Brian Rast

Brian Rast is an American poker pro, six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Brian Rast Background

Brian Rast was born November 6, 1981 in Denver, Colorado. As an adult, he’s spent most of his time living in Las Vegas where he’s been one of the top professional poker players in the world for many years.

Rast had originally attended Stanford University, but dropped out when he realized the money from poker was just too good. In 2011, he got married to his now wife Juliana Karla Carlos de Silva.

Brian Rast Twitter

Brian Rast is fairly active on poker X, and his screen name is @tsarrast. He often tweets about crytopcurrency or politics, along with of course poker.

Brian Rast Instagram

Brian Rast is also on Instagram under the same screen name he uses on X — @tsarrast.

Brian Rast YouTube

Brian Rast does not have a YouTube channel.

Brian Rast Poker History

Brian Rast is one of the most accomplished poker players in history. As of 2024, he’s won six World Series of Poker bracelets. But his biggest score ever came in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl in 2015, a $7.5 million payout for a $500,000 buy-in tournament.

In 2023, Rast was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame just one year after he became eligible at age 40.

Is Brian Rast Good at Poker?

Rast is an absolute beast at the poker table. So, yes, he is good at poker. Actually, he is incredible at poker. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in the Poker Hall of Fame. For the past 15-20 years, Rast has been one of the best high stakes players in the world, both in tournaments and cash games. He excels at more than just no-limit hold’em, and has had much of his success in the various mixed games.

Wealth - What is Brian Rast’s Net Worth?

Given that Brian Rast has made millions of dollars playing poker and is a savvy investor, suffice to say his net worth is in the millions. But there is really no way of assessing his true net worth, especially considering he plays poker for a living.

How Did Brian Rast Make His Money?

Brian Rast has various ways of making money. While the professional poker gig has made him millions of dollars over the years, he’s a savvy investor who heavily believes in cryptocurrency, most notably Ethereum and Bitcoin. He’s been invested in crypto for years and appears to have made a significant amount of money that way.

Brian Rast Family, Wife/Husband/Girlfriend/Boyfriend and Children

Brian Rast has a small family, but does not have children.

Brian Rast Wife/Husband - Is Brian Rast Married?

In 2011, Rast married Juliana Karla Carlos da Silva. They have been married for over 13 years now.

Does Brian Rast Have Children?

Brian Rast does not have children at this point in his life.

Brian Rast Controversies

Brian Rast is one of the most respected poker players in the world, and not just on the felt. As such, he has not been linked to any major controversies, and his image within the game is nearly squeaky clean.

Brian Rast FAQs

He is one of only two players to have won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship on three occasions, doing so in 2011, 2016 and 2023.

Read More: Life in the Rast Lane: Brian Rast's Incredible Poker Journey

Biography

Rast was born in 1981 in Denver, Colorado. He then moved to Poway, California where he graduated from Poway High School in 2000. After finishing High School Rast entered Stanford University, but dropped out rather soon in order to seek career as a professional poker player.

Rast's passion for poker came in 2003 after he saw the best-known poker-themed movie “Rounders” starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.

Rast at the World Series of Poker

After cashing at the WSOP for the first time in 2005, it wasn't until 2011 that Rast really hit his stride at the festival. He cashed just three times, but won two bracelets. His first came in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em after defeating Allen Kessler heads-up.

Later that same year he triumphed in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, defeating Phil Hellmuth heads-up to win the prestigious event for $1,720,328.

The following year, in 2012, Rast finished sixth in the inaugural $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop for $1,621,333. Another seven-figure score came in 2013 with victory in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic $100,000 High Roller.

Rast was making a name for himself in the High Roller community, with several six-figure cashes in Bellagio and ARIA High Roller tournaments. In 2015, he final-tabled the Aussie Millions Main Event before going on to win the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl for $7,525,000.

In 2016, Rast won the $50,000 Poker Players Championship again, joining Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi as the only two-time champions of the event.

A fourth bracelet came in 2018 in the $10,000 2-7 Lowball Championship, and after a fourth in 2021 in Event #51: $3,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Rast was building up a Hall of Fame-worthy poker resume, something even Rast himself admits.

“I turn 40 in a couple of weeks and it was on my mind to make the Poker Hall of Fame," Rast told PokerNews after his fifth WSOP bracelet. "I think I have a pretty good claim. I’ve played the biggest cash games in the world for over a decade and I’ve done a lot in tournaments as well. I just don’t think there are too many people. I wanted to come back here this year to the WSOP and show myself that I can still play great poker and be around and enjoy it and hopefully add more.”