MrBeast is a genius video creator and businessman – but in our view also one of the biggest fish in modern poker. Jimmy clearly loves the game, yet at the table he often looks careless, impatient and happy to gamble for the show.
To be clear, this is a strategy breakdown rather than a takedown. The hands below are interesting precisely because the mistakes in them are the same ones most of us make, just with several more zeros attached. If you’re still learning the fundamentals, our guides to how to play poker and the poker hand rankings are the place to start.
Depends on Dumb Luck
MrBeast’s poker game basically depends on dumb luck. In the showdown between MrBeast and Ninja in a high stakes poker game, MrBeast went all in preflop with queen-six offsuit.
When assessing the value of a non-paired starting hand, you look at high card value, suitedness and connectedness. On all three counts queen-six offsuit falls short, so on paper this is a really bad play. Our poker hand rankings guide covers why those three factors matter so much before the flop.
It’s clear he doesn’t always try to limit risk with mathematical probability. Watch our full video breakdown below.
As you can see in the video, MrBeast got extremely lucky and won the pot against an ace and a king.
But analyzing his poker game in depth shows that he has a long history of making bad bets and calls with a variety of mathematically weak hands. In the long run, luck always runs out.
Where the Risk-Taking Comes From
This urge to make risky plays may come from his interest in gambling more broadly. During his appearance on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, MrBeast talked about how much he enjoys high-stakes gambling.
He mentions that he was once denied by a casino, as they did not accept bets larger than 10,000 USD on the roulette.
Bringing this carelessness to the poker table will cause him trouble, as most serious poker players use math to eliminate risk. This is in deep contrast to MrBeast, who seems to let his urge to gamble control his poker playing style.
MrBeast's Huge Poker Bankroll
Having a huge bankroll might allow MrBeast to make risky plays, but luck can quickly turn when you are this careless. This was proved when MrBeast made an appearance in a charity poker game with poker legend Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, US senator Ted Cruz and other public and internet figures.
Phil Hellmuth tells MrBeast how he was warned that MrBeast plays a lot of big pots. MrBeast replies that he usually loses, so this should basically be free money for his opponents, as he had only really started playing six months earlier.
This indicates that he sees himself as a newbie and might not always know what he’s doing when playing poker pros. He confirms this by calling an all-in for a potential straight after only a couple of minutes.
MrBeast also ends up making some bad plays because of what looks like impatience. We all know the feeling of impatience when playing live games and you keep getting low tier hands. But MrBeast takes this to a whole new level, especially when he plays high stakes poker.
MrBeast Plays Low-Tier Poker Hands
One example is from a big poker game between MrBeast, Tom Dwan, Ninja, Ludwig, Phil Hellmuth, xQc and Alex Botez.
Poker pro Tom Dwan had a top tier starting hand and made a 3-bet for 35,000 USD. MrBeast is sitting on seven-two offsuit. This hand is famous for being the weakest starting hand you can have in poker, as it is the lowest combination of cards without connectedness or suitedness.
Jimmy calls and the flop comes out four, ten, two. MrBeast immediately goes all in, holding only a pair of deuces. This is the lowest pair you can have in poker. Tom, who is sitting on a pair of kings, obviously calls and busts out MrBeast.
Jimmy may well have played it that way for the show, but judged purely as poker it’s a bad call. Plays like this are why he busts out as often as he does.
Taken together, these hands suggest he approaches poker more like a game of chance than a game of skill – which, by his own account on the podcast, is roughly how he approaches gambling generally.
That mindset is a tough one to bring to the table, especially against pros who are looking for exactly that weakness. Leaning this hard on luck empties a bankroll fast.
How MrBeast Can Improve His Poker Skills
In order for MrBeast to up his game, he needs to control his impatience. This means playing fewer hands and chasing fewer mathematically bad hands.
It’s definitely not his playing style, but it’s an easy way for him to improve his game tremendously. However, this might not be easy for him, as he loves to put on a show. His mindset is that watching him needs to be entertaining and a rush. A tight playing style would compromise that mindset.
He does however claim that he’s already working with a poker coach, so we might soon see a MrBeast that will actually play as a real poker beast.
Practice Without the High Stakes
The cheapest place to make MrBeast’s mistakes is a game where nothing is riding on them. You can work on your own game with private games on the EasyPoker app: create a private table, share the 4-digit game PIN with your friends, and you’re playing. Free games seat up to 3 players and Texas Hold’em is unlimited, with no chips to buy and no real money involved.
The app also tracks your hands, so you can see whether you’re playing as loose as the pros on TV. Our guide to the most important poker stats explains what those numbers mean – VPIP in particular is the one that would give MrBeast away.
You can get the app for both iPhone and Android.
MrBeast Poker FAQ
Is MrBeast good at poker?
By the standards of the high-stakes games he plays in, no. Our read is that he plays entertaining but very loose poker: weak starting hands, oversized pots and impatient all-in decisions. He has said himself that he started playing recently and usually loses, and that he now works with a poker coach.
What is the worst starting hand in poker?
Seven-two offsuit is generally considered the weakest starting hand in Texas Hold’em. It has the lowest high card value of any unpaired hand, the two cards cannot make a straight together, and being offsuit it cannot make a flush either.
Can a big bankroll make risky poker profitable?
No. A large bankroll lets you absorb losses for longer, which can make a losing style look survivable, but it does not change the math of weak hands or poor risk management. The losses just take longer to show up.
How can players improve their poker skills?
Play fewer weak hands, control impatience, learn hand strength properly and get reps in low-pressure games with friends. Tracking your own stats helps too, because most players are looser than they think they are.
Where can you practice poker with friends?
EasyPoker lets you create a private table and invite friends with a 4-digit game PIN. It supplies the cards and chips, so there is nothing physical to carry and no real money involved. Free games seat up to 3 players and Texas Hold’em is unlimited.