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Humberto Brenes
- Name: Humberto Brenes
- Nickname: The Shark
- Current Residence: Miami Lakes, Fla. & San Jose, Costa Rica
- Born: May 8, 1951
- Birth Place: San Jose, Costa Rica
- Poker Room: Poker Stars
Next time you're in a poker tournament, take a good look around the table. If you're accompanied by a chatty Costa Rican fellow dressed in a brightly colored tracksuit, sun visor, two pairs of glasses and a music headset, it might be best to just walk away.
That man is Humberto Brenes, a well-liked professional poker player with two World Series of Poker bracelets and millions of dollars in career tournament winnings to his name.
Brenes was born May 8, 1951 in Costa Rica. By the age of seven, he had learned to play cards by observing his father gamble socially with friends. Though he eventually became a skilled card player, Brenes opened himself up to other opportunities by attending the University of Costa Rica, where he earned a degree in industrial engineering.
Despite a penchant for making easy money by outplaying tourists at local casinos, Humberto chose a career of building businesses in Costa Rica. Over the years Brenes has owned a television station, a nut company, a construction business, a number of restaurants and a chocolate and cookies business.
The money came easiest, though, from his casino play. At gambling resorts in the Bahamas, Brenes excelled at craps and baccarat, at one point winning $377,000 in one craps tournament. But as the novelty of the quick buck wore off, Brenes found himself questioning whether he had the skills to play cards against the professionals. In need of a challenge, he decided to take up serious poker play.
In May 1987, Brenes played his first WSOP event - the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Though he placed 14th, Humberto was back at the WSOP each year until he won two gold bracelets in 1993 in the $2,500 Limit Hold'em and the $2,500 Omaha Pot-Limit events.
In the following years, Brenes continued to be a familiar presence on the poker circuit - as did his brothers, Alex and Erick, who both hold World Poker Tour titles. After several final table seats and a handful of tournament wins, Brenes found his first big poker score at the Jack Binion World Poker Open in Tunica in January 2002. There, he claimed $500,000 in prize money at the No-Limit Texas Hold'em Championship event.
Though he has yet to top his 2002 tournament win, Brenes consistently earns final table seats on the tournament trail and has many second- and third-place finishes under his belt. At the 2006 WSOP, he cashed $330,000 in winnings after placing 36th in the $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em Championship event.
Despite his limited English - brother Alex often accompanies him and helps with translation - Brenes is very popular with his poker peers. Besides, he says, "In poker I know all of the important words - raise, re-raise." He loves to chat, but when he starts losing multiple hands Brenes turns up the volume on his earphones and hums along to the music in order to stay focused.
Brenes makes his home in San Jose, Costa Rica, with his wife, Patricia, and their three children. He also owns a home in Florida.
In the poker world, Brenes is also known as a spokesman for PokerStars.com, where he plays online. So next time you're up against a player by the name of "Humberto B." in the poker room, you might want to think twice about re-raising him.
Trivia
- 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
- Former baccarat tournament player but is now mainly a poker tournament player
Notable Tournament Cashes
| Tournament | Place | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 WSOP, Event 50 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout | 17th | $4,356 |
| 2009 WSOP, Event 24 - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em | 225th | $2,839 |
| EPT Season 5, PCA High Roller Event | 5th | $70,800 |
| WPT Season 7, Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic | 78th | $21,620 |
| 2008 Special, LAPT Punta del Este | 28th | $5,960 |
| 2008 WSOP, Event 44, No-Limit Hold'em w/re-buys | 77th | $7,776 |
| 2008 WSOP, Event 39, No-Limit Hold'em | 184th | $3,155 |
| 2008 WSOP, Event 27, No-Limit Hold'em | 33rd | $13,667 |
| 2008 WSOP, Event 21, No-Limit Hold'em | 14th | $34,357 |
| WPT Season 6, L.A. Poker Classic | 61st | $22,020 |
| WPT Season 6, Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic | 51st | $28,905 |
| 2007 WSOP, Event 55, World Championship No-Limit Texas... | 83rd | $82,476 |
| 2007 WSOP, Event 19, No-Limit Hold'em | 7th | $55,918 |
| 2007 WSOP, Event 13, World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em | 3rd | $197,348 |
| 2007 WSOP, Event 7, Pot-Limit Omaha w/re-buys | 8th | $79,710 |
| WPT Season 5, WPT World Championship | 62nd | $46,410 |
| 2007 Special, NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship | 5th | $75,000 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 39, No-Limit Texas Hold'em Championship... | 36th | $329,865 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 34, No-Limit Hold'em w/re-buys | 11th | $25,743 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 26A, Pot-Limit Omaha | 54th | $598 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 17, No-Limit Hold'em | 7th | $74,715 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 14, No-Limit Hold'em w/re-buys | 58th | $4,636 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 10, Seven-Card Stud | 19th | $5,220 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 6, No-Limit Hold'em | 80th | $5,239 |
| 2006 WSOP, Event 2, No-Limit Hold'em | 250th | $2,274 |
| 2005 WSOP, Event 44, $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 53rd | $2,075 |
| 2005 WSOP, Event 29, $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 35th | $6,905 |
| 2005 WSOP, Event 25, $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em | 9th | $19,550 |
| 2005 WSOP, Event 15, $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout | 10th | $6,830 |
| 2005 WSOP, Event 6, $2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold'em | 34th | $6,930 |
| WPT Season 3, Five Diamond World Poker Classic | 2nd | $898,475 |
| WPT Season 3, Foxwoods World Poker Finals | 3rd | $636,930 |
| WPT Season 2, WPT Invitational | 2nd | $38,000 |
| 1993 WSOP, Event 16, Pot-Limit Omaha | 1st | $128,000 |
| 1993 WSOP, Event 17, Limit Hold'em | 1st | $149,000 |
| 1995 WSOP, Event 22, $5,000 Limit Hold'em | 2nd | $134,550 |
| 1992 WSOP, Event 16, No-Limit Hold'em | 2nd | $96,000 |
| 1996 WSOP, Event 20, Limit Seven-Card Stud | 2nd | $74,750 |
| 1999 WSOP, Event 10, Limit Hold'em | 2nd | $101,400 |
| 2003 WSOP, Event 10, Limit Hold'em and Seven-Card Stud | 3rd | $19,860 |
| 1989 WSOP, Event 5, Seven-Card Stud | 3rd | $38,500 |
| 1988 WSOP, World Series of Poker Main Event - 1988 | 4th | $77,000 |
| 2002 WSOP, Event 8, Pot-Limit Omaha | 4th | $28,880 |
| 2002 WSOP, Event 15, Pot-Limit Omaha | 4th | $33,020 |
| 1998 WSOP, Event 18, Limit Seven-Card Stud | 4th | $31,200 |
| 1994 WSOP, Event 11, No-Limit Hold'em | 5th | $27,500 |
| 1991 WSOP, Event 14, Seven-Card Stud | 6th | $17,750 |
| 2002 WSOP, Event 24 Limit Hold'em | 6th | $18,580 |
| 1989 WSOP, Event 1, Limit Omaha | 7th | $8,145 |
| 1996 WSOP, Event 3, Limit Seven-Card Stud | 7th | $11,115 |
| 1989 WSOP, Event 9, Limit Ace-to-Five Draw | 9th | $4,478 |
| 1996 WSOP, Event 9, Pot-Limit Omaha w/ rebuys | 10th | $5,058 |
| 2000 WSOP, Event 11, Limit Hold'em | 12th | $6,410 |
| 1989 WSOP, Event 6, Seven-Card Stud | 13th | $4,085 |
| 1999 WSOP, Event 4, Limit Seven-Card Stud | 13th | $4,975 |
| 1992 WSOP, Event 12, Limit Ace-to-Five Draw | 14th | $2,250 |
| 1999 WSOP, Event 8, Limit Omaha | 14th | $2,860 |
| 2002 WSOP, Event 12, Seven-Card Stud | 15th | $2,900 |
| 1996 WSOP, Event 4, Limit Omaha | 17th | $2,052 |
| 1993 WSOP, Event 4, Limit Hold'em | 18th | $4,416 |
| 1996 WSOP, Event 8, No-Limit Hold'em | 18th | $4,860 |
| 2000 WSOP, World Series of Poker Main Event - 2000 | 25th | $32,600 |
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