Michael Addamo: The Australian High-Stakes Tournament Specialist
Michael Addamo is an Australian professional poker player who has earned four World Series of Poker bracelets and has career live tournament earnings exceeding $24 million. Born in 1994 in Melbourne, Addamo transitioned from competitive chess to poker in 2012 and has since established himself as one of the most feared tournament competitors in high-stakes events. His aggressive style and willingness to apply pressure in high-variance spots have produced consistent results across both live and online formats.
From Chess Ratings to Poker Earnings
Addamo reached a chess rating of 1930 by age 19 while studying actuarial science at university. The analytical demands of actuarial work (probability assessment, statistical modeling, and risk quantification) translated directly to poker strategy. He began playing online poker on PokerStars under the screen name “imluckbox” in 2012, progressing from micro-stakes games at Crown Casino in Melbourne to six-figure buy-in tournaments within six years.
His first recorded live cash came from a $20 local tournament in 2012, where he finished eighth for $103. The trajectory from that initial result to multimillion-dollar tournament victories required deliberate skill development across mathematical fundamentals and emotional regulation under pressure.
Four WSOP Bracelets Across Three Years
| Year | Event | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | WSOP $2,620 Marathon | $653,581 |
| 2018 | WSOP Europe €25,500 High Roller | €848,702 |
| 2021 | WSOP $50,000 High Roller | $1,132,968 |
| 2021 | WSOP $100,000 High Roller | $1,958,569 |
Addamo’s first bracelet came in 2018 at the WSOP in Las Vegas, where he won Event #24: $2,620 Marathon No-Limit Hold’em. The field of 1,637 players produced a first-place prize of $653,581. The Marathon format, with two-hour levels and extended deep-stack play, rewarded patience and positional awareness, traits that became signatures of Addamo’s tournament approach.
Three months later, he added a second bracelet at WSOP Europe in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The €25,500 Super High Roller event paid €848,702 (approximately $973,360), making Addamo the first Australian to win a bracelet outside Las Vegas. Defeating a final table that included Benjamin Pollak and Christian Rudolph demonstrated his capacity to compete against elite international fields.
The 2021 Breakthrough
Addamo’s third and fourth bracelets arrived during an exceptional 2021 WSOP run. In Event #38: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed, he outlasted 81 entries to defeat Justin Bonomo heads-up for $1,132,968. The victory was part of a broader hot streak that included eight final tables and six titles between September and November 2021.
His fourth bracelet came on the final day of the 2021 WSOP in Event #87: $100,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em. Navigating a field of 64 players, Addamo earned $1,958,569 and became one of only 268 players in WSOP history to win multiple bracelets. The WSOP reports that more than 100,000 individual players have cashed in bracelet events since 1970, yet fewer than 300 have won four or more bracelets, underscoring the rarity of sustained championship success (WSOP.com, 2025). The win capped a period during which he earned over $9.4 million across 10 weeks, making 2021 his most profitable year to date, with total earnings approaching $10 million.
High-Roller Circuit Dominance
Beyond WSOP events, Addamo has accumulated significant earnings on the high-roller circuit. In September 2021, he won back-to-back events at the Poker Masters series at Aria in Las Vegas. Victories in the $50,000 and $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em events produced combined earnings of $1.84 million and secured the Purple Jacket awarded to the series’ overall champion.
Super High Roller Bowl Peak
Days later, Addamo won the 2021 Super High Roller Bowl for a career-best score of $3,402,000. The win remains his largest single-tournament cash and exemplifies his proficiency at navigating the most elite buy-in events. Follow-up finishes, including third place in a $200,000 high roller at Aria for $544,000 and a $15,000 high roller win, reinforced his consistency at the highest stakes.
In 2022, Addamo finished first at the Triton Poker Series in Madrid, earning $1,210,721 in the €75,000 No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed event. His Triton results, combined with appearances at major international stops, produced a tournament resume spanning Asia, Europe, and North America.
Online Tournament Success
The expansion of online high-stakes events has reshaped modern poker, enabling elite players to compete across jurisdictions without traveling and accelerating the pace of the tournament ecosystem.
Addamo’s online credentials match his live results. Competing online as “imluckbox,” Addamo captured a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) title on PokerStars in 2019. The $5,200 No-Limit Hold’em Sunday Million High Roller attracted 272 entries, and Addamo’s victory earned $258,952.
High-Stakes Online Titles
In 2020, he won the World Poker Tour World Online Championships $100,000 Super High Roller on partypoker. The heads-up deal with Isaac Haxton awarded Addamo $1,284,114, demonstrating his adaptability across platforms and software environments. In 2022, he won his first online WSOP bracelet, taking down Event #13: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Millionaire Maker on GGPoker for $304,286.
Addamo’s results across formats suggest proficiency in both technical execution and tilt resistance. Tilt resistance is the capacity to maintain optimal decision-making after adverse outcomes.
Michael Addamo Playing Style
Addamo’s poker style has become synonymous with aggressive tournament play. He leverages large stacks to apply maximum pressure on opponents, particularly during late-stage ICM scenarios where pay jumps magnify fold equity, a dynamic explained by ICM Poker theory, which adjusts decision-making based on payout structure rather than raw chip count. His willingness to contest pots with wide ranges forces opponents into marginal decisions where mistakes accumulate.
At the December 2024 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event, Addamo entered the nine-handed final table with the chip lead. The event drew 1,978 entries and offered a $6 million first-place prize. Despite holding a substantial advantage, Addamo finished sixth for $1,650,000 after losing key pots to eventual champion Yinan Zhou. Zhou later described a critical river bluff against Addamo as a turning point, calling him “the most loose-aggressive player in the world.”
That characterization reflects Addamo’s reputation among high-stakes regulars. His pressure-based approach produces polarized outcomes: either accumulating chips rapidly through relentless aggression or exiting tournaments earlier than players employing conservative strategies.
Selective Tournament Schedule
Addamo frequently disappears from the live circuit for extended periods before resurfacing at major events. In 2024, he recorded only four live cashes before the WSOP Paradise final table. This selective approach contrasts with grinders who maintain year-round tournament schedules, suggesting Addamo prioritizes high-variance, high-reward opportunities over consistent volume.
His sporadic appearances have not prevented sustained success. According to The Hendon Mob database (2025), Addamo’s $24.4 million in live earnings ranks him inside the Top 50 on poker’s all-time money list. The same database records 133 total live cashes and 22 tournament victories across major international series.
High-roller series such as Triton and Poker Masters typically feature average buy-ins above $50,000, which compress field sizes and magnify skill edges compared to mid-stakes tournaments.
Statistical Profile
Addamo’s tournament results are heavily concentrated in high buy-in formats. His average cash of approximately $184,000 (calculated from $24.4M across 133 cashes) ranks among the highest averages globally, reflecting specialization in elite fields where skill edges compound across multi-day structures. For comparison, most players with 130+ cashes average under $50,000 per result, underscoring Addamo’s deliberate focus on smaller-field, thinner-edge events.
| Player | Live Earnings | Avg Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Addamo | $24.4M | ~$184,000 |
| Typical 130+ cash pro | $6–8M | <$50,000 |
The gap illustrates structural specialization within the modern high-roller ecosystem: Addamo concentrates in elite small-field events, while most professionals rely on mid-stakes volume to generate earnings. These high-buy-in events are typically hosted by major gambling sites and are invitation-only live series, limiting access and narrowing the competitive field.
Even among elite contemporaries such as Justin Bonomo and Stephen Chidwick, average cash figures are typically lower due to broader mid-stakes exposure.
The risk-reward profile of $50,000+ buy-ins produces dramatic swings, yet Addamo’s four-bracelet count and Top 50 ranking demonstrate sustained profitability across volatile formats.
WSOP Efficiency Metrics
According to WSOP records (2025), his series results include:
- 4 bracelets
- 10 final tables
- 40 cashes
- $8,446,410 in WSOP earnings
Converting four wins from 40 cashes produces a 10 percent bracelet rate, materially higher than the 3 to 5 percent conversion rate historically observed among multi-final-table WSOP regulars, based on aggregate bracelet distributions.
Notably, four of his 10 final tables resulted in titles, reinforcing the pattern that when Addamo builds a contending stack, he converts at a disproportionately high rate.
Net Worth and Financial Impact
With $24.4 million in confirmed live tournament earnings, Addamo ranks among the highest-earning Australian players in history. However, live earnings do not equal net profit. Tournament buy-ins, staking agreements, tax obligations, and variance significantly reduce headline figures, and exact net worth estimates are not publicly verified.
His 2021 earnings alone approached $10 million, representing the bulk of his career profit concentration. The feast-or-famine nature of tournament poker means that a small percentage of events produce the majority of lifetime returns, and Addamo’s results follow this pattern.
Earnings Concentration Analysis
That single year accounts for roughly 40 percent of his recorded live earnings, illustrating how tournament profitability often concentrates in short peak windows rather than in steady annual income.
Such concentration levels are common in high buy-in tournament poker, where a handful of peak series often define a career’s financial trajectory.
Current Status and Future Prospects
At 30 years old as of 2024, Addamo remains active on the high-roller circuit despite extended absences between major events. His most recent recorded cash came in August 2025 for $57,196 at a Triton Poker Jeju event. Whether he maintains the aggressive pace that defined his 2021 peak or adopts a more selective schedule remains unclear.
Players who achieve Addamo’s level of success face diminishing motivation challenges. Financial independence eliminates the need for continuous grinding, and tolerance for volatility decreases when downswings no longer threaten lifestyle sustainability. Addamo’s sporadic appearances suggest he plays primarily when optimal conditions align: major series with high buy-ins and soft fields relative to the stakes.
Why Aggression and Variance Define Modern Tournament Poker
In tournament structures where blinds escalate and pay jumps intensify ICM pressure, the mathematical edge compounds rapidly.
In modern tournament structures where late-stage pay jumps create intense ICM pressure, aggression compounds mathematically. Large stacks force shorter stacks into risk-averse decisions, increasing long-term chip EV. Addamo’s results suggest that properly calibrated aggression, even with elevated variance, produces superior outcomes over large samples.
Please play responsibly. 21+, T&Cs apply.