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Humberto Brenes was born on May 8, 1951 and resides in San Jose, Costa Rica with his wife and three children.

Brenes is one of the most charismatic and popular poker players in the world. He is easy to spot at tournaments, as he tends to wear bright tracksuits, two pairs of glasses on top of each other, and a visor. He is also famous for the toy sharks he uses as a card protector.

Humberto began his career in gambling by playing baccarat and later made his way into poker. Despite Humberto's success in baccarat and craps, he now focuses solely on poker. "For business, it is better to play baccarat or craps because the tourists don't know how to play," he said, "But the challenge comes in playing against the poker pros. I prefer to take the challenge."

In 1974 he started to play tournaments and became a regular tournament player in 1988. During his career, he has collected two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, cashed over 40 times at the WSOP, and made three World Poker Tour final tables. Humberto's two bracelets came at the 1993 World Series of Poker in limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha. He tied Phil Hellmuth, Jr. with 8 for highest number of money finishes in the 2006 WSOP. Humberto also finished first at the Jack Binion 2002 World Poker Open, beating Erik Seidel heads up and winning $502,460. In 2007, Brenes cashed $82,476 in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event Championship, placing 83rd out of a field of 6,358 players.

Brenes is a member of the prestigious "Costa Rican Connection," alongside his brothers Alex and Erick, and friend Jose Rosenkrantz.

Brenes, his wife Patricia, and their three small children are currently residing in Costa Rica, but they also maintain a home in Miami Lakes, Florida.


Fun Facts:

• Member of Team PokerStars.
• Former baccarat tournament player but is now mainly a poker tournament player.
• Known as the godfather of the Costa Rican players.
• Has owned many businesses in his native Costa Rica, including a cookie factory and television station.
• Holds a degree in industrial engineering.
• Two of his brothers, Alex Brenes and Erick Brenes, have won World Poker Tour titles.