Daniel Lazrus

Daniel Lazrus began his poker career playing online under the username "RiverRats." His first major breakthrough came in July 2021 during the WSOP Online series, when he won Event #28: $3,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Championship. Defeating a field of 202 entrants, Lazrus took home $205,347 and his first WSOP gold bracelet. The victory was achieved in an online atmosphere, but he described it as an important milestone that validated his decision to dedicate significant time to poker.

Lazrus resides in Long Beach, New York, and his total live tournament earnings exceed $2 million according to The Hendon Mob. His online success set the stage for an even greater triumph later that same year.

In October 2021, Lazrus achieved his crowning achievement at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He entered Event #17: $1,500 Millionaire Maker, a tournament that guarantees its champion a seven-figure payday. The event attracted 5,326 entries, creating a prize pool of $7,110,210—the largest of the series at that point.

Lazrus navigated the massive field over five days, consistently building his stack. He was among the biggest stacks when 20 players remained and eliminated key opponents such as Luis Zedan (20th) and Arie Kliper (12th). At the final table of ten, Lazrus held the chip lead and maintained control as the field thinned. Notable opponents included four-time WSOP bracelet winner Michael Gathy, who finished fourth. With three players left, Lazrus eliminated Jeffrey Gencarelli to enter heads-up play with a 3:1 chip advantage over Darryl Ronconi. Though Ronconi briefly chipped up, Lazrus dominated the action and ultimately won the tournament, claiming the $1,000,000 first prize and his second WSOP bracelet.

After the win, Lazrus said, "This one feels much more special. It feels more legitimized than online did, just because it was a different atmosphere. This makes me happy with the decision I'm making of putting a lot of time into poker. The first was an achievement, this feels like THE achievement. I didn't realize it yet but this is a much greater feeling, I can't even begin to describe it."

Following his million-dollar score, Lazrus continued to compete at high levels both online and live. In 2022, he finished third in the WSOP Online $7,777 Lucky 7's No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for $132,122, and also cashed in the 2022 WSOP Main Event, finishing 757th for $21,000. He made several other deep runs in WSOP events, including an eighth-place finish in Event #65: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em in 2023 ($86,281) and a 37th-place finish in Event #31: $3,000 6-Handed in 2024 ($12,773).

Lazrus also performed well in high-stakes series outside the WSOP. In September 2023, he was the chip leader heading into the final table of Event #5 of the Poker Masters, a $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas. He bagged 3,035,000 chips among six remaining players, though eventual champion Andrew Lichtenberger won the event on his 36th birthday. Additionally, Lazrus has cashed in events such as the Wynn Millions and the PokerNews Cup Mystery Bounty.

Throughout his career, Lazrus has demonstrated a balanced, analytical playing style. He is known for his patience and discipline, qualities that have earned him the nickname "The Iceman" among some fans. His ability to integrate probability calculations into his decisions reflects a strong mathematical background, and he has become a respected figure in the poker community for his consistent, long-term success.