Ylon Schwartz

In 1980, at the age of 13, Ylon Schwartz started a career as a professional chess player on the streets of NY. Even with his love of competition, it was hard to make a living playing chess. So after 12 years of hustling, he sought out a different profession. Encouraged by a local gambler, Schwartz began exploring other games. It was then that he learned about backgammon and later poker. At first he only competed in small freezeout tournaments, but quickly dominated them. Schwartz soon took his game to local casinos, including ones in Atlantic City. As the years passed, Schwartz quickly made a name for himself. His poker resume includes a dozen WSOP finishes, including his 4th place finish in the 2008 Main Event. He also had amazing finishes in the WPT, Borgata Poker Open, United States Poker Championships, World Poker Finals, Trump Classic, Bellagio Poker Open and PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. His playing doesn’t stop there, though. Online he also makes an incredible profit, playing in events like the Sunday Million and Sunday Second Chance. When not gambling, he enjoys yoga, swimming and traveling. After 25 years of nonstop gambling, it’s smart that he has a low key lifestyle away from the tables.

Find Ylon Schwartz on Facebook.