Bryn Kenney is known for his success at the highest levels of tournament poker, particularly in modern high-roller events with very large buy-ins. He is currently ranked #1 in the world on the poker tournaments database HendonMob, with reported earnings of $80,035,491 (as of Feb, 2026).

Because of this high-profile success, many poker fans search for Bryn Kenney’s net worth. But buy-ins, re-entries, swaps, taxes and backing deals mean that public prize money figures do not automatically equate to personal wealth.

In the case of someone like Bryn Kenney with a reputation for spending lavishly, these numbers should be taken with the greatest caution.

Who Is Bryn Kenney?

While most elite poker pros favour calculated, disciplined precision, Brynn Kenney has a reputation for intuitive aggression in the high stakes sphere. He is one of the very few “feel” players in today’s game. His play style is unorthodox—particularly in the age of solvers and GTO poker game theory.

He has also been very public about his volatile financial swings in numerous interviews:

“The first time I made a million dollars, I was 21 years old,” said Kenney. “Six days later, I had $100,000. The first time I had a big bankroll, I had 3.5 million. Five months later, I had negative $400,000.”

He was at the centre of a massive cheating scandal where he allegedly earned millions—perhaps hundreds of millions—through illicit means.

The already ambiguous world of tracking poker winnings, combined with his wild spending and rumoured cheating, makes his actual net worth obscured and difficult to confirm.

Bryn Kenney Net Worth (Estimated)

At the high-roller level, pros often sell significant portions of their action under a backing agreement. This arrangement reduces variance and financial risk in exchange for a percentage of the winnings.

Kenney is unusual in that he usually has large pieces of himself—meaning he frequently puts up all or most of his own buy-ins.

“If I win something like $20 million and have to pay out $16 million of it, I’d rather just not play,” Kenney told Cardplayer in 2019.

This quote was following him securing the largest payday in poker history: $20,606,421, propelling him to the top of poker’s all-time money list at the age of 32.

The event was the £1,050,00 buy-in Triton Million charity invitational.

“I had somewhere in between 30 to 40 per cent of my net worth in one tournament, and pretty much anybody would tell you that is crazy. But the thing is, I didn’t really care. If I lost, I would be able to take it. That’s really what I live for.”

FAQ

Is Bryn Kenney one of the biggest tournament earners?

Bryn Kenney is widely recognised as one of the top tournament earners in modern poker based on publicly recorded results. He is currently number 1 on the all-time money list, which could also place him among some of the greatest poker players of all time.

Why is Bryn Kenney’s net worth hard to confirm?

Bryn Kenney is known for high leverage on his winnings. He takes high-risk investments, including routinely backing other poker players for large sums of money.

Do high-roller winnings equal profit?

No. Winnings show gross payouts only. They do not account for buy-ins, re-entries, taxes, travel costs, or how much action a player owned or owed.

What are swaps and backing deals in poker?

Swaps involve players exchanging small percentages of each other’s action, while backing deals involve outside funding in exchange for profit shares. Both reduce risk but limit transparency.

How should readers interpret net worth estimates for poker pros?

Net worth estimates in poker should be treated as broad approximations rather than precise figures, as private financial details are rarely disclosed.

By Amanda Botfeld

Amanda Botfeld has written articles for the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Los Angeles Times. She is the author of the book A Girl's Guide to Poker, dedicated to making poker friendly and accessible to everyone. Amanda is especially passionate about introducing beginners to the game and seeks to simplify strategies in a way that everyone can understand. In 2021, she was a World Series of Poker final-tablist where she and her father took third place in the WSOP tag team event. Now she splits her time between Los Angeles and her husband's native Ireland. They met at a poker table. 

You can follow her on Twitter here: twitter.com/amandabotfeld

Amanda Botfeld