As the defending Main Event champion, Dan Weinman expected that every all-in, every big hand, and every bad beat he experienced at the 2024 WSOP would be scrutinized by the poker media. Yet, much to his astonishment, that didn’t happen.
As it turns out, that’s precisely the way he likes it.
“I was kind of surprised at how little attention I got,” confessed Weinman. “I thought reporters would surround me, and I’d spend a lot of time on feature tables. Believe me. I don’t like being the center of attention.”
Once again, this summer Weinman went deep in the Main Event but only min-cashed. But he was only at one feature table for the entire four-day period and then only for one orbit.
“It was a blessing and a curse for me not to play on more feature tables. I don’t love all that focus on myself. But it is kind of nice playing with some TV experience under my belt when everyone else at the table is scared to make a big mistake on stream.”
PokerOrg recently caught up with the soft-spoken Weinman after the conclusion of the WSOP summer series and a week before his nuptials.
What was it like to play at the WSOP and everyone know your name?
Dan Weinman: Very strange. It's weird being 'the champ,' as people called me. I think many people who get into poker and succeed are more introverted. I fall into that category. It was bizarre for me to sit down and have eight people instantly want to strike up a conversation with me. It was a bit strange from that perspective.
You were a great representative for poker, but I could tell you were a little uncomfortable at times.
That’s true. But I know that the attention I get comes with the territory. It was a different experience. One that I would say I'm not perfectly built for. So that probably led to me playing less at this past World Series than usual.
What did you think of GGPoker's recent purchase of the WSOP?
It's interesting. GGPoker wants to grow the game of poker. That's clear. Buying the World Series has to be suitable for their brand, drive more traffic to their online site, and get more people involved in poker who haven't been involved in the past. From a player's perspective, it can't do anything but get better.
That's a big passion of mine with my company, RF Labs. I want to get more people involved in the great game of poker.
Tell us more.
RF Labs built a way to track analytics and data in live poker. Nothing exists like this for the live game. It works with real cards and chips and can track everything. I think 27 card rooms are now using our technology to stream their games. Poker at the Lodge in Texas uses our table, and Hustler Casino Live is switching to our table. It's really exciting to see stuff we've been working on getting out there and being used.
What’s the mission of the company?
Our end goal is what I was talking about earlier with GG. We want to bring more people to the game of poker. We would love to open up a Top Golf/restaurant-like concept where we can put 20 of our high-tech poker tables in there. That should bring a ton of people out to have a good time and play poker.
Speaking of high-tech poker, what was your take on the use of solvers by Jonathan Tamayo’s coaches on the rail?
I feel like Jonathan has gotten some unfair backlash for it. It can't be easy for him. Some people see it as cheating, and that he gained an unfair edge.
As a non-solver poker player, it's not a huge deal. It wouldn't be too high if I had to rank the importance of the information he received. A rule in the rule book says you can't do what he did. But at the end of the day, if it's not going to be a rule that's enforced, I don't think it's a big deal. But in general, it’s not a good look for poker.
And it changes the way new players view the game.
Definitely. If we go back to the growing the game aspect of things. Who will want to come and play poker (especially for a lot of money) if they think that the best players in the world are just computers? Then it's not really a social game anymore.
Golf is a very social game. And you are very good at it with a +2 handicap.
Golf is definitely my passion away from work and poker.
Soon after Tamayo won the $12M first prize, you invited him out for a round of golf on X. Were you looking to pry a little bit of that prize money away from him?
[laughs] It was my friendly way of saying welcome to the Main Event champs club. But I'm always open for some high-stakes golf if the opportunity presents itself.
I read that you played with a higher-profile golfer not too long ago.
I probably should avoid getting too deep into this because the last time I talked about this in an interview, it led to some backlash. But here goes… I was living in New York when I became good friends through golf with John Smoltz, the former Braves pitcher.
John and I had played a ton of golf. He called me one day and asked if I wanted to come down to Jersey and play golf for a few days. He asked me to bring a few friends and how would they feel if we played with #45.
Number 45?
Exactly. I was trying to figure out a Braves player with that number. Then he said, 'Number 45, President Trump.' I guess the two of them had gotten close through golf as well as through politics. I have very little idea of what's going on in the world politically. It's not my forte. But it was a fun experience. And no matter which side you fall on the political spectrum, I think it's hard to say no to playing golf with a President.
How was the experience playing with Trump?
I don't want to get too much into what necessarily happened in the round – there was some backlash the last time I talked about it. Overall, it was a great experience. He is a surprisingly good golfer for his age. He was a positive person during the time we spent together. I can understand why people love him and why people hate him. But I would kind of like to leave it at that.
Did he know you were a well-known poker player?
He did. I was the most intrigued by how much interest he took in people. He had no reason to talk to me or my two friends. But he asked me about the poker world and where I played.
One last thing. Where did the $12,000,000 go? Did you buy anything crazy?
I’m getting married a week this Friday. A lot of the money's going to the wedding. I invested almost all of the money that I could keep after taxes. I bought a lovely house. That'll probably be my house with my fiancé for 20 or 30 years. And we are going to Africa for a safari honeymoon.
That sounds amazing. But we know taking home $12,000,000 is a colossal illusion when you look at the bottom line, right?
Yes. Everyone assumes you have $12M in the bank. No one thinks that maybe I had some swaps or sold some action. And we get taxed. Whatever portion you get to keep, it's not like this giant pile of money is sitting there. But I can’t complain. It was a great thing that happened money-wise. But it's not like it completely changed my life.
Did you have any overall concerns after winning so much money in one shot?
Actually, there were some safety concerns. I stopped playing home games in Atlanta because everyone knows I just won a big pile of money. And that I probably have this giant diamond bracelet just sitting at my house. Yes, there were some serious concerns. I've played home games for a long time. I've been cheated, robbed, and raided in the past.
That’s wild. I’m glad you took precautions.
I had to. The chances of these things happening now are probably a hundred times what they were a year ago.
Best of luck next week. Enjoy your wedding and honeymoon.
Thank you so much, Craig. It's a little bit nerve-wracking but exciting. I’m looking forward to not being the single guy anymore and joining all my buddies on the married train.
