John Kniska

John Kniska was born on October 24, 1969, and grew up in Ohio. He graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in electrical engineering and moved to the Chicago suburbs, where he continues to live. He has been playing cards most of his life, starting live no-limit hold'em in 2000 during vacations to Las Vegas, and began playing online in 2006.

Kniska has recorded 13 cashes in WSOP and WSOP Circuit events, with total live tournament earnings of $19,045 according to WSOP.com. His largest cash came in the 2025 WSOP Event #37: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Monster Stack, where he placed 564th out of 9,920 entries for $4,329. Other notable results include a 10th-place finish in the 2023 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond $400 Seniors event ($1,480) and cashing in the 2019 WSOP BIG 50 ($1,361) and 2016 Colossus II ($833). He also has a live win of $3,246 from a Heartland Poker Tour event in St. Charles, Missouri.

Kniska streams on Twitch under the username JWK24, a handle he has used since 2016. His streams focus on low-stakes sit-and-gos and tournaments, with buy-ins typically from $0.55 to $55. He is also a Super Moderator and Tournament Hand Analyzer for PokerStars School, helping other players improve their game. He uses tools like PokerTracker 4 and Holdem Resources Calculator. His biggest stream win was $715 in the ACR Sunday Special.

Based on his streamed content and tournament history, Kniska plays a solid, fundamental game. He emphasizes helping others learn and enjoys discussing hand analysis. While not known for high-stakes cash games, he has experience in a variety of formats including NLHE, fixed-limit Omaha 8/b, and NL 2-7 single draw.

Kniska is married and lives in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He streams to give back to the poker community and to improve his own game.