Humberto Brenes (The Shark)

Born in Costa Rica, but now based in Miami Lakes, Florida, Humberto Brenes is another poker pioneer. Now almost 70, he is among poker's first star players. Before he was a poker player, Humberto was known as a baccarat player, a game mainly based on chance. We say "pioneer" poker, because he was around long before the poker boom of 2003. Humberto won his first notorious paid seat in 1988 at that year's World Series of Poker (WSOP). He finished 4th out of 167 registered players, earning $83,050. A few years later, in 1993, he won not 1, but 2 WSOP bracelets, one in Omaha and the other in Limit Hold'em. To date, he totals over $6 million in tournament winnings in casinos around the world.

His biggest ever win

Humberto has had several big wins in his career, but his most impressive performance came at the $15,000 + 300 World Poker Tour Championship - No Limit Hold'em, an event played as part of the WPT. During the event, he finished 2nd for a win of $923,475. He narrowly missed out on the title, which went to another poker legend, Daniel Negreanu!

What is he doing today?

Humberto still plays poker. In fact, we've seen him win a few purses in Las Vegas tournaments recently. He's also a successful businessman, owning several businesses including a TV station in Costa Rica and a cookie company (also in Costa Rica). He is also a trained and qualified industrial engineer. In the past, he was also one of the members of the PokerStars online poker room's pro team.