Chino Rheem: Three-Time WPT Champion With More Than $20 Million in Live Earnings
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
David “Chino” Rheem has spent more than two decades compiling one of the most substantial tournament résumés among active American poker professionals. His career includes three World Poker Tour titles, a seventh-place finish in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event championship and sustained success across no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha and mixed games.
As of August 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Rheem with $20,226,827 in live tournament earnings and a career-best cash of $1,772,650. He remains active at the highest levels of tournament poker, with major PokerGO Tour results and another deep World Series of Poker campaign in 2026.
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Who Is Chino Rheem?
Chino Rheem is an American professional poker player based in Los Angeles, California. The Hendon Mob records his name as David Rheem, with “Chino” listed as his widely used poker nickname.
His recorded live tournament history dates to June 2004, when he finished third in a no-limit hold’em event at Hollywood Park. Over the next two decades, Rheem developed a résumé that extended well beyond a single tour or poker variant.
His biggest accomplishments include:
Three World Poker Tour Main Tour titles
Seventh place in the 2008 WSOP Main Event for $1,772,650
Victory in the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $1,567,100
Victory in the inaugural Epic Poker League Main Event for $1 million in 2011
Four PokerGO Tour series championships through March 2026
Back-to-back PGT PLO Series championships in 2025 and 2026
More than $20 million in recorded live tournament earnings
Those results have made Rheem a fixture in major live tournaments for more than 20 years.
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Chino Rheem’s Career Earnings and Tournament Record
As of August 26, 2026, the Hendon Mob tournament database lists Rheem with $20,226,827 in live tournament earnings.
Hendon Mob also lists his largest individual live cash at $1,772,650 and ranks him 75th on its all-time money list as of that date. Earnings totals and money-list rankings are dynamic and can change whenever new tournament results are added.
Rheem’s results span hundreds of recorded cashes and a wide range of tournament formats. His biggest scores have come in major no-limit hold’em championships, but his more recent results have reinforced his ability to compete in pot-limit Omaha and mixed games as well.
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The 2008 WSOP Main Event Breakthrough
Rheem’s first defining result on poker’s biggest stage came in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.
He reached the final table of the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship and finished seventh for $1,772,650. The payout remains the largest live tournament cash of his career.
That performance put Rheem in the national poker spotlight during a period when the WSOP Main Event continued to attract enormous fields and widespread television attention.
His breakthrough did not end with the Main Event. Before 2008 was over, Rheem added the first World Poker Tour championship of his career.
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Chino Rheem’s Three WPT Titles
Rheem is a three-time World Poker Tour champion, a distinction that places him among a relatively small group of players to win three WPT Main Tour events.
According to Rheem’s official World Poker Tour record, his three championships are:
2008 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic — $1,538,730
2013 WPT World Championship — $1,150,297
2016 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Finale — $705,885
His first WPT victory came at Bellagio in December 2008, only months after his WSOP Main Event final-table appearance.
Five years later, Rheem returned to Bellagio and captured the 2013 WPT World Championship for another seven-figure payday.
The third title came in April 2016 at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. Rheem defeated a 342-entry field to earn $705,885. At the time, the WPT reported that he had become only the fourth player in tour history to win three Main Tour titles.
The World Poker Tour continues to list Rheem with three career WPT championships.
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The 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event
Another major championship arrived in January 2019 when Rheem won the $10,300 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event in the Bahamas.
The tournament attracted 865 entries, and Rheem defeated Daniel Strelitz heads-up to earn $1,567,100.
That score remains the second-largest live tournament cash of Rheem’s career, behind only his 2008 WSOP Main Event finish.
The PCA victory also demonstrated the longevity of his tournament career. More than a decade had passed since the breakout results of 2008, yet Rheem was still winning seven-figure championship events against international fields.
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Other Major Career Victories
Rheem’s résumé extends beyond the WSOP, WPT and PCA.
In August 2011, he won the inaugural Epic Poker League Main Event at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Rheem defeated Erik Seidel heads-up in the $20,000 six-handed no-limit hold’em event and earned $1 million.
His career later expanded more heavily into PokerGO Tour events.
In 2022, Rheem won a $15,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the U.S. Poker Open for $271,350. He followed that by winning the $25,000 PGT Heads-Up Showdown for $400,000.
Those results helped establish the next phase of his career, in which PLO and mixed-game tournaments became an increasingly important part of his tournament résumé.
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PokerGO Tour and Mixed-Game Success
Rheem has become particularly successful within the PokerGO Tour ecosystem.
He was the PGT Mixed Games series champion in both 2023 and 2025. In October 2025, he added the PGT PLO Series II championship after an exceptional run that included seven cashes.
Rheem capped that 2025 PLO series by defeating Isaac Haxton heads-up in the $25,200 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship. Rheem earned $510,000 for the tournament victory and finished the series with $798,900 in cashes.
PokerGO reported that the championship made Rheem the first player in PGT history to collect three series victories.
He added another milestone in March 2026.
Rheem finished second in the opening $3,300 PLO Main Event at the PGT PLO Series at Venetian Las Vegas for $100,000, then recorded three more cashes during the festival. Under the tour’s eligibility rules, those results were enough to give him the overall series championship.
It was Rheem’s second consecutive PGT PLO Series title and his fourth PGT series championship overall. PokerGO reported that no other player had reached four series championships at the time.
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A Career-Best 2025 and Strong Start to 2026
Even after two decades of live tournament poker, Rheem produced the highest-earning year of his career in 2025.
PokerNews reported that Rheem accumulated $3,487,508 in live tournament earnings during 2025, setting a new personal single-year high.
He quickly added another title in February 2026 by winning the opening $5,300 H.O.R.S.E. event of the PGT Mixed Games series. Rheem earned $112,100 following a heads-up deal with Dylan Linde.
The victory was another example of the range in Rheem’s modern tournament résumé. His major championships were built largely through no-limit hold’em, while his recent success has increasingly included PLO, H.O.R.S.E. and other mixed-game formats.
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Chino Rheem’s WSOP Record and Bracelet Near-Misses
One major piece of poker hardware has continued to elude Rheem.
As of August 2026, Rheem has not won a World Series of Poker bracelet despite repeatedly making deep runs in bracelet events.
His first WSOP runner-up finish came in 2006, when Allen Cunningham defeated him heads-up in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event.
Rheem had to wait until 2022 for another heads-up bracelet opportunity, finishing second to Eli Elezra in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $377,855.
He added another major runner-up result in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship during the 2025 WSOP.
The pattern continued in June 2026. Rheem reached heads-up play in Event #49, the $2,500 Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em tournament, but Marco Johnson won the title and his third bracelet. Rheem collected $341,970 for second place.
PokerNews reported on June 20, 2026 that Rheem had accumulated five WSOP runner-up finishes without winning a bracelet, one of the highest totals ever recorded by a player still seeking a first bracelet.
He remained active throughout the rest of the summer, including a cash in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.
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Chino Rheem’s Playing Style and Versatility
Reducing Rheem’s career to a single playing-style label would overlook an important part of his record.
His largest historical victories came primarily in no-limit hold’em, including three WPT championships, the PCA Main Event and the Epic Poker League.
His later career has shown considerably broader tournament range.
Rheem has reached elite-level results in pot-limit Omaha, Omaha hi-lo, H.O.R.S.E., seven-card stud, heads-up no-limit hold’em and other mixed-game formats. His PGT Mixed Games and PLO series championships provide measurable evidence of that versatility rather than relying on a subjective description of how he plays individual hands.
That range is particularly significant because success across multiple variants requires players to adjust to different betting structures, hand values and strategic demands.
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Why Chino Rheem Matters in Poker
Rheem’s significance comes from the combination of longevity, championship results and versatility.
Few players remain relevant at major live tournaments for more than two decades. Rheem’s recorded career stretches from 2004 through the current 2026 season, with major victories distributed across different stages of that timeline.
The three WPT titles remain one of the defining accomplishments of his career. His 2008 WSOP Main Event final table introduced him to a broad poker audience, while the 2019 PCA title showed that he could continue winning major no-limit hold’em championships more than a decade later.
His recent PGT results have added another dimension. Rather than relying solely on past accomplishments, Rheem has produced some of his strongest tournament seasons late in his career while competing across PLO and mixed games.
Reaching the $20 million mark in recorded live earnings in 2026 further illustrates the scale of that body of work.
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Chino Rheem’s Current Poker Status
Rheem remains an active tournament professional as of August 2026.
His 2026 season has included a PGT Mixed Games title, a second consecutive PGT PLO Series championship, multiple U.S. Poker Open and PokerGO Cup cashes, a WSOP runner-up finish worth $341,970 and a cash in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event.
The Hendon Mob lists him with more than $20.2 million in career live earnings, while his recent results continue to add to a résumé that began more than two decades ago.
The remaining major milestone drawing attention at the WSOP is a first bracelet. Rheem has already reached heads-up play for one multiple times, but as of August 26, 2026, that breakthrough has not arrived.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chino Rheem’s real name?
Chino Rheem is listed by The Hendon Mob as David Rheem. “Chino” is the name by which he is widely known throughout professional poker.
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How much has Chino Rheem won playing live poker tournaments?
As of August 26, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Chino Rheem with $20,226,827 in live tournament earnings. The figure can change as new results are added.
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What is Chino Rheem’s biggest tournament cash?
Rheem’s largest recorded live cash is $1,772,650, earned for finishing seventh in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.
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How many WPT titles does Chino Rheem have?
Chino Rheem has three World Poker Tour Main Tour titles. He won the 2008 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, the 2013 WPT World Championship and the 2016 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Finale.
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Does Chino Rheem have a WSOP bracelet?
No. As of August 26, 2026, Chino Rheem has not won a WSOP bracelet. PokerNews reported during the 2026 WSOP that he had finished runner-up in bracelet events five times.
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Did Chino Rheem make the WSOP Main Event final table?
Yes. Rheem finished seventh in the 2008 WSOP Main Event and earned $1,772,650.
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Did Chino Rheem win the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event?
Yes. Rheem won the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event, defeating an 865-entry field and earning $1,567,100.
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Is Chino Rheem still active in poker?
Yes. Rheem remained highly active in 2026, recording results on the PokerGO Tour, at the U.S. Poker Open and during the World Series of Poker.
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Sources
The Hendon Mob
World Poker Tour
World Series of Poker
PokerGO Tour
PokerNews
PokerStars