Alan Sternberg

Total Winnings
$1,076,167

Alan Sternberg may not be armed with the standard online poker kid gear of hoodies, shades, and track pants, but the New Yorker’s rise to poker prominence mirrors the pattern of many of his online poker playing friends. Sternberg began his poker career online, playing under the screennames “grebnrets86” and “Maxine Waters.” He picked up over $1.2 million in earnings online, but managed to win almost as much as that in one fell swoop on the WPT. Under the tutelage of friend and fellow online pro Brent Roberts, Sternberg started playing some live events, including a tournament he satellite his way into online, Season IX’s Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event.

The Bay 101 Shooting Star final table really lived up to its name. Shooting Star Mike Matusow made the final table, as did WPT host and Shooting Star Mike Sexton. Vivek Rajkumar was at his second consecutive final table of the season and young WSOP bracelet winner Steven Kelly was in the mix as well. At a table full of aggressive pros, Sternberg not only held his own, he got them to back down as he played his way to a WPT title and a first place prize worth $1,039,000.