Greg Himmelbrand

Greg Himmelbrand was born and raised in Queens, New York, later residing in Oakland Gardens. After high school, he attended The Ohio State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During summers and after graduating, he worked at a local pizzeria, eventually managing a new restaurant location. Himmelbrand's interest in poker began casually with home games involving dealer's choice variants, but the poker boom sparked by Chris Moneymaker in 2003 inspired him to take the game seriously. He started playing online on PokerStars and Party Poker, often depositing $200 and sitting at $1/$2 no-limit with his entire bankroll—an approach that saw him bust his first two deposits before running up the third. Upon returning home from college, Himmelbrand played in live underground cash games two to three days a week, supplementing his restaurant salary. When the restaurant owners sold their other business and his position became obsolete in November 2007, he decided to pursue poker full-time, turning his $40,000 in cash game winnings into a professional career.

Himmelbrand's early tournament results were modest, with just $1,576 in 2011 and $1,409 in 2012. His breakthrough came in 2013, when he amassed $532,401 in cashes, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Caesar's Mega Stack $1,080 Main Event for $241,060—his largest live cash at the time. He followed this with $256,861 in 2014 and $294,692 in 2015, the latter including his first World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring and a Mid-States Poker Tour title at Maryland Live! for $72,910. In September of that year, he placed fourth in the WPT Borgata Deepstack $540 event for $119,540. Himmelbrand continued his success by winning a second MSPT title at Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for $125,958, becoming the tenth player to claim multiple MSPT crowns. This victory, which saw him come back from a short stack at the final table, pushed his lifetime live tournament earnings past $1.6 million. As of the latest data from The Hendon Mob, Himmelbrand's total live earnings stand at $2,665,499, with a best cash of $243,630.

Himmelbrand built his bankroll primarily through cash games, playing five days a week in the New York underground scene from 2008 to 2013. His tournament approach reflects a patient, read-based style developed from years of cash game experience. The final hand of his second MSPT win illustrates his thought process: holding queen-deuce on a queen-high board with a flush draw, he called an all-in check-raise after deliberating over his opponent's timing tells, ultimately making a correct call to secure the title. Himmelbrand's journey from depositing $200 online to becoming a poker millionaire through consistent grinding serves as an inspiration for aspiring players. He emphasizes bankroll management, disciplined decision-making, and the importance of adapting from cash games to tournaments. His story is a testament to the value of putting in one's dues and steadily climbing the ranks of live poker.