Italian Dario “Dariominieri” Minieri grew up in Rome to parents of modest means. Despite his middle-class upbringing, he was able to finance around the world travel as he quickly became one of the top Magic: The Gathering players by the age of 16.
After two years on tour, a friend introduced Minieri to PokerStars, where he began to play low-stakes heads up sit-and-gos. It didn’t take him long to start winning, and his passion for games quickly shifted to the highly lucrative world of online poker. Minieri played day and night, increasing not only his bankroll, but also his frequent player points (FPPs). He was one of the first supernovas on PokerStars (a distinction for earning a lot of FPPs in a short amount of time) and he cashed in his FPPs for a Porsche, which, ironically, he didn't yet have a license to drive.

Although he is now primarily a cash game player, Minieri hasn’t shied away from tournaments and has begun to make some noise on the live-tournament circuit. In 2006, he took third place in the European Poker Tour Baden main event. He then followed up that impressive finish by placing in the top 100 of the 2007 World Series of Poker main event.

Click here for Minieri’s full list of live cashes.