Isaac Haxton

Isaac “Ike” Haxton is one of poker’s most feared and respected high-stakes competitors, both in tournaments and cash games. He has accumulated over $60 million in live earnings, and his strategic depth, consistency, and balance of theory with exploitative play have earned him a reputation as a generational talent.

Isaac Haxton was born in September 1985 and grew up in New York. He showed early strengths in strategic games, from chess as a child to Magic: The Gathering in his teens, before gravitating toward poker. He enrolled at Brown University where he studied computer science and philosophy before shifting full time into professional poker.

His tournament breakthrough came in 2007, when he placed 2nd in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) WPT Championship for a major score. Over the years, he added marquee results including winning Super High Roller Bowl V for $3,672,000 and eventually capturing his first WSOP bracelet in 2023 in the $25,000 High Roller event.

Ike is known for a playstyle that fuses rigorous GTO study with dynamic exploitative adjustments. He often plays behind an N95 mask, a look that has become part of his identity at the table. His reads are sharp, decisions deliberate, and his composure nearly unbreakable.

In September 2025, Ike earned his first Triton title at Triton Jeju II, where he defeated Nacho Barbero heads up to win the $100,000 PLO Main Event for $2,789,000. The win ended a long streak of near misses, as Ike had cashed 64 times and made 34 final tables on the Triton circuit before finally securing the trophy.

If you’re ready to learn from Ike directly, study his first-ever masterclass, Multiway Mastery, exclusively at GTO LAB. In it, Ike shares the principles and frameworks that define elite multiway play, giving players the tools to navigate one of the game’s most complex areas with clarity and confidence.