Like many others who would later turn to poker, Italian Dario Minieri is a former Magic: The Gathering champion (a popular collectable card game aimed at ages 13 and up). At just 16 years of age, he travelled the world playing as many Magic competitions as possible. This began to take up so much of his time that he had to ditch plans to study psychology at university. He would soon find himself with even less time on his hands.
After being introduced to PokerStars by a friend, Dario started playing heads up Sit & Go’s on the site and quickly found success. Although he would go on to win far greater sums of cash; Dario claims his most significant win was when he earned $12,000 in a $10 rebuy tournament. It was at this moment he realized he wanted to become a full time poker professional. Since then, Dario has had major online success across a range of games and stake levels. In December 2007, he earned a massive $155,000 in one day after winning three PokerStars tournaments and going deep in the Sunday Million. His dedication to the site also helped him become the first player to earn enough Frequent Player Points to buy a Porsche.
Dario has also made a huge impact on the live scene. In 2006, he entered the Word Series Main Event for the first time and made a cash finish. A year later, Dario made the money spots again, this time earning $67,353 for a 96th place finish. His biggest WSOP* success came in 2008, when he beat a field of 1,011 players to win $528,418 and his first bracelet, in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event. He's also performed well at European Poker Tour events. At the Grand Final of Season 2, Dario won $20,235 for finishing 22nd. He then made the final table of Season 3's Baden event, taking home $159,763 for a 3rd place finish. But his biggest EPT cash came at the San Remo event in 2008, where he won $451,532 for finishing in the top three. In Season 5 Dario went close to winning his first EPT title in Warsaw, but came up just short, with another 3rd place, this time for $155,184.
When he’s not travelling from one major poker event to the next, Dario enjoys soccer, watching movies and driving that well-earned Porsche.
With an unstoppable appetite for both live and online poker, Dario is certainly a name to watch out for. He currently has his sights set on earning enough FPP credits to buy an Aston Martin. With his track record, it surely won’t take him long. Dario is a member of Team PokerStars Pro and plays online using the screen name ‘Dariominieri’.
Career Highlights
| Event | Date | Position | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPT Monte Carlo €10,000 Grand Final | March 2006 | 22nd | $20,235 |
| EPT Baden €5,000 No Limit Hold’em | October 2006 | 3rd | $159,763 |
| 2007 WSOP $1,000 No Limit Hold’em | June 2007 | 27th | $16,212 |
| 2007 WSOP $10,000 Main Event | July 2007 | 96th | $67,535 |
| PokerStars $5,200 Freeze-Out | December 2007 | 1st | $60,000 |
| PokerStars High Stakes Showdown | December 2007 | 1st | $50,000 |
| EPT San Remo €5,000 No Limit Hold’em | April 2008 | 3rd | $451,532 |
| 2008 WSOP $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed | June 2008 | 1st | $528,418 |
| EPT Warsaw PLN21,000 No Limit Hold’em | November 2008 | 3rd | $155,184 |
| EPT Warsaw €12,255 High Roller | October 2009 | 1st | $115,130 |
