Stephen Song 🇺🇸

Born in New York and raised in Connecticut, Song was a childhood chess prodigy and a nationally ranked player before discovering poker. He briefly attended college but dropped out after just one semester to pursue the game professionally, famously using a $33,000 tournament win to pay back his tuition to his parents. He learned the fundamentals from his father, inspired by watching the 2005 WSOP on television. Song moved to Las Vegas at age 21 and quickly established himself as a “volume king,” often recording more than 40 cashes in a single calendar year.

Song’s strategy is a potent blend of high-aggression “exploitative” play and deep mathematical foundations rooted in his chess background. Known for his incredible mental stamina, he excels in large-field tournaments where he applies constant pressure during the “bubble” and mid-stages. Unlike many “GTO-only” players, Song emphasizes adaptability, frequently adjusting his ranges based on physical tells and opponent archetypes. His ability to navigate high-variance fields and maintain focus during grueling multi-day events earned him the prestigious 2022 GPI Player of the Year and Mid-Major Player of the Year titles.

According to The Hendon Mob, Stephen Song has accumulated total live earnings of $11,464,606. His career-defining victory occurred in September 2024, when he outlasted a massive field to win the EPT Barcelona Main Event for $1,425,651 (€1,290,386). Song is a WSOP bracelet winner, capturing the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em title in 2019 for $341,854. Other massive scores include his victory in the 2022 WPT Prime Championship for $712,650 and a recent win in the 2025 The Lord Poker Tournament (TLPT) Jeju Main Event for $750,000. His relentless consistency across the WSOP, WPT, and EPT circuits, combined with high-stakes online results, places his estimated net worth at over $12 million. Credit: Katerina Lukina (PokerNews)