Cary Katz

Cary Steven Katz was born on January 29, 1970, in Atlanta, Georgia, and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 1999, he founded the College Loan Corporation, serving as CEO for 15 years; the company became the seventh largest student loan provider in the United States, issuing $19 billion in loans. Katz also launched the conservative media website CRTV in 2014 and later founded Poker Central in October 2015, which evolved into the subscription-based streaming service PokerGO. He created prominent high roller tournament series such as the Super High Roller Bowl, Poker Masters, and the U.S. Poker Open. Katz serves as chairman of the non-profit Stop Child Predators and is married to Jackie Katz, with whom he has six children.

Katz learned poker from his grandmother and began playing live tournaments competitively in 2004. His first recorded cash came at the Festa al Lago II in Las Vegas, where he finished 24th in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $10,381. In 2005, he placed 21st in the $5,000 WPT Legends of Poker Main Event, earning $20,850. His first WSOP cash was a 159th-place finish in the 2009 Main Event for $40,288. In January 2013, he finished fourth in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 High Roller for $543,800. He was runner-up to Davidi Kitai in the 2013 WSOP $5,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event. In 2014, Katz played in the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop, finishing eighth for $1,306,667; during this tournament, he famously cracked Connor Drinan's pocket aces with his own pocket aces by making a flush on the river. At the 2016 WSOP Monte Carlo One Drop Extravaganza, Katz finished fifth in the €1 million buy-in event for €1,750,000.

Katz has been a dominant force in super high roller events worldwide. In January 2018, he won his first major tournament, the PCA Super High Roller, earning $1,492,340. He followed this with a victory in the September 2019 Super High Roller Bowl London, defeating Ali Imsirovic heads-up to win £2,100,000 ($2,610,317) – his largest career cash to date. In February 2020, he placed third in Super High Roller Bowl Australia for AU$640,000. In July 2021, he won the PokerGO Cup Main Event for $1,058,000, and in January 2023, he was crowned the 2023 PokerGO Cup champion after cashing five times and earning $655,800. Other notable high roller results include a runner-up finish in the 2018 Triton SHR Jeju Short Deck for $1,773,722 and a fourth-place finish in the August 2019 Triton Poker SHR London for £1,724,500 ($2,085,096).

At the World Series of Poker, Katz earned his second-largest score to date in 2023, finishing runner-up in the $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em for $1,592,539. He also placed fifth in the €250,000 Super High Roller at the 2019 WSOP Europe for €538,722. At the 2025 WSOP, Katz won his first WSOP bracelet in Event #2: $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em, topping a field of 1,299 entries for $449,245. On the World Poker Tour, he won the 2019 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $124,200 and finished runner-up in a $25,000 High Roller event for $228,000. Earlier, in 2017, he placed third in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic $25,000 High Roller for $136,000.

Katz remains active in high-stakes tournaments, frequently playing inside the PokerGO Studio. In February 2022, he took down the $10,000 opening event at the Aria High Roller Series for $137,340, and in March 2022, he finished second in a $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the US Poker Open for $269,500. According to PokerNews, his total live earnings exceed $43 million as of 2025, placing him 12th on the all-time money list, while the Hendon Mob lists him at $40.5 million (16th). He also holds a GPI rank of 243. Recent cashes include 15th place in the 2026 WSOP $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed for $61,964 and 15th in the $100,000 High Roller for $201,754.

Katz is known for an aggressive, assertive style that thrives in deep-stacked and short-handed situations. He demonstrates composure under high-stakes pressure and leverages his business acumen to make bold decisions, often exploiting opponents' weaknesses. Beyond the felt, Katz revolutionized poker media by founding Poker Central and PokerGO, making high-stakes poker accessible to a global audience. He also supports charitable causes through his role as chairman of Stop Child Predators. As of December 2025, his lifetime live tournament earnings exceed $43 million, placing him among the top earners in poker history.

Katz's total live tournament earnings stand at $40,540,997, with a best cash of $2,610,317. He ranks 16th on the All-Time Money List and 11th among United States players. On the Georgia state money list, he holds the top position. Katz also received the "Poker's Biggest Influencer" award, recognizing his impact on the poker media landscape.

At the 2026 WSOP, Katz recorded several cashes, including a 40th-place finish in Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em for $16,364, a 15th-place finish in Event #64: $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed for $61,964, and a 15th-place finish in Event #36: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em for $201,754.