World Poker Tour

Michael Yoshino

Birthplace
Los Angeles, CA

Hometown
Los Angeles, CA

Birthday
August 5

Total Winnings
$168,346

Some poker players have never seen anything outside of their local card room. Some poker players have never faced a tougher foe than a loose-aggressive blind stealer. Michael Yoshino is different. He knows what a real battle is. A Marine Corps Reservist from San Marino, California, Yoshino has pulled active duty tours in both Kuwait and Iraq. When he returned to the United States, he settled into a more peaceful and less dangerous form of combat: poker. This professional poker player made his bones in the ever-tough high-limit cash games in Los Angeles card rooms. Still in his early 20s, Yoshino quickly earned a reputation in the tournament poker world for his aggressive play. In 2004, Yoshino played in the Legend of Poker event in L.A. and finished in 27th place, earning more than $16,000. However, he wanted more. In April of 2005, Yoshino entered the World Poker Challenge and made it all the way to the final table. His fourth place finish earned him more than $100,000. Since then Yoshino has managed several more big cashes in both the World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker.