Loren Klein

Loren Klein (sometimes known as L.J. Klein) began playing poker online around 2007 and transitioned to live play in 2011 following Black Friday. He was raised in Michigan and later moved to Reno, Nevada, to pursue live poker. His first major WSOP cash came in 2010 when, as L.J. Klein, he finished runner-up to Miguel Proulx in Event #28: $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha, earning $195,147. He final tabled Event #50: $2,500 10-Game Mix (Six Handed) in 2013 under his current name.

Klein's first WSOP bracelet came in 2016 in Event #45: $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha, a 919-player field paying $241,427. That same year, he was runner-up to Brandon Shack-Harris in Event #51: $10,000 Eight-Handed Pot Limit Omaha World Championship. In 2017, he won his second bracelet in Event #41: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha (870 entrants, $231,483). His third bracelet, and largest cash of $1,018,336, came in 2018 in Event #49: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship, a 476-player event where Shack-Harris finished third. At the 2019 WSOP, Klein won the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet event ($127,808), becoming the first player since Doyle Brunson (1976–1979) and just the third overall to win bracelets in four consecutive years. As of 2023, his live tournament winnings exceed $3 million, placing him 830th on the all-time money list and 6th among players from Colorado.

Klein considers Chance Kornuth, Ben Lamb, and Johnny Beauprez as his poker colleagues. He is known for his versatility across mixed games and Pot-Limit Omaha, and his consistent WSOP performance has earned him respect in the poker community.