Brian Green

Brian Green is a name shared by two distinct live-tournament poker players. The more prominent is an elite American professional, a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and a fixture of high-stakes events. A second Brian Green, from Costa Rica, built a respected career as a businessman-amateur and produced several memorable international results. Because both men have been tracked in live poker databases, their records are occasionally mixed up; the American player's career earnings approach $4.6 million, while the Costa Rican's are a fraction of that.

The American Brian Green was not a lifelong poker pro. He originally worked as a sports betting consultant and businessman before discovering poker during the early-2000s boom. He first made waves on the World Poker Tour and soon moved into the high-roller stratosphere. Poker databases have also listed him under variations of his full name, including Brian Matthew Green, Brian Mattew Green, and Matthew Brian.

The Costa Rican Brian Green was already a businessman in his late 40s when a widely circulated profile described a player with 12 years of live tournament experience. He began playing before the online poker boom and gravitated to high-stakes tournament poker despite not treating it as his main profession. In 2002 he came one spot away from earning his first World Series of Poker bracelet, finishing runner-up to Jennifer Harman in a $5,000 limit hold'em event for $106,200.

The biggest cash of the Costa Rican Green's career came in 2006 at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, where he finished seventh for $144,500. That performance, at one of that era's most significant international events, helped establish him outside his home country. His live earnings were later reported at just over $650,000.

The American Brian Green's defining result came at the 2016 WSOP "One Drop" High Roller. In one of the most expensive and toughest tournaments ever held, he finished fifth for more than $1.1 million, battling the world's elite players deep into the event. Three years later he added the missing major title, winning a WSOP bracelet in 2019. Updated records show him with 286 live cashes and lifetime earnings of $4,637,631, including a $38,000 payday as recently as 05-Feb-2026. An earlier database snapshot had listed $4,410,728 from 254 cashes as of 16-Jun-2025, illustrating his steady activity between those dates.

The American Green continues to play a busy schedule. His 2026 results already include a $38,000 cash in early February, and his tournament calendar has covered stops in both Asia and the United States. He was also expected to be part of the upcoming 57th Annual WSOP in Las Vegas, building on a resume that already contains a bracelet, a One Drop final-table appearance, and more than $4.6 million in earnings.

For the Costa Rican Brian Green, rankings have at times listed a career total of around $469,805 and a world ranking of 7,049. He has cashed numerous times in WSOP main events and side events, with reported deep runs in $1,500 no-limit hold'em tournaments and WSOP Circuit events. His early achievements made him a pioneer for Costa Rican poker on the international stage.

The Costa Rican Brian Green is generally described as a steady, position-aware player. He is patient in deep-stack phases, reads his opponents well, and saves his aggression for high-equity spots. His success around the bubble and at final tables indicates disciplined decision-making under pressure. Like many players of his generation, he built a foundation in online poker before transitioning to live tournaments.

The American Brian Green, by contrast, has made his name in high-variance, high-stakes fields. His game combines aggression with deep tournament experience gathered on the WPT and WSOP. His fifth-place run in the 2016 One Drop, with an entry fee that created a famously difficult field, is considered the deepest proof of his ability to compete with the very best.

The Costa Rican Brian Green is a self-proclaimed gym rat with a passion for cycling. His family plays a central role in his life; he has said his three kids are an even bigger passion than poker. Away from the tables, he has maintained his business career while traveling for major poker events. Those personal details, along with his tournament results, help separate the man from the more highly publicized American player who shares his name.