Amit Makhija Bio

With over $3.6 million in career winnings at the age of 25, Amit Makhija is one of the brightest young stars in the poker world today, and an obvious inclusion for the Brunson 10. Makhija, who hails from Kenosha, Wisconsin, jumped into the world of professional poker after graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in finance and economics, and has been lighting up the poker leaderboards ever since.

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According to Makhija, his poker career began during his sophomore year in college. Lacking the funds to start a poker bankroll, he began the way many young pros do – by winning a freeroll. Now with $100 in his online account, Makhija ate up all the poker information he could get his hands on, from poker books to watching how the greatest players in the world perfected their craft.

With careful bankroll management, he slowly worked his way up the cash game circuit before eventually turning his attention to tournament poker. His first significant win in online poker came when he took down a $20,000 prize for winning a Super Wednesday tournament on Party Poker back in 2006.

But Makhija’s breakthrough year would prove to be 2008. In August, Makhija made it all the way to the final table of the 2008 Legend of Poker World Poker Tour Championship Event, cashing for $563,320. He followed that up with similar success online, winning $550,000 for a first place finish in a major Full Tilt Poker event in November of that year. With two cashes for over a million dollars – not to mention many smaller cashes in between – Makhija had made his presence felt in the poker world.

Since then, Makhija has shown incredible consistency on the tournament circuit, while still finding time to excel in high-stakes Hold’em cash games. Makhija has won over 15 online tournaments, and has also cashed in 10 different World Series of Poker events, making two final tables. His live winnings come in at over $1.5 million. Some of his biggest live results include a 5th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker’s $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em event, a 3rd place finish in the 2009 European Poker Tour Grand Final, and 5th place in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event at the 2010 World Series of Poker.

One way that Makhija has continued to succeed in the fast-paced world of high-stakes poker is through his style – or as some might say, his lack of one. Makhija has shown a great ability to adjust his play to the situation, making it hard to figure out what he’ll do next, and nearly impossible to classify him as a conservative or aggressive player.

Playing under the screenname Amak316, Makhija is still racking up big wins online and off, especially in high stakes heads-up sit and go’s. While he may soon reach the point where he’s no longer considered a “young” player – in today’s poker world, being 25 almost makes you a respected veteran – there’s no doubt that Amit Makhija is one name that will continue to show up at final tables for many years to come. As one of the original Brunson 10, Makhija has been a great example of what an elite young pro can bring to the DoylesRoom squad.