World Poker Tour

Kirk Morrison “Lizard King“

Birthplace
Wichita, KS

Hometown
Aukland, New Zealand

Birthday
April 14

Total Winnings
$2,133,233

Kirk Morrison was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. He picked up the game of poker during his youth and had transitioned to a career in professional poker by his early 20's. Living the gaming life, he had a home in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas, and he spent much of his time playing poker to support a rather extravagant, fun lifestyle. In his own words, however, he became someone who he didn't like much and began questioning his way in life.

During his early poker days, Kirk accumulated numerous cashes and wins. By surrounding himself with fellow players like Daniel Negreanu and playing different variations of the game on a very regular basis, he began to master tournament poker in the early 1990's. In April of 1994, he had his first major cash in third place at the World Series of Poker in the $1,500 limit hold'em event for $72,300.The resume was built from there, and by 1998, he was in possession of his first WSOP bracelet and more than $148,000 which he won in the $1,500 seven-card stud tournament. For a little over a year, he continued on the tournament circuit, though mostly staying in the Los Angeles area, but by the fall of 1999, he was ready for a change. He wanted to move away from the life that he had made for himself, so he went to New Zealand to visit friends and clear his head for a few months.

Kirk didn't anticipate that he would fall in love with the easy-going ways of the island country, but he ended up staying there for over seven years. Finally, his friend Negreanu sought him out and found him halfway across the world to tell him that there had been a burst in poker's popularity; Kirk should give the game another chance. Though Kirk had been playing tournaments now and then in New Zealand and Australia, he decided to come back to the U.S. and see for himself. Since then, he has had an amazing run with four consecutive cashes in WPT tournaments, coincidentally tying the record set by Negreanu during the previous season. In the 2007 WSOP, he had five cashes alone, and he has taken home over $2 million in the first six months of the year. Kirk's newfound peace in life, part-time home in New Zealand, and successes in the U.S. are an incredible story, and it just keeps getting better.