Brent Hanks

Brent Hanks was born in Fillmore, New York, a small town in the western part of the state. He attended St. Bonaventure University, where he earned a Master's Degree in Elementary Literacy in 2007. Before pursuing poker full-time, Hanks worked as a fifth-grade math and social studies teacher. In a 2012 interview with PocketFives, he reflected on his teaching career, saying, "It was awesome being a teacher. You certainly need to be patient with how things progress in poker and in teaching. Sometimes, there are parallels with kids in the classroom. Learning how to deal with each kid individually is similar to how to deal with each opponent at the table."

Hanks began playing poker while attending St. Bonaventure University and registered his first live tournament result in 2006. After moving to Las Vegas and leaving teaching behind, he achieved his breakthrough at the 2012 World Series of Poker. In Event #2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, he topped a massive field of 2,101 players to win his first WSOP gold bracelet and a first-place prize of $517,725. The victory was especially dramatic: heads-up against fellow PocketFives member Jacob Bazeley, Hanks was all-in with A-8 against Bazeley's pocket nines. An ace on the flop turned the tide, and Bazeley was down to less than one big blind, eliminated the next hand. Hanks later told PocketFives, "I was pretty torn winning the way I won because I was hoping it would come down to a neutral coin flip or I could chip away at him until the match was over. It didn't work out that way."

In May 2013, Hanks won the California State Poker Championship, defeating a 258-player field to earn $117,760. The tournament featured notable players including Gavin Griffin, whom Hanks defeated heads-up. Over his career, Hanks has recorded 38 cashes at the WSOP, including three Main Event cashes. As of July 2022, his live tournament winnings exceeded $1,850,000, and the Hendon Mob now lists his total live earnings at $1,969,167, placing him approximately 1,450th on the All Time Money List. He also played online under the screen name "bhanks11" and has nearly $2.7 million in tracked online earnings according to PocketFives.

Beyond his playing career, Hanks has become a prominent figure in poker media. He serves as the Director of Programming for PokerGO, where he is responsible for assembling lineups for popular shows such as High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark. He is also a key member of the PokerGO break desk alongside Jeff Platt and Maria Ho, providing analysis during major tournament series like Poker Masters, U.S. Poker Open, PokerGO Cup, and Super High Roller Bowl. In July 2022, Hanks and Platt launched the cash-game entertainment show "No Gamble, No Future" on PokerGO, which evolved from their earlier video podcast. The show films at the PokerGO Studio and began airing in August 2022. Hanks' chemistry with Platt has been praised, with PokerNews noting that their rapport "shines during USPO."

Hanks met his wife Liz in Western New York, and the couple married at the Red Rock Country Club in Las Vegas in 2013. They currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hanks is an avid Buffalo Bills fan and often supports his hometown team. Despite his success in poker and broadcasting, he remains grounded, recalling the early days of his bracelet win: "I'll probably be a little bit more excited after it has settled in. I have gotten a lot of congratulations from faces I've never seen before."