Taylor von Kriegenbergh

Total Winnings
$1,152,269

Young pro Taylor von Kriegenbergh believes in karma and fate. In fact, he attributes a higher power for a lot of his his poker success, most notably his win at the inaugural Seminole Hard Rock Showdown in Florida during Season IX of the WPT. When he was 21, Von Kriegenbergh’s father passed away and he has said that he feels like his dad is keeping an eye on him from above.

Considering the year von Kriegenbergh had in 2010, he might be right about his dad being his guardian angel in poker. He started the year off with a final table appearance at the Bicycle Casino’s Big Event. Then he followed it up with a strong performance at NAPT Mohegan Sun, posting a top twenty finish in the Main Event and taking fifth in the Bounty Shootout. That all paled into comparison in what von Kriegenbergh did just two weeks later.

The Massachusetts native dominated the late stages of the Seminol Hard Rock Showdown, but his shot at a WPT title was in jeopardy three-handed, as he fell from the chip lead to become the short stack. Von Kriegenbergh rallied in the end though, besting fellow Bean Towner Curt Kohlberg heads-up for the $1,122,340 first place prize.