Matt Salsberg: WPT Champion, Player of the Year and WSOP Circuit Winner
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
Matt Salsberg has built an unusual dual career as a television writer and producer and a successful live tournament poker player. The Montreal native became a World Poker Tour champion, earned WPT Player of the Year honors for Season XI and later added a World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event ring.
Salsberg remains an active tournament player. As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists him with $4,273,358 in live tournament earnings, while his 2026 results include a deep run in the WSOP Main Event and multiple other cashes during the summer series.
His poker résumé is especially closely associated with the World Poker Tour. Salsberg's 2012 victory at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris launched a Season XI run that ultimately earned him the tour's Player of the Year award.
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Who Is Matt Salsberg?
Matthew Salsberg is a Canadian poker player originally from Montreal, Quebec. The Hendon Mob lists his residence as Studio City, California, while World Poker Tour coverage has long described him as a Los Angeles-area television writer and producer.
Away from poker, Salsberg established a career in television before becoming widely known on the tournament circuit. PokerNews has documented his work in television, including writing and production work connected with shows such as Weeds, Entourage and Kidding.
Poker developed alongside that career rather than replacing it immediately. Salsberg told PokerNews that he became increasingly interested in tournament poker during the post-2003 poker boom while continuing to work in television.
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Matt Salsberg's World Poker Tour Breakthrough
Salsberg's defining poker breakthrough came during Season XI of the World Poker Tour.
He won the WPT Grand Prix de Paris at the Aviation Club de France in September 2012. The official WPT event page lists Salsberg as the champion and reports a first-place prize of $515,720.
The Hendon Mob records the same tournament victory at $478,415 and lists that amount as Salsberg's largest live tournament cash. Because the two authoritative databases report different dollar values for the historical international result, both figures are best understood according to their respective sources rather than treated as interchangeable.
The Paris victory was only part of Salsberg's exceptional Season XI performance. According to the World Poker Tour, he:
Won the WPT Grand Prix de Paris.
Reached three WPT final tables during Season XI.
Cashed six times during the season.
Finished sixth in the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open.
Finished sixth in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open.
Earned WPT Season XI Player of the Year honors.
The Player of the Year race remained alive through the season-ending WPT World Championship. When Jonathan Roy was eliminated in third place, Salsberg mathematically secured the award. World Poker Tour coverage confirmed him as the Season XI Player of the Year.
That combination of a major title, repeated final-table appearances and a season-long points championship remains the centerpiece of Salsberg's tournament career.
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How Many WPT Titles Does Matt Salsberg Have?
Salsberg has one World Poker Tour Main Tour title.
His championship came at the 2012 WPT Grand Prix de Paris. WPT records show that he defeated a final table that included accomplished professionals such as Theo Jorgensen, Philipp Gruissem, Timothy Adams and Mohsin Charania.
His success continued beyond that championship season. WPT historical records show additional Main Tour cashes in later seasons, including a 12th-place finish at the following Grand Prix de Paris and a 12th-place result at the 2016 Bay 101 Shooting Star.
Salsberg also continued appearing in WPT competition well into the 2020s. In April 2026, The Hendon Mob recorded him finishing 64th in the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship for $11,500.
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WSOP and WSOP Circuit Career
Salsberg has not won a World Series of Poker bracelet, but he does own a WSOP Circuit gold ring.
The official WSOP player database lists Salsberg with zero bracelets and one Circuit ring as of September 2026.
His ring came in November 2024 when he won the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Commerce Casino in Southern California. PokerNews reported that Salsberg captured the Main Event and approximately $286,000 along with the championship ring.
The victory was significant because it added a WSOP-branded championship to a résumé already highlighted by his WPT title and Player of the Year award.
Salsberg has also accumulated numerous cashes at the annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. His record is built primarily around no-limit hold'em tournaments, although his results also include appearances in pot-limit Omaha and other formats.
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Matt Salsberg's 2026 WSOP Results
Salsberg remained highly active during the 2026 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
His most notable summer result came in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event. He finished 135th for $65,000, adding another deep Main Event run to his career record.
Later in the series, he finished 25th in Event #93: $1,500 The Closer for $23,600. His other recorded 2026 WSOP cashes included results in the $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event, Mystery Millions, the $5,000 Seniors High Roller and the opening $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event.
Those results are important when evaluating Salsberg's current status. His major WPT breakthrough came more than a decade earlier, but his 2026 tournament schedule shows that he continues competing regularly in major live events.
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Matt Salsberg's Live Tournament Earnings
As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Salsberg with $4,273,358 in career live tournament earnings.
That total is a moving statistic and will change as additional tournament results are recorded.
His tournament résumé includes more than the WPT Grand Prix de Paris and WSOP Circuit Commerce victories. Among his other notable results are a victory in the 2017 California State Poker Championship Main Event for $174,870 and numerous deep finishes in major tournaments in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other poker destinations.
The Hendon Mob lists Salsberg's best live cash as $478,415 for his Grand Prix de Paris victory, while the official World Poker Tour record reports a $515,720 payout for that championship.
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Matt Salsberg's Playing Career and Poker Reputation
Salsberg's tournament record supports describing him primarily as a live multi-table tournament player with a strong emphasis on no-limit hold'em.
His career is not built around a single isolated victory. The strongest period came during his Season XI WPT campaign, when repeated deep finishes demonstrated enough consistency to win a season-long Player of the Year race.
His later record also shows sustained success in different tournament environments. He has won regional events, captured a WSOP Circuit Main Event, cashed repeatedly at the World Series of Poker and continued competing on the World Poker Tour.
Rather than attaching an unsupported label such as loose-aggressive or tight-aggressive to his playing style, his verified tournament record provides the clearer description: Salsberg has been a durable live tournament competitor capable of producing significant results across different eras of modern poker.
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Television Career and Impact Beyond Poker Results
Salsberg stands out from many tournament professionals because poker has never been his only professional arena.
Before his largest poker successes, he had already established himself as a television writer and producer. PokerNews reported that writing and co-producing Weeds became a major turning point in his television career, while his other television work included projects connected with Entourage and Kidding.
That background has made him a recognizable crossover figure between professional poker and entertainment. It also shaped his relationship with the game. In interviews, Salsberg has discussed tournament poker and television writing as demanding pursuits that both require patience, resilience and an ability to handle setbacks.
His WPT success made that crossover more prominent. A television professional winning one of the tour's major championships and then becoming Player of the Year gave Salsberg a distinctive place in WPT history.
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Is Matt Salsberg Still Playing Poker?
Yes. Available tournament records show Salsberg remained active in live poker throughout 2026.
Beyond his WSOP results, The Hendon Mob records cashes during the 2026 Wynn Millions, WSOP Circuit events, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Venetian DeepStack Championship series, Wynn Summer Classic and other tournaments.
His most recent recorded Hendon Mob result as of September 15, 2026, was a cash in the Arizona State Poker Championship on August 13, 2026.
That activity makes it inaccurate to describe Salsberg as retired or as merely a player from an earlier WPT era. His championship season remains his historical peak, but he continues to compete on the live tournament circuit.
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Matt Salsberg's Major Poker Accomplishments
Salsberg's most significant verified poker achievements include:
One World Poker Tour Main Tour title.
2012 WPT Grand Prix de Paris champion.
WPT Season XI Player of the Year.
Three WPT final tables during his Player of the Year season.
One WSOP Circuit gold ring.
2024 WSOP Circuit Commerce Main Event champion.
More than $4.27 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of September 15, 2026.
Multiple cashes at the 2026 World Series of Poker, including 135th in the Main Event and 25th in The Closer.
Those accomplishments give Salsberg a career that connects the televised WPT boom era with the modern tournament circuit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Matt Salsberg won in live poker?
As of September 15, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Matt Salsberg with $4,273,358 in live tournament earnings. The figure will change as new tournament results are added.
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How many WPT titles does Matt Salsberg have?
Matt Salsberg has one World Poker Tour Main Tour title. He won the WPT Grand Prix de Paris during Season XI.
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Was Matt Salsberg WPT Player of the Year?
Yes. Salsberg won the World Poker Tour Season XI Player of the Year award after a season that included his Grand Prix de Paris victory, three final tables and six cashes.
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Has Matt Salsberg won a WSOP bracelet?
No. The official WSOP database lists Salsberg with zero WSOP bracelets as of September 2026.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does Matt Salsberg have?
The official WSOP database lists Salsberg with one WSOP Circuit ring. He earned it by winning the 2024 WSOP Circuit Commerce Main Event.
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What is Matt Salsberg's biggest tournament cash?
The Hendon Mob lists Salsberg's 2012 WPT Grand Prix de Paris victory as his best live cash at $478,415. The official World Poker Tour event record reports a $515,720 first-place payout for the same tournament.
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Is Matt Salsberg Canadian?
Yes. The Hendon Mob lists Salsberg as Canadian and records Montreal, Quebec, as his birthplace. He has long lived and worked in Southern California.
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What television shows has Matt Salsberg worked on?
PokerNews has documented Salsberg's television writing and production career, including work associated with Weeds, Entourage and Kidding.
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Is Matt Salsberg still an active poker player?
Yes. Salsberg recorded numerous live tournament cashes during 2026, including a 135th-place finish in the WSOP Main Event for $65,000 and a 25th-place finish in the $1,500 The Closer for $23,600.