Dan Harrington is a polymath, and great at everything he does.
He is a lawyer, a successful entrepreneur, and a brilliant author. And, when it comes to gaming, he is a master of poker, chess, and backgammon. At Vegas Aces Casino, we are truly impressed and want to give you the lowdown on this outstanding fella.
Today’s casino news takes you on a quick journey through this legend’s poker career, personal life, and net worth.
Dan Harrington: A Poker, Chess, and Backgammon Legend
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 6, 1945, USA, Dan Harrington is a popular poker personality. However, he had also been a legal practitioner long before he ventured into professional poker, specializing in bankruptcy law. And he has also made it big in chess and backgammon. With this Renaissance-man backdrop, he often needs no introduction, even to Let It Ride Poker Single Hand players.
Dan Harrington is an ex-backgammon champion and a brilliant chess player. He won the 1971 Massachusetts State Chess Championship. This earned him the reputable Master’s title. Combining the two games skills, he proceeded to poker, where he was nicknamed “Action Dan.”
Poker Exploits
With one WPT Championship title and two WSOP bracelets, he is recognized among the only seven players to have won both the WPT Championship title and the WSOP Main Event. He is famous for winning the 1995 WSOP Main Event. Furthermore, he also won his match against future tech giant Bill Gates at Havard University. Yeah, a total legend!
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Dan Harrington’s Tournament Career
20th Century Achievements
In the mid-1980s, Dan Harrington made his tournament debut in January 1986 at the Grand Prix of Poker in Las Vegas. He played alongside fellow poker legends Erik Seidel, Steve Zolotow, and Howard Lederer. Despite it all, he finished 4th with $13,050.
Harrington’s journey to poker stardom began in 1987 when he entered his first WSOP event. He finished 6th in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em World Championship with a $43,750 payout. In June, he finished second in the Knights of the Round Table $500 Limit Hold ’em event for a $21,125 cash prize.
He had a career-defining season eight years later, in May 1995, at the WSOP. This was where he first conquered the $2,500 No-Limit Hold ’em event. At that event, he pocketed a cool $249,000 and his first WSOP bracelet. Winning the highly-coveted $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em World Championship -also known as the “Main Event”- he went on to pocket a staggering $1,000,000 prize money plus a second poker bracelet.
The same month, he also triumphed at the 1995 Festival of Poker in London. He won the £1,500 No-Limit Hold ’em event, scooping up a decent £68,500 prize money.
Returning to the United States, Dan Harrington demonstrated his poker proficiency wasn’t just sheer luck. In September 1995, the year Mariano Poker was born, he dominated the $5,000 No-Limit Hold ’em tournament at the Four Queens Poker Classic in Las Vegas. Dan walked away with a $212,000 cash prize.
In 2000, his impressive poker run continued, securing a first-place finish at the Los Angeles Global Pot Limit No Limit Open. He took home a tidy $27,000 in winnings. This was the first of many more victories in the early 2000s.
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21st Century Achievements
In 2003, Dan Harrington once again found himself in the limelight. He finished 3rd at the WSOP $10,000 World Championship Event, adding $650,000 to his already impressive poker bankroll. A year later, he made another deep run in the WSOP’s $10,000 World Championship Event. Here, he placed 4th and bagged $1.5 million in prize money.
The year 2007 was a particularly fruitful one for Dan Harrington. During the summer, he clinched his first WPT title at the 2007 Legends of Poker in Los Angeles, taking home a staggering $1,635,365 prize—his best live cash prize ever. In 2010, Dan Harrington was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. He was last seen in the $1,000 No Limit Hold ’em – Super Seniors Bracelet Event of the WSOP 2024 schedule.
Throughout his astounding career, Dan Harrington has amassed a staggering $6,653,820 in live tournament earnings. This positioned him at a peak global rank of 8th on the coveted All-Time Money List.
Beyond Gaming: Money Lender and Teacher
Notwithstanding his already-peaking career, in 1998, alongside his poker colleagues Jeff Lipton and Stephen Pollack, he founded Anchor Loans. This was a hard money lender catering company oriented toward real estate rehabbers, where he served as CEO. The company has funded over $5.3 billion in loans and remains profitable long after his retirement in 2010.
Additionally, Dan Harrington used his vast knowledge to impact players who love strategies, like the strong all in poker move, a fierce decision at any poker table, especially in high-stakes games. He has played the role of a teacher and mentor, sharing his wisdom through his celebrated books on tournaments and cash no-limit games. He has six poker books to his credit he co-authored with Bill Robertie: three tournament books, two cash no-limit books, and one online cash no-limit book.
Closing Snapshot
From his early chess-mastery days to his triumphant poker career and entrepreneurial success, Harrington has always strived for excellence. His impressive tournament wins and top-tier finishes have made him a true poker legend. His impact through the books he authored is also a remarkable feat for this polymath.
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