Doug Polk Net Worth – Career Earnings, Upswing Poker & Bio (Updated February 2026)

Doug Polk has been one of the most influential figures in modern poker during the post-boom era. A heads-up cash game specialist turned all-round high-stakes crusher, WSOP bracelet winner, and entrepreneur who co-founded Upswing Poker and co-owns The Lodge Card Club.

Polk hails from Pasadena, California and has amassed $10,534,855 in verified live tournament earnings, as of February 2026. But as a cash game specialist, it is impossible to come up with an accurate estimate for Doug Polk’s net worth with so much of the needed data not being publicly available.

Much of Polk’s wealth comes from untracked high-stakes heads-up online cash games under the now famous screen name “WCGRider,” private cash game sessions, and the infamous 2021 heads-up challenge win over Daniel Negreanu which netted him around $1.2 million.

And then there’s the business ventures like Upswing Poker, which was sold at the top of its game, and the popular Lodge Card Club which continues to grow its support base.

Below you’ll read about Polk’s verifiable earnings, estimated net worth breakdown, and the key moments that established him as a true legend of his era.

Doug Polk’s true net worth is not publicly confirmed information. As a player whose biggest wins came from private high-stakes cash games and his multiple business ventures, any figure remains a pure estimate rather than a verifiable total. Polk is also thought to have done well from early crypto investments before the industry matured.

Net worth estimates (and why they’re hard to pin down)

Estimates for Doug Polk’s net worth typically range from $15 million to $25 million or higher in 2026. This is a combination of his poker winnings, income from his business ventures Upswing Poker and The Lodge Card Club stakes, and crypto profits.

What we can verify: tracked live earnings

Doug Polk’s live tournament results are fully trackable via the Hendon Mob database. As of February 2026, his official live tournament earnings total $10,534,855. This figure reflects only prize money won and not net profit after buy-ins are subtracted.

Why estimates vary: high-stakes cash games, business, and investments

Polk’s reputation was built in untracked heads-up NL Hold’em cash games online where he was once thought to be the best in the world at that format after defeating Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky. His 2021 win over Daniel Negreanu netted him around $1.2 million plus profits from side bets.

Polk also has numerous appearances in livestreamed high-stakes games on his record which add to his unverified profits.

Beyond poker, he co-founded the training site Upswing Poker and sold his share for an undisclosed amount. In 2026, he now runs the popular Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas.

As of February 2026, Polk’s involvement in cryptocurrency is unknown.

Doug Polk’s reputation centres around being one of the best heads-up No-Limit Hold’em cash game specialists ever, before transitioning to high-stakes live tournaments and focusing more on business.

As of February 2026, Polk’s verified live tournament earnings total $10,534,855 while all other figures related to untracked cash games and business are only estimates.

Live tournament earnings (tracked)

Polk’s official verified live tournament winnings stand at $10,534,855 with the majority of events focused on high buy-ins rather than volume. The sample size is low due to his preferred format by far being cash game poker.

Biggest live cashes and notable results

Polk’s largest recorded live tournament prize is $3,686,865 for first place in the WSOP 2017  $111,111 High Roller for One Drop to win his third bracelet.

Online and high-stakes cash game legacy (untracked)

Polk rose to prominence in the poker world as “WCGRider” in the late 2000s/, becoming one of the best heads-up NL Hold’em cash game players online.

Although online cash game results posted online are rarely accurate or complete, Polk did play much of his action on the biggest sites at the time — PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.

Tracked data for Polk’s accounts show profits of around $577K on PokerStars and $1.6 million on Full Tilt Poker, but full online career totals are unverified.

As of February 2026, Doug Polk remains active in high-stakes cash games at The Lodge Card Club following his retirement from full-time play.

Early years & background

Doug Polk was born on December 16, 1988, in Pasadena, California into a family with an interest in strategy games.

His father taught him chess when he was only five-years-old, and by age 15 he had extended that passion for strategy by competing in the World Cyber Games as a Warcraft III player — an experience that inspired his famous online alias “WCGRider.”

He discovered poker aged 19 while attending the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and just like many of his peers, he quickly ran up a bankroll online which gave him the confidence to  drop out of college to pursue poker full-time.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, because Polk described himself as a “breakeven rakeback pro.”

Online heads-up dominance

By the time Polk was aged 23 in 2011, his bankroll was almost gone and it was decision time: focus every effort on making it in the game, or give up the dream.

Over the next two years, Polk specialised in heads-up No-Limit Hold’em cash games on PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker and climbed the stakes rapidly. He soon established himself as one of the top heads-up specialists with an aggressive, highly analytical style in what was still the pre-GTO solver era.

One of his most notable and publicised online victories came in 2013 against Ben “Sauce1234” Sulsky, widely regarded at the time as the world’s very best heads-up player.

The two agreed to a high-profile heads-up challenge that was to be the biggest spectacle in the format since the famous “durrrr Challenge” in the pre-black Friday era.

The rule dictated 15,000 hands at stakes of $100/$200, with a minimum $20,000 buy-in and a $100,000 side bet on the overall winner.

Polk dominated the match over the 15,144 hands played on Full Tilt Poker, ending up around $740,000 in profit and also collecting the $100,000 side bet.

It is unclear so many years later what kind of a chance the observers gave Polk before the match started but whatever they thought, this victory was a major statement. In fact, it was this victory that Polk felt gave him the right to call himself the king of the heads-up cash format.

Live tournaments and bracelets

With no more peaks to climb in the heads-up NL Hold’em cash world as the format began to die out, Polk turned his attention towards live tournaments in 2014.

He opened his account with a final table appearance at the Aussie Millions $100,000 Challenge to earn $770,237. In the following weeks he posted a runner-up and third place finish in a pair of $25,000 high roller events at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

This great start to his tournament campaign must have given Polk great confidence as the WSOP 2014 kicked off. And it turned out to be justified after he chalked up two cashes and a victory for his maiden bracelet in a fortnight.

He added a second bracelet in 2016 in the $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold’em for $76,679 with his friend and business partner Ryan Fee.

His biggest live score came in 2017 when he won the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $3,686,865 to bag his third bracelet in what was the peak moment in his tournament career.

Content, coaching, and business

In 2015 Doug Polk and Ryan Fee launched Upswing Poker, the popular training site, quickly building it into a leading coaching site.

During this period he focused heavily on content creation with YouTube videos and Twitch streams before announcing his retirement from playing poker at the end of 2018. In 2020, he escalated that to walking away from the industry altogether, stating that he didn’t like the game anymore.

In 2021 Polk came out of retirement to play Daniel Negreanu in a high-stakes heads-up grudge match. Over 25,000 hands he won around $1.2 million plus extras on the side bets.

This was one of most watched and discussed poker events of the modern era that saw the pair emerge with a newfound respect for each other.

In 2022, Doug Polk co-founded The Lodge Card Club in Austin, Texas, which quickly became one of the premier poker rooms in the country, known for its high-stakes cash games, frequent livestreams, and strong community atmosphere.

Although he plays far less frequently than in his peak years, Polk still does play the occasional live tournament but the busiest period of his playing career is clearly behind him.

Doug Polk is celebrated as one of the greatest heads-up No-Limit Hold’em players in history. A bold, innovative crusher who learned the game during the boom years and masterfully learned to apply GTO concepts in the solver era.

Core playing style

Polk thrived in heads-up cash games with super-wide ranges where strong opponents relentlessly apply pressure with three-betting, four-betting, and multi-street aggression.

His hybrid style allowed him to excel at dynamic adjustments while still using solvers for balance.

Reputation among Peers & legacy

More than anything else in the poker world, Polk commands respect for his elite skills in the heads-up domain. He firmly believes that he was once the best in the world at NL Hold’em heads-up cash games.

And when that story came to an end, he set about winning three WSOP bracelets and upgrading his skills in the new GTO era.

Away from the table, he has long been a polarising figure due to his blunt commentary at times, but always generally admired.

Key Traits:

Doug Polk has been one of the most polarising figures we have ever known in poker. His direct, often confrontational, communication style has always been well-suited to stirring emotion among his followers.

While no major cheating allegations or misconduct claims have ever been made against him personally, he has been involved in several high-profile public disputes and legal matters over the years.

In 2017 Polk had a falling out with Ben Tollerene after a coaching deal turned sour. Tollerene apparently reneged on an agreement to teach cutting edge PLO strategy to Polk after he taught Tollerene what he knew about NL Hold’em.

The most well-known controversy is his 2021 high-stakes heads-up challenge against perpetual verbal sparring partner Daniel Negreanu.

The match was preceded by months of trash-talk and accusations. Negreanu also repeatedly questioned Polk’s character.

Polk ultimately won the match convincingly, netting around $1.2 million plus side bets, but the rivalry left lasting tension, even if Negreanu was applauded for stepping up and taking on Polk at his best format.

Polk frequently calls out suspected cheating or unethical behaviour in the poker world, covering the story on his well-supported YouTube channel.  His coverage of the Mike Postle scandal earned him much praise for his professionalism.

Doug Polk maintains a private personal life away from the public eye, especially compared to his outspoken presence in the poker world.

He is married to Kaitlin, a former poker media personality and content creator who has worked in the industry and collaborated with him numerous times. The couple married in 2020 and welcomed their daughter in 2022.

Polk has spoken about how fatherhood is one of the most meaningful parts of his life and a major reason for stepping back from the professional game.

While Polk can come across as direct, sarcastic, or confrontational in online debates and rivalries, those close to him and long-time observers describe him as thoughtful, loyal, and family-oriented in private.

As of February 2026, Doug Polk remains active playing cash games and occasional tournaments at his card room in Texas, The Lodge Card Club.

The club continues to thrive under Polk’s co-ownership with poker vloggers Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme, and Polk frequently makes himself available for those who wish to get a seat at the same table as him.

Quick answers to the most searched questions about Doug Polk’s net worth, earnings, age, and poker career.

This profile is designed to separate verifiable information from estimates, assumptions, and unsubstantiated claims.

Nearly every poker player’s career contains substantial untracked activity — particularly in high-stakes private cash games for established pros — so we are careful to clearly indicate what can be reliably confirmed and what remains uncertain or approximate.

How we handle net worth

• No poker player has an official or publicly released net worth figure.
• Any net worth ranges or numbers mentioned are explicitly treated as estimates and can vary considerably based on unreported cash game results, private investments, business interests, staking deals, and other non-public sources of income.
• We place the highest importance on direct statements from the player, official tournament database records, and any credible, documented business or financial reporting that exists.

How we report earnings

• Live tournament winnings are sourced exclusively from well-established poker databases (primarily The Hendon Mob). These figures show gross prize money awarded and do not represent net profit after deducting buy-ins, travel, or other expenses.
• Online poker results and private/high-stakes cash game winnings, especially from earlier eras, are generally no longer publicly accessible or verifiable. We therefore never list them as confirmed or tracked earnings.

How we handle controversies and disputes

• If any controversy or dispute is referenced, we link to the original reporting or primary source material whenever available.
• We explicitly note what has been alleged, what has been confirmed, what has been denied, and what is still unresolved or unclear.
• We rely on named sources, direct quotes from the individuals involved, and coverage from reputable poker media rather than anonymous forum posts, speculation, or unverified online chatter.

References

• The Hendon Mob – Doug Polk (tracked live tournament cashes and results history)
• WSOP.com – Doug Polk player page (official series profile and event-related references)
• YouTube – “Shocking Poker Scandals” playlist (High-level analysis)
• Wikipedia – Doug Polk (basic biographical context; cross-checked where possible)

Last updated: February 2026.