Seat 1: Curt Kohlberg, 66, United States (3,290,000)
When Curt Kohlberg first picked up poker, none of his remaining opponents had been born yet. It was in the late 1970s when Kohlberg was a freshman at UMass. Back then, no-limit hold'em wasn't the phenomenon it would become in the 21st century, so Kohlberg mostly played draw and stud games.
Poker would never turn into Kohlberg's primary income source. He majored in business at MIT and has thrived in that field ever since. In 1991, he founded Kohlberg & Associates, a consulting company that helps institutional funds optimize their operations.
Only in the late 1990s would Kohlberg dive into poker again. He had always been competitive – mainly in racket sports, in which he excelled in his teenage years.
Kohlberg has done pretty well in cards too, especially on the World Poker Tour circuit, where he notched six top-10 finishes in major events, including second place for $586,109 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Florida.
Career Record:
Career earnings: $3,735,808
Best cash: $586,109, 2nd, 2011 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Tournament Progression:
Day 1: 124,000 (20/73, 1a)
Day 2: 177,000 (59/77)
Day 3: 1,150,000 (10/18)
Day 4: 3,290,000 (4/6)
Event Highlights:
Kohlberg had less than 10 big blinds approaching the final table before moving all in for 650,000 with two queens. Jeff Madsen called with ace-queen, but Nick Marchington reshoved with jacks to force out Madsen. Kohlberg held on to trip up back over 2,000,000.
On the first hand of the nine-handed final table, Kohlberg picked up two kings against Brock Wilson's queens to double up yet again.