Is Dan Bilzerian Really Good At Poker?

Dan Bilzerian is mostly famous for his self-admittedly abrasive personality, opulent lifestyle, and a beard that looks like his chin caught lycanthropy. However, as he'll have you know, he has personally earned a large portion of the big bucks he uses to finance his swimming pools and armadas of scantily clad models. Bilzerian, you see, used to be a professional poker player, which has helped him grow a huge personal wealth. And we do mean huge: Celebrity Net Worth estimates him at somewhere in the $200 million region.

It's funny, though, that his name doesn't pop up on any of those "richest poker players" lists. After all, Casino tells us that the ten richest poker players out there are valued "only" at somewhere between $12 and $100 million, and include some truly legendary poker names, such as Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth. So, what's the score, here? Is Bilzerian just that good at poker, and somehow so humble in this particular aspect that he has requested his name be kept out of such lists? Does he know secrets casinos don't want you to know? Or ... could it be that Bilzerian isn't all that great at poker after all, and has accumulated his wealth through other means? 

While Bilzerian certainly knows the rules of the game and has been known to play the occasional game of poker, Upswing Poker tells us that the reports of his actual poker prowess may very well be greatly exaggerated. Professional player Doug Polk once analyzed the "King of Instagram's" online poker session, and pointed out several extremely basic mistakes few die-hard professionals would make. Polk called Bilzerian's aggressive style bad playing, and even went as far as to call Bilzerian a "fish in the water." (This is a lot less nicer than it sounds, as a "fish" means someone who's not very good at the game and is likely going to lose a few pots.) 

But how does Bilzerian make his money, then? Well, even the man himself admits that he has "benefited" from a trust fund, and the consensus appears to be that said fund might very well come from his father, the 1980s "corporate raider specialist" Paul Bilzerian. Dad Bilzerian got in serious hot water after violating a bunch of laws with his takeover attempts, so he was sent to prison and sentenced to pay a massive fine. Without pointing any fingers or drawing any conclusions, it appears that he only paid a fraction of the money ... while Dan Bilzerian suddenly ended up with a whole pile of cash.