Adrian Mateos

Adrián Mateos Díaz was born on 1 July 1994 in San Martín de la Vega, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. He grew up playing tennis at a high level, frequently competing against older opponents. At age 16, he discovered poker on television and quickly became obsessed, studying strategy videos and online resources. His high school grades slipped as poker consumed his focus. Since Spain prohibited online poker for players under 21, Mateos moved to London at age 18 to pursue the game full-time. His first major tournament cash came in late 2012 in Madrid, and in January 2013 he won the Estrellas Poker Tour Madrid Main Event for €103,000, staking himself for bigger fields.

In October 2013, at just 19 years old, Mateos entered the €10,450 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event in Paris. He defeated a final table that included Daniel Negreanu to win the title and €1,000,000, becoming the youngest WSOPE Main Event champion in history and the second-youngest WSOP bracelet winner after Annette Obrestad. Two years later, in May 2015, he won the European Poker Tour Grand Final Main Event in Monte Carlo, taking down 537 entries for €1,082,000. That victory made him the first Spanish player ever to win an EPT Main Event and earned him the nickname “The Closer.”

Mateos has won six WSOP bracelets across live, online, and Europe events:

An "E" denotes a WSOP Europe bracelet, and an "O" denotes an online bracelet.

In 2017, Mateos won his third bracelet in the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship, becoming at age 22 the youngest player ever to win three WSOP bracelets. He repeated that feat in June 2026 when he won his sixth bracelet in the $250,000 Super High Roller, defeating Bryn Kenney heads-up for $4,334,411, becoming the youngest player to reach six bracelets at age 31. He is one of only five players to win five bracelets before turning 30, joining Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Allen Cunningham, and Daniel Alaei.

Mateos has built a reputation as one of the most dangerous players in the highest-stakes tournaments. In 2021, he won the $250,000 Super High Roller at the WSOP for $3,265,362. He has dominated the Triton Poker Series, winning the $30k NLH 8-Handed in Jeju 2024 ($1,175,000), the $50K NLH 8-Handed in Montenegro 2024 ($1,761,000), and most notably the $200,000 Triton Invitational in Montenegro in May 2026. The latter event drew a record 137 entries, and Mateos earned a career-best $6,370,000, nearly doubling his previous largest score. With three Triton titles and nearly $16 million in Triton earnings alone, he is widely regarded as the player to beat in the world’s richest poker series.

Mateos was the highest-earning live poker player in 2024, with over $13 million in tournament winnings. He finished October 2024 ranked number one in the world by the Global Poker Index and won Card Player’s 2024 Player of the Year award, his second such honor after winning it in 2017. He also won the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year, edging Bryn Kenney by less than one cash. As of June 2026, his live tournament earnings exceed $67 million, ranking him fifth on the all-time money list and first among Spanish players.

Mateos plays online under the screen name "Amadi_017." On PokerStars he has won five Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) titles and five World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) titles. During the 2020 WCOOP series, he won four titles, including the $25,000 Super High Roller where he defeated Fedor Holz for $543,686. In March 2021, he won the 42nd edition of the GGPoker Super MILLION$ for $428,624. His fifth WSOP bracelet came in a $3,200 online high roller event in 2025.

Mateos is a Winamax Team Pro and won the Winamax SISMIX Main Event in Marrakech in 2018. He is widely regarded as one of the best tournament players in the world. After his 2026 Triton and WSOP victories, PokerNews questioned whether he had proven himself the best tournament player in poker. In December 2025, Spain’s leading newspaper included him in its prestigious "Los 100 del deporte" list, making him the first poker player ever named to that list.

Mateos is known for a balanced and aggressive style that blends GTO-based foundations with exploitative aggression. He leverages positional advantage, applies post-flop pressure, and constructs precise hand ranges. He demonstrates exceptional patience and discipline, rarely deviating from his plans despite emotional swings. Mateos has stated that he does not rely on a fixed strategy but adapts to opponents and tournament dynamics. At the table, he maintains intense focus, often wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, and rarely speaks. His flexibility—playing conservatively in large-field events and maximizing aggression in high rollers—gives him a unique edge.

Adrián Mateos is widely considered one of the best Spanish and European poker players in history. His six WSOP bracelets, multiple high-roller and Triton titles, record-breaking earnings, and consistent dominance at the highest stakes have cemented his legacy as a top-tier professional. He remains a Winamax ambassador and a respected figure in the global poker community, and at 32 years old, he is expected to continue adding to his remarkable resume for years to come.

Mateos has several titles on the PokerGO Tour, including wins at ARIA High Roller events and the 2021 WSOP $250,000 Super High Roller. A full list of his PokerGO Tour victories is as follows:

These results demonstrate his consistent success across high-stakes live events with buy-ins ranging from $10,000 to $250,000.

Mateos holds a perfect record in WSOP final tables: in five appearances, he has won five bracelets, a 100% conversion rate unmatched by any other player with five or more bracelets. As of 2026, he has never lost a WSOP final table, showcasing his closing ability under the highest pressure. This record includes victories at the WSOP Europe Main Event, the Summer Solstice event, the Heads-Up Championship, and two $250,000 Super High Rollers.

Mateos is known for a rigorous training schedule. He dedicates eight hours a day, six days a week to practice and study, which includes not only poker simulations but also studying mathematics, statistics, and psychology. This disciplined approach allows him to maintain peak performance and adapt to the evolving strategy of high-stakes tournament poker.

In addition to his GPI and Card Player Player of the Year awards, Mateos was named Player of the Year in Spain for two consecutive years (2013 and 2014). He has also been ranked among the top Global Poker Index players, reaching a peak rank of 5th overall. His consistent presence on the all-time money list, currently 5th, further underscores his elite standing.