to pocket some large amounts of cash thanks to some interesting prop bets and degenerate gambling. In 2007 at WPT Turks & Caicos, he took $15,000 off fellow pro David Williams after winning a bet that involved him standing in the hotel’s pool for 12 hours straight. His friends also won similar amounts of money thanks to side bets they’d placed on Matt succeeding. You can hear his account of what happened in this entertaining video here.