Max Steinberg once had $2 left in a $50 bankroll, an unenviable position that a lot of poker pros wouldn’t want to be in. But Steinberg, a forum member at FlopTurnRiver.com who goes by the alias “Numbr2intheWorld”, never saw it as a death knell. Instead, he saw it as a challenge, one that he eventually turned into a Word Series of Poker bracelet.
The 23-year old American and FlopRiverTurn.com forum member took down Event #33 at the 2012 World Series of Poker, earning his first WSOP gold bracelet and taking home an impressive $440,238 in first place money. Steinberg’s win comes two years after he finished second-place, denying him what would’ve been his maiden WSOP win. Well, comeuppance comes to those willing to wait for another chance, and when Steinberg had his, he never let it slip away.
In winning the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2012 WSOP, Steinberg bested a sizable field of 2,795 players that included some of the finest poker pros to rub the felt. Quite an achievement, in its own right. Even more impressive was how Steinberg took down the final table in a marathon run that lasted 10 hours. It took six hours to whittle down the field to the final three and another four hours for Steinberg to outlast both Matt Stout and Samuel Gerber to claim the WSOP gold bracelet that eluded him two years ago.
With the win, Steinberg polishes up an already promising WSOP resume that also includes a pair of final table appearances and four cashes, no small feat for a 23-year old who has become a true rags-to-riches story in the world of poker.
What makes Steinberg’s win even more impressive is the fact that he’s not exactly what you’d call a high-profile player who spends inordinate hours on the felt. Steinberg told the WSOP’s Nolan Dalla in an interview that his poker background is primarily online where he plays a lot of sit-and-goes and heads-up games. It wasn’t until 2009 when he turned 21 that he started playing live tournaments and only recalls having played around 50 tournaments in his lifetime.
Steinberg also sounds like somebody who isn’t consumed by the game, preferring to enjoy it as much as he can while also not getting caught up in having to play it on a daily basis. When asked by Dalla about his long-term plans on the poker circuit, Steinberg said that he enjoys playing the game and still plays a lot these days, but he also sounded like somebody who enjoys life even without poker.
Despite his own admission of having an uncertain future in the game, Max Steinberg is still somebody a lot of poker players should pay careful attention to. He’s not the most experienced player you’ll find, but he has definitely proven that he’s got the game – and the resume – to become a formidable and respected player in the world of poker. His peers at FlopRiverTurn.com also know the kind of player “Numbr2intheWorld” is and were more than thrilled to see one of their own become the first FTR member to win a WSOP gold bracelet. It’s a tremendous accomplishment for somebody who joined FTR six years ago – he’s still an active member with over 3,500 posts and continues to post regularly – and has honed his craft on the forums by discussing strategy with his fellow forum members to the point where he can now proudly say that he’s a bracelet-winner at the World Series of Poker.
Make no mistake, this won’t be the last time we’ll hear from FTR’s own Max Steinberg. He’s already got a WSOP gold bracelet on his wrist, and we’re not betting against him on earning a couple of more in the years to come.
