Jeff Forrest

Total Winnings
$548,752

Not a lot of poker pros can say that a member of the pop group N’Sync rooted them on to a WPT title, but Jeff Forrest can. The then 22 year-old Orlando native’s rail at Season IX’s Foxwoods World Poker Finals included his dad, friend and poker pro Jason Somerville, and fellow Floridian and songster Joey Fatone.

Forrest played in the event mostly on a whim. Taking a shot in his first WPT event, he found himself playing for a lot more than fun and the experience, as he final tabled the event and took a shot at the title alongside the likes of Tom Marchese, Mohsin Charania, and Keven Stammen. In the end, Forrest conquered the ‘Woods, defeating local amateur Dave Inselberg heads-up to take the $548,752 first place prize.

Despite only playing a handful of tournaments since he turned 21 in 2009, Forrest already has more than $750,000 in live career tournament earnings to his credit, including three WSOP cashes and a runner up finish in a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure side event worth $117,291, not to mention nearly $1 million in online poker tournament winnings. His Foxwoods victory remains Forrest’s marquee score for now, but with the young pro playing more and more tournaments, it is only a matter of time before he hits a WPT payday again.