Elton Tsang poker net worth is estimated at over $30 million. As one of his most significant claims to fame, Tsang is credited with organising the first-ever live poker tournament in Macau.
He also won one of the largest poker prizes in history of poker tournaments, a €11,111,111 payout for first place in the 2016 Big One for One Drop.
Elton Tsang – Early Life
Born in Hong Kong, Elton Tsang began his poker journey playing the $2/$4 limit Hold’em types of poker games on Party Poker in 2001. After returning to Hong Kong from attending university in Canada, Elton noticed that there was no poker scene in neighbouring Macau.
Since gambling was legal in Macau, Elton imagined that poker would gain much traction and decided to organise Macau’s first-ever live poker tournament.
Elton Tsang Poker Event in Macau
Elton eventually discovered that he was related to the owner of the Grand Waldo Casino in Macau. He set up a meeting and was appointed the founding organiser of a new tournament. He worked in partnership with Matt Savage with PokerStars as the sponsor.
The tournament in Macau became the inaugural event of the APPT (Asia Pacific Poker Tour), which had its first season with tournaments in Macau, Manila, Seoul, and Sydney.
Despite playing a pivotal role, he was dealt one poker hand and sent to the rail. Since he only signed a one-year deal, Tsang was left out of future events.
Tsang invested HK$1 million (USD $130k) in the event, which shows his confidence in the viability and potential popularity of poker games in Macau.
Given that Macau now hosts some of the highest-stakes private cash games in the world, Tsang clearly proved right.
Elton Tsang Poker – The Big One for One Drop
One of the most notable achievements in Elton Tsang's poker career was his 2016 victory at the Big One for One Drop Extravaganza. This high-stakes tournament in Monte Carlo saw Tsang defeat Anatoliy Gurtovoy of Russia heads-up.
He walked away with a staggering €11,111,111, significantly adding to the Elton Tsang net worth.
This payout was the third largest in poker history, at the time. Tsang credits the coaching he received from Italian pro Mustapha Kanit for the historic victory.
Investments and Business Ventures
Despite his massive poker net worth, Elton Tsang does not describe himself as a professional poker player.
He considers himself "an entrepreneur with investments in IT companies, travel agencies, and internet firms." Although poker is his passion, he claims that his real money comes from his investments.
Still, several of his investments are clearly related to poker. In 2010, he opened a private poker club in downtown Hong Kong. It was almost immediately closed by the police amidst accusations that the club was an illegal gambling house.
Elton also funds large loans to fellow high-stakes regulars and casino whales. At one point, he claimed that his friends owed him roughly $12 million in unpaid IOUs.
Event 9 of @tritonpoker was the biggest so far with a buy-in of $150K. Accumulated $17,5M in the prize pool and the vast majority went to Asia.
— PokerListings (@PokerListings) March 14, 2024
Close calls in previous events, but when it's about the real marbles, Asia represents!
1 – Elton Tsang, 🇭🇰 – $4,210,000
2 – Biao Ding,… pic.twitter.com/iSmX9jSFoK
Dispute with King’s Casino Owner
In August 2016, during a private €1k/€2k game, which included big names such as Daniel Cates, Fedor Holz, and Tony G, Tsang won roughly €3.4 million from King's Casino owner Leon Tsoukernik.
Although Tsoukernik offered to pay €1.3M, he refused to pay the remaining €2M claiming that – poker cheat sheet aside - there had been collusion and marked cards.
Just weeks earlier, Matt Kirk sued Tsoukernik over another unpaid $2 million gambling debt. However, in that case, legal action was only possible because the debt occurred in Nevada.
Since the game against Tsang occurred in Barcelona, the collection of private gambling debts is not enforceable by law. To this day, Tsang has been unable to collect the outstanding debt.
It’s an unlikely coincidence that this issue occurred shortly after the incident involving Matt Kirk.
Elton Tsang Poker in Modern Times
Regulars have nicknamed Elton Tsang the ‘human action button’ for his willingness to flaunt poker probability by straddling, 5betting light and playing huge buy-in events.
In 2019, Tsang played the largest cash game pot in history (at the time) vs pro player Jason Koon. Tsang 3bet the flop with bottom pair and barrelled a turned flush draw before giving up on the river.
Jason picked up the €2,090,000 pot after firing his rivered straight when Tsang checked.
Elton continues to play very successfully in more recent times.
In March 2024, Tsang captured his first Triton trophy in Jeju, winning the $150k NLH 8‑Handed for $4.21 million. A picture surfaced online of Tsang holding up the event trophy to his daughter via FaceTime.
Two days later, Tsang placed third in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $2.1 million, finishing behind Roman Hrabec and Jean-Noel Thorel.
$6 million in a week; not bad!
Tsang has already kicked off 2025 with a runner‑up finish in the KR₩ 70 million ($5k) Short‑Deck Super High Roller at the Korea Poker Cup, banking $353k.
Philanthropic Endeavours
Elton Tsang is not only a skilled poker player but also a high-net-worth individual who is involved in many philanthropic activities.
Tsang has donated to Mother's Choice, the Po Leung Kuk orphanage, and the Lord Grace Home for the Aged.
He credits Sheen Hok Charitable Foundation founder Alice Chiu as an inspiration, saying, "My passion for charitable work originates from Alice Chiu ... I was deeply touched by her efforts to help the needy in society. Earlier, I visited children with amblyopia in Handan, China. The experience taught me to be grateful for all I have and do my best to help those in need."
Elton Tsang Net Worth
In summary, Elton Tsang's net worth is between $30 and $50 million, although it's difficult to know precisely.
As of May 2025, The Hendon Mob lists Tsang with $24.69 million in tournament cashes, placing him 2nd on Hong Kong’s all‑time list and 39th worldwide.
However, it's worth remembering that only tournament cashes are recorded in the database—the actual earnings are always less when the buy-ins are deducted.
Given Tsang's other investments, it's easy to imagine that even $50 million could be conservative in terms of his net worth.
