Born on December 30, 1954, Greenstein was a Chicago, Illinois native. His youth took him on a strict educational path that included higher education in the form of a computer science degree at the University of Illinois and eventually preparations for a Ph.D. in mathematics. But, a job in the computer industry with Symantec took him away from his dissertation, and he became a software developer for the company that soared into the Fortune 500. He retired in 1991 in his mid-thirties.
Along the way, Greenstein learned poker, first from his father, then during college and leisurely through the years as work allowed. But upon his retirement and relocation to California, he focused more on his enjoyment of poker, where casinos provided cash games and tournament proceedings. In 1992, he played and cashed in his first World Series of Poker event, and the final tables and wins started to pile up from there. Throughout the 1990’s, he improved his game and won a California State Poker Championship tournament.
He also became a skilled mixed game player and started to donate some of his winnings to charity. It was the following decade that brought the most success for Greenstein. He won the 2003 Larry Flynt Poker Challenge Cup, events at the California State Poker Championship, United States Poker Championship, and Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic, but his largest titles came in the form of his World Poker Tour Jack Binion Open win in 2004, World Series of Poker bracelet in no-limit 2-7 draw in 2004, WSOP pot-limit Omaha in 2005, WPT Invitational in 2006, and WSOP seven-card razz in 2008. In total, with cashes in tournaments around the world in nearly all poker variations, he had accumulated more than $7.2 million through 2010. He continues to play a rigorous tournament schedule each year, as well as competing in online poker events as a member of Team PokerStars Pro.
Barry Greenstein has been making a income at the poker table for many years, but he is just now getting the recognition he deserves. After winning the WPT at the World Poker Open, some public subdue question who this guy is. For tournament pros and the players in the largest side games in the world, he is a man who’s game is widely respected. He has won two tournaments in less than a year with a first prize of more than $1 million dollars. To others, he’s the most generous man in the poker industry. He’s donated every bit of his tournament winnings to charity, most of which goes to Children, Inc which works to help children in twenty-one countries including the United States.
