Isaac Haxton (born September 6, 1985) is an American professional poker player,[1][2] amateur chess player,[3][4] and a youth chess champion.[5]
Haxton was raised in Syracuse, New York. His mother is a psychiatrist and his father is an English professor who introduced Isaac to games of skill at an early age. He played chess at the age of four and Magic: The Gathering by the age of ten.[6]
After high school Haxton attended Brown University as a computer science major, but later spent more time playing poker than studying.[7] He returned to Brown and completed a degree in Philosophy.[8]
After turning 18, Haxton transitioned from competitive Magic: The Gathering to playing poker at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York starting at $3/$6 limit before slowly moving up in stakes. He transitioned to online poker with a $50 deposit on Ultimate Bet.[6]
In 2007, he cashed in his first tournament at the WPT Championship Event finishing runner-up to Ryan Daut for $861,789.[9]
In September 2018, Haxton won Event #4: $10,000 Short Deck at the 2018 Poker Masters for $176,000.[10]
In December 2018, Haxton won Super High Roller Bowl V for $3,672,000.[11]
In January 2023, Haxton won the 2023 PokerGO Cup $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em finale for $598,000.[12] The next week, Haxton won the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 PCA Super High Roller for $1,082,230.[13] He won a second $100,000 buy in event at the PCA less than two weeks later for over 1,500,000.[14]
In June 2023, Haxton won his first bracelet at the 2023 World Series of Poker $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed event for $1,698,215 .[15] In September of that year, Haxton won The Super High Roller Bowl, defeating Andrew Lichtenberger heads up and earning over $2.7 million.[16] In 2023, Haxton had the most live tournament earnings of any poker player, earning more than $16 million throughout 2023.[17]
As of May 2024, Haxton has cashed for more than $48,000,000 in live poker tournaments.[17]
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $25,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed | $1,698,215 |
Haxton is considered one of the top online cash game specialists and plays under the aliases, Ike Haxton, luvtheWNBA, and philivey2694 where he has earned over $2,000,000.[18] Although successful in tournament play, he prefers online cash games and considers it to be his specialty.
| Year | Tournament | Prize $ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ARIA High Roller #24 – $15,000 NLH | $50,400 |
| 2023 | PokerGO Cup #8 - $50,000 NLH | $598,000 |
| 2023 | U.S. Poker Open #8: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em | $432,000 |
| 2023 | WSOP #16 - $25,000 High Roller NLH | $1,698,215 |
| 2023 | Super High Roller Bowl VIII - $300,000 NLH | $2,760,000 |
| 2024 | Poker Masters #6 - $15,100 No-Limit Hold'em | $352,800 |
| 2024 | PGT PLO Series II #5 - $15,100 Pot-Limit Omaha Progressive Bounty ($6,000) | $169,740 |
| Festival | Tournament | Prize $ |
|---|---|---|
| Jeju II 2025 | $100k PLO Main Event | $2,789,000 |
Haxton is married to his wife Zoe. His father wrote his biography, Fading Hearts on the River: My Son’s Life in Poker.[19]
