King of Instagram, Dan Bilzerian, is arguably one of the most popular internet sensations there is in our time, whose net worth stands at $200 million. But just how did he get so impressively rich?
Bilzerian got rich through playing high stakes poker and by becoming a professional stuntman. His wealth all started with the lump some Bilzerian received in a trust fund left by his father.
Read more below about Bilzerian’s successful career in poker and acting.
From High Stakes Poker to Instagram King
Back in 2009, Bilzerian participated in the World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing in 180th place, having earned $36,626.
A year later, in 2010, Bilzerian was named one of the funniest poker players by Bluff.
Four years on, in 2014, Bilzerian claimed that he’d earned $50 million in the year. He reflected on the most he’s lost in a game, with the figure standing at $3.6 million.
In that same year, Bilzerian was dubbed the Instagram King.
On the platform where he shares his boisterous bachelor lifestyle, Bilzerian has over 31 million followers.
If there’s one thing to be taken from Bilzerian’s social media, it’s that he’s a proud womanizer living the playboy life.
Bilzerian reflected on his extravagant lifestyle, “Basically I didn’t get a ton of attention as a kid. I guess that’s why I’m such a flashy lunatic.”
He went on to say:
“People cannot understand what it’s like to win over $10 million in one day or to lose $5 million in one night. Just knowing that you have lost a really nice house or won ten Bugattis… when you put it in those terms, it’s really hard to stomach the losses.”
In 2015, Bilzerian announced that he was running for president in the 2016 election, but he eventually ended up endorsing Donald Trump and expressing his fondness of him.
Two Heart Attacks Before 30
Living a life of luxury filled with booze and all the women in the world probably comes with its perks, but for Bilzerian, the lifestyle he leads has affected his health and not in a good way.
When Bilzerian was 25, he jetted off on a four-day snowboarding vacation, but little did he know that this trip would result in him suffering from a double heart attack.
Then in 2011, Bilzerian was diagnosed as having a pulmonary embolism after his heart gave in when he flew between Maui and Las Vegas twice in three days to play a poker tournament.
At the time, Bilzerian’s PR rep said the heart condition came as a result of his body being “overloaded” due to his lifestyle.
Bilzerian’s Films
Bilzerian has starred in seven relatively well-known films across his mixed career between professional poker and acting.
The films he’s starred in include: Olympus Has Fallen, Lone Survivor, The Other Woman, The Equalizer, Cat Run 2, Extraction, and War Dogs.
Although it appears that some of his film stints haven’t always ended well, with Bilzerian suing Lone Survivor producers for not holding up their end of the deal, Bilzerian cut a deal with producers to loan them $1 million in exchange for his appearance for a minimum of eight minutes of screen time and 80 words of dialogue, but he appears on the film for less than a minute; so this left Bilzerian feeling frustrated and betrayed.
In the end, it’s clear that although Bilzerian has his haters (as does everyone), he’s very competitive, and that’s what wins him his money alongside his pride.
He doesn’t want to be dethroned, so he keeps playing poker even if this means that he faces big losses.
Evidently, the poker star is doing something right as he’s a multi-millionaire, and he’s definitely living the high life while shouting about it to the rest of the world.