Tsugunari Toma

Tsugunari Toma was born in Osaka, Japan, and grew up to lead a double life as a successful businessman and an international poker player. He founded his own company in 2008, working in tax accounting and insurance, and his firm has grown to rank among Japan's top five insurance sales organizations. Poker entered his life as a hobby and mental challenge. With gambling heavily restricted in Japan, Toma began at free-to-play games around 2007. Once he proved his skills there, he started traveling to Macau, at the time Asia's poker hub, where he began recording live cashes in 2011 and 2012.

Toma's first major live result came in 2012 at the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) Taipa Main Event in Macau, where he final-tabled the tournament and finished sixth for $122,830. This put him on the radar of the international poker community. Around the same period, he also recorded cashes in Australia. Over the following years he made regular appearances on the European Poker Tour, cashing in Malta, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Monte Carlo. In 2017, he narrowly missed a deep main event run at the PokerStars Championship Barcelona, finishing 12th for $91,455. Beginning in April 2017, he started taking on the European high roller circuit, balancing his four businesses at home with an increasing tournament workload.

The 2018 and 2019 European Poker Tour stops in Prague proved to be the springboard for Toma's career. In 2018, he finished runner-up in the €25,000 Single Day High Roller at EPT Prague, taking his largest cash to that point—$216,964. One year later, he made history in Prague by winning two high roller titles in a single week. First he took down the €10,200 Single-Day High Roller for €135,220 ($150,551), then he conquered the €10,300 EPT High Roller for €523,120 ($581,943), the largest score of his career. Combined, those two victories pushed his 2019 EPT Prague winnings above the seven-figure mark. Earlier that year, he had already demonstrated his high roller ability at EPT Barcelona, finishing fifth in the €100,000 Super High Roller for €496,740 and 12th in a €25,000 Single-Day High Roller for €51,000.

Toma has remained a fixture at the highest buy-in events across Europe, Asia, and Las Vegas. In 2023, he came fourth in the €50,000 EPT Super High Roller in Prague for €133,900 and second in the €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance at EPT Barcelona for €285,200. In 2024, he placed fifth in the EPT Paris €3,000 Mystery Bounty for €78,910. He has also recorded multiple cashes at the World Series of Poker, including a 10th-place finish in the 2024 WSOP $1,500 6-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha event ($19,681), and a 30th-place result in the 2025 WSOP $25,000 High Roller PLO/NLH Mixed event ($50,829). He cashed in the 2024 WSOP Paradise $25,000 Super Main Event for $50,000 and in the 2025 Triton Poker Series Mystery Bounty in Jeju, finishing 29th. His 2026 season began with a 22nd-place finish in the EPT Paris Main Event for $37,654 and a 23rd-place result in the EPT Paris High Roller for $35,433.

Known to opponents as a highly aggressive and fearless player, Toma thrives in the toughest high roller fields. His background as a business leader sharpened his ability to read people, and he is willing to take calculated risks. Despite his aggression, he is famous for a polite, calm table presence and respects opponents whether winning or losing large pots. Toma also cuts a distinctive figure at the tables with silver-studded shoes, colorful hoodies, and perfectly styled hair, and he is not shy about taking selfies after bagging a chip lead. Japanese players and fans often call him "Tsugu-nii," and he is widely regarded as one of the most respected and friendly ambassadors for Japanese poker.

Toma has spent years near the top of the Japanese all-time money list. At various points he has been ranked first, and more recently held the number four spot, with live earnings exceeding $3.63 million. By July 2024, The Hendon Mob listed him as Japan's second-highest earner behind Masashi Oya, with roughly $3.16 million at that time; his total has since grown further. His results have also placed him around 690th–711th on the global all-time money list. As a Natural8 Ambassador, Toma uses his platform to promote poker in Japan, a country where gambling remains largely illegal and casino legislation has been slow to advance. He has spoken about his dream of seeing a major tour stop in his home country and continues to mentor younger Japanese players. Between events, he remains the CEO of his insurance company, proving that poker and a full-time business career can coexist.