Dario Sammartino: WSOP Bracelet Winner and 2019 Main Event Runner-Up
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Dario Sammartino is an Italian professional poker player whose career includes a World Series of Poker bracelet, a runner-up finish in the WSOP Main Event and more than $17 million in recorded live tournament earnings. His $6 million score for finishing second to Hossein Ensan in the 2019 WSOP Main Event remains the largest cash of his career.
After years of near-misses at the World Series, Sammartino finally won his first bracelet in 2024 in a mixed Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event. His results across no-limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, lowball and mixed games have helped establish a résumé that extends well beyond his best-known Main Event performance.
As of August 31, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Sammartino with $17,211,022 in live tournament earnings and a $6 million career-best cash. He remains active at major international events, with results during 2026 at the WSOP, WSOP Europe, EPT Monte-Carlo and EPT Barcelona.
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Who Is Dario Sammartino?
Dario Sammartino is a professional poker player from Naples, Italy. The Hendon Mob lists his nationality as Italian, his birthplace as Naples and his residence as Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
His recorded live tournament history stretches back to 2008. PokerNews reports that his first listed live cash came that November in a €1,100 tournament in Egypt, where he finished eighth. Over the following years, Sammartino progressed from European events into the high-roller circuit and the World Series of Poker.
An official WSOP profile published before the 2019 Main Event final table reported that Sammartino learned poker from his father following the death of his grandfather. The WSOP also described him at the time as a former StarCraft player who had become a regular in major high-roller tournaments.
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Dario Sammartino's Rise Through High-Stakes Poker
Sammartino's early tournament record developed steadily before a major breakthrough at the 2015 European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
He finished fourth in the €100,000 Super High Roller for €709,500, worth approximately $782,000 at the time. That result represented his largest tournament score to that point and helped establish him as a regular contender in high-buy-in events.
A year later, he finished third in the $25,000 PCA High Roller for $542,160. His biggest pre-2019 score followed at the 2017 World Series of Poker.
In the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop, Sammartino reached a final table filled with accomplished high-stakes professionals. Doug Polk won the tournament, Bertrand Grospellier finished second and Sammartino took third for $1,608,295.
That result was another important step in a career increasingly defined by deep runs against elite fields.
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2019 WSOP Main Event Runner-Up
Sammartino's defining no-limit hold'em result came at the 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event.
The $10,000 World Championship attracted 8,569 entries and generated an $80,548,600 prize pool. Sammartino survived the field to reach the nine-player final table and ultimately advanced to heads-up play against Germany's Hossein Ensan.
Ensan won the championship for $10 million. Sammartino finished second and earned $6 million, which remains his largest recorded live tournament cash.
The result dramatically increased Sammartino's career earnings and placed him among a select group of Italian players to have reached the WSOP Main Event final table.
His 2019 WSOP performance was not limited to the Main Event. Earlier that summer, he finished third in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $184,854 and ninth in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $93,764.
Later in 2019, Sammartino made another major championship run at WSOP Europe in Rozvadov, finishing fourth in the €10,350 Main Event for €341,702.
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Dario Sammartino Wins His First WSOP Bracelet
For years, Sammartino accumulated major scores and WSOP final tables without winning a bracelet. That changed during the 2024 World Series of Poker.
He entered Event #61, the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better tournament, alongside 506 other entries. The 507-entry field created a $1,128,075 prize pool.
Sammartino reached heads-up play against Norway's Jon Kyte and secured the victory for $222,703. The win gave him his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
The championship was significant because it came in a split-pot mixed event rather than the no-limit hold'em tournaments responsible for many of Sammartino's largest career scores. It reinforced the depth of a tournament record that includes strong performances across several poker variants.
Read PokerNews' report on Dario Sammartino's first WSOP bracelet.
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Dario Sammartino's WSOP Record
The official WSOP player database lists Sammartino with one bracelet and one WSOP Circuit ring as of August 2026.
His World Series résumé includes:
1 WSOP bracelet
1 WSOP Circuit ring
2019 WSOP Main Event runner-up for $6,000,000
2024 $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo champion for $222,703
3rd place in the 2017 $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $1,608,295
3rd place in the 2019 $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $184,854
9th place in the 2019 $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $93,764
4th place in the 2019 WSOP Europe Main Event for €341,702
4th place in the 2026 $1,500 Dealer's Choice for $49,383
The current WSOP database lists Sammartino with 257 cashes and $14,366,711 in earnings from events tracked by the organization. Those figures are separate from his broader live-tournament total reported by The Hendon Mob.
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Dario Sammartino's Career Earnings
As of August 31, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Dario Sammartino with $17,211,022 in live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded cashes include:
$6,000,000 for 2nd in the 2019 WSOP Main Event
$1,608,295 for 3rd in the 2017 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop
€709,500 for 4th in the 2015 EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller
$542,160 for 3rd in the 2016 PCA $25,000 High Roller
$498,696 for 3rd in the 2022 WSOP $100,000 High Roller Bounty
€341,702 for 4th in the 2019 WSOP Europe Main Event
$222,703 for winning his first WSOP bracelet in 2024
Tournament earnings are gross cashes rather than profit and do not account for buy-ins, travel expenses, staking arrangements or other costs.
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Sammartino's Versatility Across Poker Formats
Sammartino became internationally prominent through no-limit hold'em and high-roller events, but his WSOP record shows a much broader range of tournament experience.
His bracelet came in a tournament combining Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. He has also recorded deep WSOP finishes in H.O.R.S.E., Dealer's Choice, no-limit 2-7 lowball, pot-limit Omaha and other mixed-game formats.
That versatility has remained visible late in his career. During the 2026 WSOP, Sammartino finished fourth in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice and later cashed the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship, $1,500 Big O and $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship in addition to several no-limit hold'em events.
Rather than relying on a subjective description of his playing style, his tournament record provides a clearer measure of his range: Sammartino has produced major results in both high-stakes no-limit hold'em and specialist mixed-game fields.
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Dario Sammartino's 2026 Results and Current Status
Sammartino remains an active tournament player.
At the 2026 World Series of Poker, his deepest run came in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice, where he reached the final table and finished fourth for $49,383. He also finished 19th in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship for $21,884 and 18th in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty for $22,601.
Later in the series, Sammartino finished 27th in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Championship for $34,563.
His international schedule continued after Las Vegas. The Hendon Mob records a cash in the 2026 EPT Barcelona Main Event, where he finished 208th for €9,900 on August 22.
Those results show that Sammartino continues to compete across major tours and multiple poker formats more than a decade after becoming a regular presence in international high-stakes tournaments.
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Why Dario Sammartino Matters in Poker
Sammartino's place in tournament poker is built on more than one unusually large score.
The 2019 WSOP Main Event runner-up finish gave him worldwide recognition, but his broader record includes high-roller final tables, repeated deep WSOP runs, a major WSOP Europe performance and success across mixed games.
Winning his first bracelet in 2024 also completed one of the most conspicuous gaps in his résumé. He had already recorded several seven-figure and six-figure scores before finally winning WSOP gold.
His continued results in 2026 further distinguish his career from players remembered primarily for a single Main Event run. Sammartino remains active across both no-limit hold'em and mixed-game tournaments, extending a live record that began in 2008.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets does Dario Sammartino have?
Dario Sammartino has one WSOP bracelet as of August 31, 2026. He won it in the 2024 WSOP $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $222,703.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Dario Sammartino have?
The official WSOP player database lists Dario Sammartino with one WSOP Circuit ring as of August 2026.
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How much has Dario Sammartino won in live poker tournaments?
The Hendon Mob lists Dario Sammartino with $17,211,022 in live tournament earnings as of August 31, 2026. Tournament earnings represent gross recorded cashes and should not be interpreted as career profit.
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What is Dario Sammartino's biggest poker cash?
Sammartino's largest recorded live tournament cash is $6 million. He earned it by finishing second to Hossein Ensan in the 2019 WSOP Main Event.
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Did Dario Sammartino win the WSOP Main Event?
No. Sammartino finished second in the 2019 WSOP Main Event. Hossein Ensan won the championship and $10 million, while Sammartino received $6 million as runner-up.
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When did Dario Sammartino win his first WSOP bracelet?
Sammartino won his first bracelet in June 2024. He defeated a 507-entry field in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event and earned $222,703.
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Where is Dario Sammartino from?
Sammartino is Italian and was born in Naples. The Hendon Mob currently lists his residence as Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
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Is Dario Sammartino still playing poker?
Yes. Sammartino remained active throughout 2026, recording multiple cashes at the World Series of Poker and later cashing the EPT Barcelona Main Event in August 2026.