Siblings=Devon Vafai

Daniel Christopher Alaei (born 1983) is a professional poker

Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...

 player from Santa Fe Springs, California

Santa Fe Springs, California

Santa Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census....

. He is of Assyrian

Assyrian people

The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

 Iranian

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 descent.

Primarily a $50–100 no-limit Texas hold 'em

Texas hold 'em

Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...

 cash game player, Alaei won his first World Series of Poker bracelet

World Series of Poker bracelet

The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...

 in 2006

2006 World Series of Poker

The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...

 in a no-limit 2-7 draw Lowball

Lowball (poker)

Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:...

 event. He has been featured on the first three seasons of High Stakes Poker

High Stakes Poker

High Stakes Poker is a cash game poker television program broadcast by the cable television network GSN in the United States. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. It premiered on January 16, 2006 and ended on December 17, 2007 and it returns back on March 1, 2009 and is...

.

In 2007, Alaei cashed in the 2007 World Series of Poker

2007 World Series of Poker

The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...

 Main Event, coming in 25th place out of a field of 6,358 players and winning $333,490. Alaei has two other Main Event cashes (59th in 2004 and 140th in 2005).

On 19 December 2009 he outlasted a field of 329 players to take down the WPT Doyle Brunson 5 Diamond Classic, winning $1,428,430 in the process. He beat a final table that included Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen

Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...

 and Josh Arieh

Josh Arieh

Joshua Arieh is an American professional poker player. Arieh has been competing in poker competitions since 1999...

, whom he defeated heads-up to win the tournament.

At the 2010 World Series of Poker

2010 World Series of Poker

The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5...

, Alaei first finished 7th in the $50,000 Player's Championship Event for $221,105 before clenching his third WSOP bracelet when he defeated 345 players to win the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship for $780,599.

As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $5,000,000. His 20 cashes at the WSOP account for $2,535,621 of those winnings.

World Series of Poker Bracelets

Year	Tournament	Prize (US$)
2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...	$5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/ Rebuys	$430,698
2009 2009 World Series of Poker The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event...	$10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better	$445,898
2010 2010 World Series of Poker The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5...	$10,000 Pot-limit Omaha Championship	$780,599