Many people today know Dan Bilzerian as the “King of Instagram.” That’s because he has more than 30 million followers on the social media platform, where he shows off pictures and video snippets of his very luxurious, extravagant bachelor lifestyle.
Today, he is estimated to have a net worth of as much as $200 million. He’s an actor, a businessman and a professional poker player. But, how did he really make his fortune that he flaunts to his millions of social media followers? Let’s take a closer look.
Not-So-Humble Beginnings
Dan Bilzerian had money from a very young age, and it was thanks in large part to his father, Paul. His dad was a venture capitalist who invested lots of money buying up stocks of various companies.
Paul graduated from the very prestigious business school at Harvard University, and eventually founded a robotics company. That company took off and led to a lot of money coming into the Bilzerian family.
However, Paul went bankrupt thanks in large part to a fraud case that saw him pay a $1.5 million fine and spend 13 months in jail.
Luckily for Dan, his father placed a lot of money in trust funds, which is where the Bilzerian children got their financial start. This, in part, allowed him to become the professional poker player he is, who gambles at the best online casinos for US players.
Armed Forces
After graduating high school, Dan Bilzerian joined the US Navy Seal program in 1999. He wasn’t able to complete the school, though, because he fractured his leg.
After that, he attended the University of Florida, where he studied both criminology and business.
Acting Career
A good amount of Dan Bilzerian’s fortune came from his time as an actor. While he didn’t have huge roles in any movies, he was able to build some wealth from his time on the big screen.
His first role was in the 2013 film Lone Survivor, in which he played the character Daniel Healy. A year later, he was in the drama movie The Equalizer, as well as two other films – Cat Run 2 and The Other Woman.
In 2015, he appeared in the movie Extraction, followed by a role in the film War Dogs and then a TV series called Risk Takers: Reality Show.
He also made some money as an executive producer for an animated cartoon TV series that was called the Blitz Real Hollywood Stories.
His Business
Dan Bilzerian built a lot of his fortune from a public company he founded in 1985 called Ignite. Based in Toronto, Canada, the company sells CBD oils, vodka, electronic cigarettes and water bottles.
In 2020, he launched a new division of the company called Ignite Cannabis, with a focus on legal marijuana production.
While the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on his business – as it did on many businesses around the world – the company actually turned a profit of about $3.1 million in just the fourth quarter of 2020. Today, the company is valued at a little more than $14 million, which certainly contributes to Dan Bilzerian’s fortune.
Professional Poker Player
Most people came to know Dan Bilzerian as a professional poker player. He made a name for himself playing at big tournaments such as the World Series of Poker but has also made loads of money playing at USA online casinos.
He comes from a family of professional poker players, as his brother Adam is also a professional player at the best online casino USA.
Dan Bilzerian is a high-stakes poker player for sure. At some of the best USA online casinos, he routinely wagers a lot of money at the game. One of the most well-known stories is that he once was able to take $750 and cash out for $187,000 at one game of poker.
In the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008, Dan Bilzerian finished in 180th place. While that “only” netted him a win of $36,626, it was still quite the impressive finish.
Like many professional poker plans in the 2000s, Dan Bilzerian started to gain fame by being featured on TV and then over on social media. He was once named the funniest poker player in the world by Bluff Magazine, and eventually gained quite the following over on Twitter.
He has famously played in the now infamous Molly’s Game – a high-stakes exclusive game for some of the richest people in the world, that was eventually featured in a movie. He is said to have won as much as $40 million at different times in that game.
Racing
Dan Bilzerian is obviously a sucker for high-stakes, adrenalin-inducing events. That’s why it makes sense that he has also abled in racing.
In 2011, he participated in a speed war drag race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He faced off against Tom Goldstein, racing in a 1967 AC Cobra. For winning that race, he brought home a very impressive $385,000.
He has also competed in drag races, and won a lot of money in side bets for riding his bicycle from Las Vegas all the way to Los Angeles. He took home $600,000 in a “friendly bet” with Bill Perkins for completing the 300-mile trip in less than two days.
All in all, there are a lot of sources to Dan Bilzerian’s wealth. His beginnings getting money from a trust fund from his father certainly helped. But, today, Dan Bilzerian makes it on his own as a professional poker player, a keen businessman and the “King of Instagram.”