Daniel Smiljkovic: Poker Career, Earnings & Major Results

Daniel Smiljkovic has developed one of the more complete tournament résumés among Germany’s modern generation of poker professionals. Known online as “SmilleThHero,” he has won a World Series of Poker bracelet, captured the PokerGO Tour Championship, reached major high-roller final tables around the world and established himself as a successful player in both live and online no-limit hold’em.

His career has included seven-figure scores at Triton Poker, WSOP Paradise and the WSOP Online Main Event, while his online accomplishments include titles in both the Spring Championship of Online Poker and World Championship of Online Poker. Smiljkovic remained highly active in 2026, adding another SCOOP title, winning consecutive tournaments at the Wynn Summer Classic and reaching a $50,000 WSOP High Roller final table.

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Who Is Daniel Smiljkovic?

Daniel Smiljkovic is a German professional poker player from Filderstadt, Germany. PokerStars identified him in 2026 as a German player now based in Austria.

He is especially well known in online poker under the screen name “SmilleThHero.” That identity became familiar in major PokerStars series and online tournament rankings before Smiljkovic developed a larger presence in international live high rollers.

His career has increasingly blurred the traditional distinction between online and live tournament specialists. Smiljkovic has won major online championships, competed successfully in $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 live tournaments and accumulated significant results across the WSOP, PokerGO Tour and Triton Poker.

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Daniel Smiljkovic’s Rise in Online Poker

Smiljkovic established his reputation as an online tournament player before many of his biggest live scores arrived.

By 2021, “SmilleThHero” had become one of the highest-ranked online tournament players tracked by PokerStake. A particularly strong September included 55 cashes totaling more than $308,000 and helped him reach a career-high No. 3 position in its worldwide online rankings.

That stretch included a victory in a $530 World Championship of Online Poker no-limit hold’em event for more than $61,000. It was part of a period in which Smiljkovic regularly competed against elite online fields across PokerStars and GGPoker.

His success continued well beyond that breakthrough period. PokerStars identified Smiljkovic as a WCOOP champion and, in March 2026, he captured the third SCOOP title of his career by winning the $530 7-Max Turbo Mystery Bounty Daily Cooldown. The victory was worth approximately $20,500 including bounties.

The results help explain why Smiljkovic should not be viewed solely through his live tournament record. Online poker has remained an important part of his competitive identity throughout his career.

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Smiljkovic Wins His First WSOP Bracelet

Smiljkovic became a World Series of Poker bracelet winner during the 2021 international WSOP Online series.

He entered the final day of the $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship as the chip leader and converted that advantage into the title. The tournament attracted 479 entries and generated a $2,275,250 prize pool.

Smiljkovic defeated Xuming “scplayer” Qi heads-up and earned $423,426 along with his first WSOP gold bracelet.

The victory was significant for more than the payout. Six-handed championship events reward players who are comfortable competing with wider ranges and fewer opponents at the table, making the title a natural fit with Smiljkovic’s extensive high-level online experience.

As of August 2026, the WSOP player database credits Smiljkovic with one bracelet and one WSOP Circuit ring. It also lists 17 final tables and more than 250 cashes across WSOP-tracked events.

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A Breakthrough Year in Live High Rollers

The 2023 season represented an important step forward in Smiljkovic’s live tournament career.

His largest live score came at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Vietnam. Smiljkovic reached the final three of the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event and finished third for $1.45 million.

The final table placed him alongside some of high-stakes poker’s most accomplished tournament professionals. Talal Shakerchi eventually won the event, with Michael Soyza finishing second.

Smiljkovic followed that performance with another major result during the 2023 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He reached the final table of the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and finished fourth for $713,413.

Later that year, he produced another seven-figure performance at the inaugural WSOP Paradise series in the Bahamas. Smiljkovic finished third in the $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship for $1,192,300.

Three major high-roller results in one year established that his transition from online success to international live competition was more than an occasional tournament run.

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Winning the 2023 PGT Championship

Smiljkovic added another major title to his résumé when he won the season-ending 2023 PokerGO Tour Championship in January 2024.

The $1 million freeroll brought together 54 players who had qualified through the PGT leaderboard or Dream Seat opportunities. Smiljkovic reached the six-player final table as the chip leader, with Daniel Weinman, Leon Sturm, Artur Martirosyan, Darren Elias and Arden Cho also remaining.

Cho eventually reached heads-up play with Smiljkovic and built a substantial advantage, but Smiljkovic recovered to win the match.

The victory earned him $500,000 and the PGT Championship title.

Winning the season finale was particularly notable because qualification itself required success in events that regularly attract high-stakes tournament professionals. Smiljkovic had finished 16th on the 2023 PGT leaderboard after recording seven cashes during the season.

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Fourth Place in the 2025 WSOP Online Main Event

One of the largest payouts of Smiljkovic’s career came online in September 2025.

He reached the final table of the $5,000 WSOP Online Main Event on GGPoker, an event that drew 5,961 entries and generated a $28,314,750 prize pool.

Smiljkovic advanced to the final four before losing a coin flip with pocket sixes against Anatoly Zlotnikov’s king-queen. Fourth place paid $1,788,027.

The payout surpassed his $1.45 million Triton result as his largest publicly recorded single tournament score, although the WSOP Online Main Event result was played online rather than in a live tournament.

The finish also reinforced the unusual breadth of Smiljkovic’s résumé. Years after becoming known as an online tournament player, he had become a successful live high roller and then returned to make one of the deepest runs of his career in one of online poker’s largest championship events.

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Major Poker Accomplishments

• One WSOP bracelet, won in the 2021 $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship

• One WSOP Circuit ring according to the WSOP player database

• 2023 PokerGO Tour Championship winner for $500,000

• Third place in the 2023 Triton Vietnam $100,000 Main Event for $1.45 million

• Fourth place in the 2023 WSOP $50,000 High Roller for $713,413

• Third place in the 2023 WSOP Paradise $25,000 GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship for $1,192,300

• Fourth place in the 2025 WSOP Online Main Event for $1,788,027

• Three career PokerStars SCOOP titles as of March 2026

• Back-to-back tournament victories during the 2026 Wynn Summer Classic

• Seventh place in a $50,000 High Roller at the 2026 WSOP for $292,221

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Daniel Smiljkovic’s Poker Earnings

Poker earnings totals require context because databases do not always count the same events.

As of August 2026, Card Player lists Smiljkovic with $9,294,611 in recorded tournament earnings. Card Player specifically notes that its total includes both live events and online tournaments with confirmed real-name results.

The WSOP database separately lists $6,167,679 in WSOP-related earnings. That number reflects results tracked within the WSOP ecosystem rather than his complete poker career.

For live poker alone, Smiljkovic’s largest verified tournament score remains the $1.45 million he earned for third place in the 2023 Triton Vietnam $100,000 Main Event.

Because tournament databases continue to update as new events are completed, career earnings figures should always be viewed as a snapshot rather than a permanent total.

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What Type of Poker Does Daniel Smiljkovic Play?

Smiljkovic’s major results are concentrated heavily in no-limit hold’em tournament poker.

His résumé includes six-handed events, large-field online championships, turbo tournaments and some of the highest buy-in live tournaments in the world. He has reached final tables with buy-ins ranging from mainstream four-figure events to $100,000 Triton competition.

Rather than assigning him a specific playing style without reliable supporting evidence, his results demonstrate competitive range within modern no-limit hold’em. He has succeeded in large online fields, short-handed championship formats and slower live high-roller structures against experienced professional opposition.

His background also reflects the increasingly common path taken by modern elite tournament players: developing extensive experience online before applying those skills to major live events.

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Daniel Smiljkovic’s 2026 Results

Smiljkovic remained active in both online and live tournaments during 2026.

In March, he won his third career PokerStars SCOOP title in a $530 mystery bounty event. PokerStars reported that he defeated a field that included established online professionals such as Alex Theologis, Patrick Leonard, Joris Ruijs and Bruno Botteon.

His strongest live stretch of the year came during the Wynn Summer Classic in Las Vegas.

Smiljkovic first defeated a field of 1,911 entries in a $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event, earning $311,935. He then entered another $1,100 event and won again, beating 209 entries for an additional $47,719.

Winning two tournaments in succession gave him more than $359,000 in first-place payouts from the two events.

His summer continued at the World Series of Poker. In July, Smiljkovic reached the final table of the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and finished seventh for $292,221.

Those results showed that his earlier high-roller success had not become simply a historical part of his résumé. Smiljkovic remained capable of winning large-field tournaments and reaching major championship final tables in 2026.

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Daniel Smiljkovic and the World Poker Tour

Smiljkovic has recorded results in World Poker Tour events but has not won a WPT Main Tour title.

As of August 2026, the World Poker Tour database lists seven Main Tour cashes for Smiljkovic totaling $109,615, with no Main Tour victories or top-three finishes.

His most significant accomplishments have instead come through the WSOP, PokerGO Tour, Triton Poker and major online tournament series.

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Why Daniel Smiljkovic Matters in Modern Poker

Smiljkovic’s career illustrates how the paths of online and live tournament professionals have increasingly merged.

His initial reputation was built online, where “SmilleThHero” climbed international rankings and won major PokerStars events. A WSOP Online bracelet then gave him one of poker’s most recognizable championships.

The next phase came in live high rollers. Seven-figure finishes at Triton Poker and WSOP Paradise, a $50,000 WSOP final table and the PGT Championship demonstrated that his success could translate to elite live fields.

The 2025 WSOP Online Main Event and his 2026 results completed the circle. Rather than abandoning online poker after becoming established in live tournaments, Smiljkovic has continued to compete successfully in both environments.

That combination makes his résumé different from players identified primarily with one tour or one form of competition. Smiljkovic has built his career across platforms, continents, tournament sizes and buy-in levels while maintaining no-limit hold’em as the common thread.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Daniel Smiljkovic

How many WSOP bracelets does Daniel Smiljkovic have?

Daniel Smiljkovic has one WSOP bracelet as of August 2026. He won it in the 2021 WSOP Online $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $423,426.

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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Daniel Smiljkovic have?

The World Series of Poker player database credits Daniel Smiljkovic with one WSOP Circuit ring as of August 2026.

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What is Daniel Smiljkovic’s online poker name?

Smiljkovic is widely known online as “SmilleThHero,” including on PokerStars.

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What is Daniel Smiljkovic’s biggest poker tournament cash?

His largest publicly recorded single tournament payout is $1,788,027 for fourth place in the 2025 WSOP Online Main Event.

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What is Daniel Smiljkovic’s largest live poker cash?

Smiljkovic’s largest verified live tournament cash is $1.45 million. He earned it by finishing third in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event at the 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series in Vietnam.

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How much has Daniel Smiljkovic won in poker tournaments?

As of August 2026, Card Player lists $9,294,611 in recorded earnings for Smiljkovic. Its database notes that this total combines live tournaments with online events in which results are confirmed under a player’s real name, so it should not be interpreted strictly as live tournament earnings.

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Did Daniel Smiljkovic win the PokerGO Tour Championship?

Yes. Smiljkovic won the 2023 PGT Championship, which was completed in January 2024. He defeated Arden Cho heads-up and earned the $500,000 first-place prize.

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Has Daniel Smiljkovic won a WPT title?

No. The World Poker Tour lists Smiljkovic with no Main Tour victories as of August 2026.

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Where is Daniel Smiljkovic from?

Smiljkovic is from Filderstadt, Germany. PokerStars described the German professional as being based in Austria in 2026.

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Is Daniel Smiljkovic still playing poker?

Yes. Smiljkovic remained highly active in 2026. His results included a third career SCOOP title, consecutive Wynn Summer Classic victories and seventh place in the WSOP $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.