Dario Sammartino

Dario Sammartino is one of Italy’s most well-known professional poker players. Born in Naples on April 5, 1987, Sammartino has been a prominent figure in the poker circuit for almost 15 years, excelling in both live and online high-stakes games. He plays the highest limits both live and online and has amassed over $16 million in career earnings, making him the most successful Italian poker player of all time.

In the online arena, Sammartino, known by his aliases ‘Madgenius87’ and later ‘Secret_m0d3’ on PokerStars, has achieved significant success. He has won several major tournaments, including SCOOP and WCOOP titles, earning $718,217 and $371,187 respectively. With close to $6 million in online winnings, Sammartino continues to perform strongly across various poker platforms. His recent online performance includes a second-place finish in The Super MILLION$ High Roller Event on GGPoker, cashing $375,726.

Sammartino is a mixed games specialist, having learned poker from his father after the passing of his grandfather. He excels in games like Omaha (H/L), 2-7 Lowball Draw, and H.O.R.S.E., reflecting his versatile skill set across different poker variants. His deep understanding of game theory, empathy, and psychology, as well as his strong mathematical skills, have been key to his success.

Mixed Games Specialist

Dario Sammartino learned how to play poker from his father, after his grandfather sadly passed away. The game he was thought was 5-Card Draw poker, a game he excels at, showing the results in mixed games overall. He has several major cashes in games such as Omaha (H/L), 2-7 Lowball Draw and H.O.R.S.E.

Born and raised in Italy, he also took note of the ‘MoneyMaker boom’, a moment which gave Dario the drive to master another game in poker, No-Limit Hold’em. The first times he played live poker it would be in local newly poker clubs back in Italy. As it is still the most common variant of poker, Dario had no other choice than to start learning Hold’em, and later in his career he would not have wanted it any different way.

Early Career

Dario Sammartino was born in Naples and began his poker career in online poker, following the path of many great players who emerged on the international scene in the early 2000s. His career quickly gained momentum with significant results between 2010 and 2011. In 2013, he won the High Roller at the Italian Poker Tour (IPT) Sanremo, earning €35,000 and marking his first major accolade. The same year, he made his first appearance at the WSOP, followed by a second-place finish in the IPT Main Event.

In January 2014, Sammartino secured third place in the FPS High Roller in Deauville and made his first Final Table at the WSOP in a 6-Handed tournament, earning over $91,000. By 2015, he won the Global Poker Index World Cup in Malta and achieved fourth place at the EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo Super High Roller, earning over €700,000. This year also saw him reach two Final Tables at the WSOP, finishing sixth and fourth.

The year 2016 saw Sammartino achieve respectable finishes in PCA and EPT Dublin, with his best result being 17th place at the WSOP High Roller for One Drop. In 2017, he won the HyperTurbo event at the PokerStars Championship Bahamas for $10,200 and was runner-up at the Shot Clock event for a total of $410,000. Additionally, he finished fourth at the Monte Carlo High Roller 8-Max and third at the High Roller for One Drop in Las Vegas.

In 2018, Sammartino continued his strong performance with a runner-up finish at the EPT Monte Carlo National High Roller and a third-place finish in the WSOP 2-7 Lowball Draw, showcasing his versatility. He also secured placements in the EPT Barcelona, leading into a standout year in 2019.

Runner-up Dario

Dario’s first ever runner-up result in a major tournament date back to October 2013, losing heads-up from fellow Italian Federico Piroddi. During the European Poker Tour in London in 2014, losing the last battle from Tom Middleton in a 2K side-event. After some other 2^nd and 3^rd place finishes in big tournaments, he would become 3^rd in one of the biggest tournaments of the world, The High Roller for one Drop during the WSOP. He eventually took home $1,6 Million in the most expensive buy-in tournament to date for him, but the likes of Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier, and Doug Polk, walked away with all glory.

After becoming runner-up in 2018 during at the European Poker Tour Nationals in Monte Carlo, he noted another big cash in the 2K High Roller. It would not be until 2019 where his biggest ever live cash would appear.

Check our hand analysis:

• Dario Sammartino vs. Ole Schemion from the €100,000 Super High Roller Event
• Dario Sammartino vs. Phil Ivey from the $100k High Roller Event at the 2016 Aussie Millions

WSOP Success

2019 World Series of Poker Main Event

The World Series of Poker 2019 Main Event would have 8,569 players, resulting in a massive prize pool of $80,548,600! Dario was one of the ‘November Niners’ and came on stage as everybody knows him. Classy, Italian, in a suit and with a bowtie, and sunglasses. Unfortunately for him, his runner-up history would not let him down this time as he finished again as runner-up in the biggest final table of his career.

German poker professional Hossein Ensan would walk away with the victory and the first prize of $10,000,000, where Sammartino collected his biggest cash all-time for $6,000,000. For sure the money would make a lot of things good, but sadly for him he never got what he would truly deserve, a win and the trophy.

WSOP 2024 Bracelet

In the summer of 2024, Sammartino achieved what he considers the greatest satisfaction and the most beautiful win of his career. On June 26th, he won his first WSOP bracelet at event #61, defeating Jon Kyte in heads-up play and adding the coveted bracelet to his collection.

Top Career Cashes

Online Poker

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 temporarily halted live poker events, but Sammartino remained active online, participating in numerous final tables across Poker Masters and online WSOP events.

The online poker world came to know Dario first as ‘Madgenius87’ on PokerStars, which later turned into a new nickname called ‘Secret_m0d3’. He managed to win three Spring Championship of Online Poker events, including his biggest ever online win during the $21,000 High Roller, eventually collecting more than $700K.

He also has a WCOOP title behind his name, and a ton of notable finishes. Also on GGPoker he is doing well for himself, resulting a very recent 2^nd place finish during The Super MILLION$ High Roller Event, cashing for $375,726. Until the day of today, he is crushing it at the online felts of all poker operators.

Cashes for ‘Secret_m0d3’

In 2022, he accumulated over $850,000 from several high finishes. In 2023, Sammartino took a step back from active play, partially due to personal commitments, including the birth of his child, Noah Oreste.

Quotes from Dario Sammartino

On Luck and Skill in Poker

“Surely there is luck, which can affect the short term. In the long term, absolutely not. Otherwise, I would have been lucky for 12 years. The main skills are: empathy, understanding people’s emotions, understanding if someone is afraid, has courage. Then there is psychology, a lot of math.”

On Integrity and the State of Poker in Italy

“It requires much more honesty from everyone, and it needs a bit of a revolution. Especially in Italy, where unfortunately people often play together in chat or Skype, engaging in a sort of collusion, where they exchange accounts, where people are helped by those from school. People in the poker world should look in the mirror, especially those who want to be the paladins of justice, those who have schools, and should revolutionize this world in the true sense of the word.”

On His Passion for Poker

“I started playing poker at a time when it was impossible to do so except by starting from clubs. So, instead of emphasizing the fact that I paired poker with something bad, it should actually be emphasized that despite the historical moment in Italy when it was not possible to play poker, for me it was a passion, such a strong dream, that I did it starting from clubs, starting from very, very difficult situations.”

Poker Tips from Dario Sammartino

Emphasizing Honesty and Integrity

“Much more honesty is needed from everyone, and a bit of a revolution is required. Especially in environments where collusion is common, such as playing together in chats or Skype, exchanging accounts, and receiving help from those outside the game. It’s crucial for individuals in the poker community to reflect on their actions and uphold true integrity.”

Pursuing Passion Despite Challenges

“Even when circumstances make it difficult to pursue poker, maintaining a strong passion and determination is essential. Starting from challenging situations, such as limited access to poker venues, can build resilience and drive success in the long run.”

Developing Essential Skills

“To excel in poker, focus on developing empathy and the ability to understand and read people’s emotions. Recognizing fear, courage, and other psychological factors can give you a significant advantage. Additionally, a strong foundation in mathematics is indispensable for making informed decisions.”

Socials

You want to follow Dario Sammartino and his poker career? Make sure to follow him on one of his socials:

• www.instagram.com/dario_sammartino/ (16,7K followers)