All-Time Poker Money Leader Bryn Kenney Hits $70M in Tournament Winnings 

Bryn Kenney just won the Triton Poker $125K Monte Carlo Main Event for $4.41 million. That would be among the biggest single cashes for most players in their poker career.

But for Kenney, it was even more significant, as it saw him become the first person to pass $70 million in career poker tournament earnings. This also solidifies his spot at the top of the all-time live poker tournament money list with $71.4 million in the bank over his 17-year career. 

The latest win is Kenney’s fourth Triton Poker tournament win. 159 players put in a cool $125,000 to buy-in to the event in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Kenney outlasted them all to take first place.

The New York native flies under the radar when considered in many best of all-time poker lists. Partly because he has never made a deep run in the WSOP Main Event, and has only outright won six big tournaments. The majority of his large cash haul is from just shy of 100 in the money finishes in global high roller tournaments. 

“Never give up, that’s the secret,” Kenney said, speaking to Triton Poker after the event. 

“Everyone has their roller coaster, their wave that they’re on… You just got to hang on for the ride. Give it your best, don’t let things get you down, and never stop fighting.”

The Event 

There were 159 entries from 99 players on Friday, November 8 at the swanky Monte Carlo Sporting Club’s Salle de Etoile’s high-limit lounge. Each paid $125,000 for a shot at a $19 million prize pool. 

On the field were some of the world’s top high-limit players including regular Triton tournament winner and Monaco resident Patrik Antonius, and WSOP 2024 final table player Brian Kim. 

By Monday, November 11, there were just nine players remaining at the final table. Each would earn at least 4 times their buy-in but $4.4 million awaited the winner. Kenney ended up in the final two, facing off head to head against Malaysian player Wai Leong Chan.

Kenney’s head-to-head swung on a lucky out, as his Ace Jack beat Chan’s pocket kings on a quick all-in only a few hands into the face off. 

After both players shoved pre-flop, the dealer laid out 2 Jack 7 leaving Kenney on second pair. After a turn of 3, Kenney needed a Jack or an Ace, or he would lose the pot and fall to his last few chips. The river came down Jack of Hearts, handing a big pot of 97 big blinds to Kenney and crushing Chan’s stack. 

With just three big blinds remaining, Chan was forced all-in on Ace Nine off-suit, and lost to Kenney’s pocket sixes. With that, Kenney had won his fourth tournament victory and made himself the first poker player to hit $70 million in tournament earnings. 

Global Cash Leader 

Kenney began playing cards at a young age, using his eidetic memory to maximum advantage on the local scene. But, not gambling – he cut his teeth as a young teenager playing collectible card game Magic the Gathering. 

After dominating the local semi-professional Magic scene, some high-level players there introduced him to poker. He then made decent money through high stakes online cash games until playing his first tournament poker matchup in the Bahamas in 2005. 

Five years later, he placed 8th at a 2010 WSOP event for his first big cash of $140K. In 2015, he won his first, and so far only, WSOP bracelet. Since then, he has mostly played high-limit tournaments in Europe and Asia, playing regularly on the high-limit Triton Poker scene.

Kenney has had a publicized beef with 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who has $30 million in career earnings himself and is considered by some to be the greatest poker player of all-time. 

Kenney has challenged Hellmuth to a million-dollar high stakes heads-up game, which he says Hellmuth declined. Kenney also compared leading global poker brand WSOP to minor league baseball, with Triton being the majors. 

Hellmuth has also shown his skill in heads-up poker, winning the Poker Go high stakes heads up duel tournament in 2005 and finishing second in 2013.