Who is Tony G in Poker?
Tony G is one of poker’s most recognizable faces. He is the one poker player you will find in the online poker rooms having a go on high-stakes games. Since Tony G plays online poker and does not need a poker face, he is still very engaged during the game. However, he is better known for his honest opinions and his charisma, characteristic style of play, and casual attitude that helped push online poker as a game closer to the mainstream.
His career highlights included 2nd place in 2004. WPT Grand Prix de Paris, 1st place at the European Poker Championship in London in 2005. and a 3rd place finished at the EPT Grand Final Super High Roller in Monte Carlo in 2009. He’s had 15 money finishes in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and 4 at the World Poker Tour (WPT). He won the Asian Poker Tour event in Singapore in 2006 and most recently took down two events at the Super High Roller Series in Northern Cyprus in August 2021 for over $1.5 million.
In fact, Tony has played against some of the biggest names in poker, including Doyle Brunson. But his contribution to the game of poker is more significant than that. In 2002, he founded pokernews.com, the world’s leading poker news website today. In addition, Pokernews has been the exclusive live reporting partner to the World Series of Poker since 2007.
What nationality is Tony G?
Tony G’s story is quite a unique one. Many people wonder about Tony G’s origins and whether or not he is Russian. The truth is Tony G’s real name is Antanas Guoga, and he was born in Lithuania in 1973. By the time he was 11, he had moved with his parents to Australia, and since then, his activities have become global and go beyond any geographical area.
Tony started playing poker in Melbourne when he was 18 years old. That is when he was getting known for his bizarre table talk and attempts to frighten his opponents. Nevertheless, Tony G remained very attached and devoted to his homeland despite his global venture.
He’s been one of the sponsors of the Lithuanian basketball team, their team manager, and the vice-president of the Lithuanian basketball federation. He’s also the founder of the Lithuanian Poker Federation and used to be the vice-president of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation.
Tony G also had a notable role in Lithuanian politics. As a member of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement, he was elected to the European Parliament in 2014. He was perceived as one of the most influential MEPs, fighting for better conditions for European businesses. He also served as a Chief Investment Officer to the Mayor of Vilnius.
How much money did Tony G win playing poker?
Antanas is a highly wealthy businessman and a well-known figure in the poker scene. His story is all about determination, hard work, and love for the game, which led him to success. Tony G has earned more than $8,8 million throughout his career, putting him in the 124th place on the all-time money list, although he hasn’t played much since 2013.
The biggest prize money he’s ever won at a single event was $1,196,000, and it happened fairly recently in Northern Cyprus in August 2021. He’s also won $882,000 at a Super High Roller event in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, in 2019. He exceeded $400,000 of prize money 4 more times:
- in Monte Carlo in 2009 ($552,239),
- in London in 2005 ($456,822),
- in Singapore in 2006 ($451,700)
- and in Paris in 2004 ($414,478).
How much is Tony G worth?
One of the most popular poker players globally, Tony G is known for his excellent performances at the tables, but even more so for his incredible success outside them. His impressive poker career and ventures outside the game increased his worth.
Tony G’s journey to immerse himself in the game to make it open to the entire world began when he founded pokernews.com. The site wasn’t just about writing about poker. It was about bringing poker to the masses and, along the way, helping Tony G reach his goal. As a result, Pokernews.com is one of the largest poker news websites. It is one of the top poker sites online today, and it continues to grow.
By the latest estimates, around $36 million earns him a place in most lists of the top 10 richest poker players globally. However, most of this money didn’t come from playing the game.
Tony G obviously never played poker just for the money and never relied on the game alone as a source of financial well-being. However, the same year he started playing professionally (in 2002), he launched pokernews.com, which grew to become the most prominent poker website today.
This was only the beginning of Tony G’s entrepreneurial ventures, as he invests in online poker, blockchain, NFTs, and other ventures.
How did Tony G make his money?
He is a famous poker player with $8 million in prize money who became a millionaire thanks to his own foresight and investments. Tony G and Pokernews: a perfect match. It is Tony’s arguably most significant project and an intersection of media and poker – in 2002 when he founded pokernews.com. Over the years, he made it the world’s number #1 online spot for poker enthusiasts.
Tony immediately realized the potential of the Internet and poker combined into a news platform. Tony also saw an opportunity to make money by providing a helpful service to his fellow poker players by gathering all of the news and comments they needed to stay informed and successful.
Since then, Tony has been investing successfully in media, sports, online betting, trading, real estate, cryptocurrency, NFTs, and more.
Most of Tony G’s money comes from his business projects. But he’s earned quite a lot as a poker player as well. Apart from prize money, he used to be one of the faces of PartyPoker as a sponsored pro.
One of his most ambitious projects was TonyBet, a gaming company that provided sports betting and live gaming services. TonyBet was established in 2011 and sold 5 years later to Betsson for 6 million euros.
Today, he’s at the head of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings, a company investing in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, payment processing services, syndicated credit opportunities, online commerce, online gambling industries, and ancillary industries.
What happened to Tony G?
Well, nothing exactly happened. Tony G retired from politics in 2021. He said, “It was time to move on to other things.” He used to be a member of both European and Lithuanian Parliaments, a member of the European People’s Party, and managed to run several successful businesses simultaneously.
Poker fans might see him less. However, the passion for the game does not perish that easily. In the last few months, he hosted high-stake poker games on the CoinPoker platform. Currently, he is doing business investing in various industries and tweeting.
Tony G is an active participant on Twitter. His handle is “@TonyGuoga,” and he tweets about poker, business, and personal life. He also tweets about things that are going on in the poker world. Tony G has more than 76k followers on his account.
Where is Tony G now?
Today, Tony G is the executive chairman of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings, a Canada-based investment company. The Company invests in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, online payment services, syndicated credit opportunities, web services, online gambling, and adjacent industries.
Tony invests a ton of resources in new, promising technologies. On top of that, he founded Blockchain Centre Vilnius in 2017, a worldwide organization with HQ in Lithuania. The Blockchain center helps individuals and start-ups with cutting-edge ideas to develop their blockchain business through guidance and strategic partnership.
He also plays poker again while he managed to win a million dollars at an event in Cyprus in the summer of 2021.
Finally, Tony does a lot of charity work, especially in his homeland. He’s got his own charity fund that sponsors, among others, the University of Vilnius, Vilnius Community Center, Food Bank, Prienai basketball club, and Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Tony G is also personally engaged in various philanthropic projects. In his own words: “I’ve had the opportunity to live an incredible life thanks to the poker game and all of my followers worldwide who have followed and backed me over the years. I want to share my fortune with those in need.”
His most recent philanthropic endeavors include winning a high-stakes game on Coinpoker and donating $10,000 to those affected by the Ukrainian war.
Tony is also a regular guest on several media outlets, such as YouTube, and podcasts, where he shares his insights on business, life, and gambling.
Does Tony G still play poker?
Tony G once said: “Poker is my passion, my game, and my hobby. I love playing it, I love putting people to the test by stepping on the edge of them. I’ll always be there. It just won’t be my primary activity”.
True to his words, he may not compete in a real sense of the word, but Tony G is always present in online poker games. More often than not, you will find him hosting high-stakes tournaments and competitions.
How do people put up with Tony G?
Known as a top-class trash-talker at his peak, he’s not always been easy to deal with at the poker table. However, his openness, charisma, and hard-to-impress attitude also made him one of the most loved poker players.
Tony has talked several times about his table manners and why he behaves the way he does during the game. Apart from trying to acquire valuable information about other players, he also believes that this is good for the popularity and recognition of the game. A little bit of unnecessary drama and benevolent teasing never hurt anybody, and they may improve the chances of poker getting more attention in public.
To put it in his own words: “We also have to remember that we must try and take the game into the mainstream as poker lovers. 6 nits in headphones saying not a word do not do that.”
