A fierce competitor at the poker tables, Cary Katz, has earned more than $33.1 million in tournament earnings, ranking sixth on the list of all-time money winners. Katz’s two most notable wins were the $2 million PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller and the $2 million Super High Roller Bowl in London.
Katz, known to some as “El Jefe”, has long since outlasted the title of “businessman who plays poker,” based on his achievements. He has earned $17 million in career tournament earnings and frequently makes final tables in high roller events worldwide.
How did he Begin?
College Loan Corp. was founded by Katz in 1999 and quickly became one of the largest student loan companies in the United States. As a result of his business success, he built a massive bankroll for his favourite hobby.
During the 2000s and early 2010s, Katz cashed in several mid-stakes events and piled up scores of five figures.
Katz began playing in mid-to-high stakes tournaments in Las Vegas from 2009-2012, cashing out consistently in five figures and winning his biggest prize to date at the 2011 WSOP. Kaz finished 12th in the $5k NL Hold’em event for $51,713 and followed that up in 2012 with a year of frequent crashes on the Las Vegas tournament scene, including four wins.
He won his first Poker tournament in 2010, winning a $1k No-Limit Hold’em event at the Five Star World Poker Classic for $25,500.
Katz has regularly played in events at the World Series of Poker for the past decade, winning his first Main Event cash in 2009 for $40,288. Around that time, Katz started spending more time playing poker.
Where is he now?
In 2019, Katz was ranked 28th on the all-time tournament money list, having earned $17,372,159 from high stakes tournaments.
