Ylon Schwartz

The journey that New York City resident Ylon Schwartz has travelled to become one of the highest earning poker players is an unusual one to say the least. He’s been a regular player for over 15 years, but has also had many different jobs along the way. His resume lists child actor, Broadway ticket broker, assistant teacher and dancer as previous jobs occupations - not to mention also being a backgammon player and chess master. But it’s with the job title of Professional Poker Player where he’s finally found his calling.

After clocking up many hours playing cash games and tournaments at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and at Foxwoods in Connecticut, Ylon had started to cash on a regular basis by 2004, and the first glimpse of what was to come was revealed at the 2005 World Series of Poker*. Ylon cashed four times for a combined total of $44,455, almost making the final table of the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em and $5,000 Limit Hold’em events. He rounded off the year with a third place finish in a side event at the World Poker Finals in November, good for $49,960. Ylon then made another four cashes at the 2006 WSOP* for a further $49,855, followed by a monster weekend in some of PokerStars toughest online tournaments in April 2007, cashing for a total of $86,270.

Then came the 2008 WSOP Main Event - a tournament that would change Ylon’s life forever and put an end to that long list of crazy day jobs. Geared up by a 15th place finish in the $2,000 Limit Hold’em event, Ylon’s campaign to become the next Main Event winner got off to a flying start that never let up until he emerged as one of the final nine, guaranteed to walk away with at least $900,670. He ended up finishing in 4th place after falling at the hands of eventual Champion and Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate, but the result was still worth an incredible $3,794,974. He returned to the World Series in 2009 and cashed twice more, including a 3rd place finish in the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em event, worth $112,967.

Whether he’s travelling the world looking for the next big tournament or just chilling with friends, Ylon is a man who knows how to have a good time. He pledged to use his World Series winnings to take a trip to South America for a giant party on the beach - a promise he’s kept on more than one occasion since his success in Las Vegas. He also enjoys watching movies, playing the drums and using yoga to relax.

For many poker players, to come so close to winning the Main Event but not close enough to touch it would be hard to take. But Ylon’s laidback personality lets him forget about it with nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders before moving on to the next tournament - a skill that’s essential for finding long-term success in poker. Ylon is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and plays online using the screen name ‘YlonSchwartz’.