Greg Mueller

Greg Mueller was born on June 2, 1971, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, holding both Canadian and German nationality. He eventually settled in White Rock, British Columbia. Before poker, he was a professional ice hockey defenceman. He began playing professionally in 1992 and spent his entire playing career in Germany, appearing for EC Hedos München in the Eishockey-Bundesliga and for Maddogs München and Ratinger Löwen in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. It was during one of the many long road trips of his hockey career that Mueller was first drawn to poker. After retiring from hockey, he decided to take the game seriously, starting with small-stakes online tournaments before moving into live events.

Mueller's breakout came at the 2009 World Series of Poker. He won Event #33, the $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em, collecting $460,836 and his first gold bracelet. Just 11 days later, he took down the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout for $194,909 and a second bracelet. He had to wait another decade for his third: in 2019, he topped a 172-player field in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, earning $425,347. By 2019, Mueller had 43 WSOP cashes, which accounted for more than $2.4 million of his lifetime earnings. His best Main Event result to that point was 191st place in 2017, a mark he would far exceed in 2026.

Mueller has repeatedly contended in the deepest mixed-game fields. He finished runner-up in the 2012 $2,500 Eight-Game Mix for $167,637, placed third in the 2013 $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. for $129,600 and third in the 2013 $2,500 Eight-Game Mix for $89,673, and took seventh in the 2018 $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $144,049. Additional top results include a ninth-place finish in the 2019 $1,500 Limit Hold'em, a ninth-place showing in the 2022 $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship ($32,608), and a deep 2013 Main Event run that ended in 226th place for $37,019. In 2025, he remained sharp in mixed and lowball events, finishing ninth in the $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for $45,883 and eighth in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud for $9,490.

On the World Poker Tour, Mueller recorded two final tables and ten cashes. His best WPT finish came at the 2006 World Poker Challenge, where he placed fourth for $142,285. He also finished fifth in a WPT Legends of Poker event, earning $97,100. Outside the WPT, Mueller cashed in the 2009 L.A. Poker Classic for $44,433, placed 40th in the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $39,000, and finished 22nd in the £10,350 WSOPE Main Event in 2010 for £26,400.

His live tournament earnings have passed the $3 million milestone, with recorded totals near $3.5 million. Those results place him 33rd on the Canadian all-time money list and inside the top 700 on the global all-time money list.

The biggest moment of Mueller's career came at the 2026 WSOP Main Event. After a period in which he said he had lost some passion for poker, he ran deep and reached the final table. Following Day 8 play at Paris Las Vegas, he entered the final-table break in fourth chip position with 48.5 million chips. Montreal's Rami Hammoud was second with 79 million, while American Lucas Jumalon held a massive lead at 194 million. With both Canadians at the table, the country had its first chance at a Main Event champion since Jonathan Duhamel won in 2010. The final table was scheduled to resume on August 3 inside the Horseshoe Event Center, with $10 million awaiting the winner.

Mueller planned to spend the three-week break training and "losing some pounds" to look good for the biggest stage in poker. He told reporters: "I'm going to have to be completely focused and dialled. Same stuff that I did before, and I'm going to play fearless. And if I bust in eighth, then I bust in eighth. But yeah, I'm not looking to come in third or fourth. I would like to win. Doesn't mean I'm going to go crazy, but if a spot comes up, I'm going for it." He credited his hockey background for the support system he built around the run: "We have that hockey mentality, right? And so we like to compete. We like to cheer; we like the team energy. And that's what I feel like it is. I have a team of people here. They're, you know, grabbing me the waters, dinner reservations, coaching, videos, support. Like, a million people back home. It's kind of like a team camaraderie atmosphere."

Mueller is widely known by the nickname "FBT," short for "Full Blown Tilt," a reference to his occasional theatrical and emotional outbursts at the table. Beneath that colorful exterior, however, he is regarded as a disciplined, mathematically minded tight-aggressive player who pays close attention to pot odds and thrives in deep-stack situations. He is also considered a skilled final-table negotiator, frequently able to work out favorable deals. His background as a professional athlete gives him a competitive edge in long tournaments, and he is particularly respected on the mixed-game and high-stakes scenes at the WSOP.

Mueller holds dual German-Canadian citizenship and calls White Rock, British Columbia, home. Despite his success, he has stayed relatively low-key and does not chase social media attention, although he built a following during the Full Tilt Poker era and posts under @GregFBT on Twitter. His combination of three WSOP bracelets, more than $3.5 million in lifetime live earnings, and a historic Main Event final table has made him one of the most recognizable Canadian high-stakes veterans. The 2026 run cemented his legacy as a player capable of competing on poker's biggest stage.