Here’s the story of a shy teenager from Kent, England who became a poker legend and millionaire at age 18.

Now 13 years later, he’s won $34 million in live events & is considered by many to be the best poker tournament player in the world.

ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴅ

1) Stephen Chidwick was already a legend in the poker world by 2008, despite being only 18 years old.

Known online as “Stevie444”, he was already crushing online poker tournaments for high stakes.

But what REALLY made him famous was the incredible feat he pulled off that year.

2) In 2008 Stephen Chidwick won more than 100 packages to the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event via online satellites.

Some quick maths will tell you those packages were worth more than a million bucks combined.

And he was too young to even play poker in Vegas.

3) It’s no surprise that Stephen Chidwick didn’t pursue further education when he finished his A-levels.

“I had already had some success with poker, so I kind of went all-in on it,” he says.

But success takes work, and his daily routine back then will seem crazy to most of you.

4) When he officially turned pro at 18, Stephen Chidwick was living with his parents in Deal, Kent.

“I would wake up at 7pm, play poker until 4am, watch training videos, post on forums, and go to bed around midday," he says.

Thankfully, his family supported his new career.

5) Stephen Chidwick was just a kid when he started winning millions.

“My mum would make me dinner and bring it up to my bedroom before she went to bed,” he says. “My parents were very supportive in letting me pursue poker.”

But poker still took a toll on him in other ways.

6) Reaching poker's highest-stakes required Stephen Chidwick to make sacrifices.

“It was rough socially,” he says. “My friends moved away to go to uni, and I was just playing all day every day.

“I didn't have a lot of balance. I didn't go outside very much. I was obsessed.”

7) Stephen Chidwick’s poker obsession meant he rarely spent any of his hard-earned money.

“At that time money was just a tool to be able to play higher," he says.

"If I spent my money I'd have to play low again, so I never did. I just played and tried to move up the stakes.”

8) So how did shy Stephen Chidwick transform into the confident guy we see today?

“It was a gradual process,” he says. “Live poker has always been easier than online, so even when I wasn’t comfortable socially, I knew I was a winning player."

Yet he wasn't always winning.

9) A player of Stephen Chidwick’s calibre is profitable in any poker game they sit down in.

His @TheHendonMob was full of deep runs and 2nd and 3rd place finishes.

But while he was consistently cashing in the biggest buy-in tournaments, major wins and trophies still eluded him.

10) @RealKidPoker once tweeted: “If you asked me who the unluckiest player on the high roller circuit is, I’d say Stephen Chidwick.”

Chidwick had the skills and the respect of his peers, but variance in poker is cruel. For years it felt like he was getting unlucky.

Until 2018.

11) Despite millions already won in his career, 2018 was when Stephen Chidwick finally broke through.

He cashed for $10.2 million and won 6 titles.

He followed that up in 2019 with $13.1 million in cashes.

He cemented his legend status. But 2019 was special for other reasons.

12) Before the 2019 WSOP, Stephen Chidwick was considered the best player to have never won a bracelet.

He went on to beat 277 others and win the $25,000 buy-in PLO Championship for $1.6 million.

It was even more special as his wife had just given birth to their first child.

13) Stephen Chidwick has been unstoppable ever since.

In 2019 he placed 4th in a £1 million event for £4.4 million (Aug) & won a €50K for €725K (Dec).

He’d won $1million in 2020 before COVID.

Overall, he has $34 million in career earnings.

But how does he stay at the top?

14) When Stephen Chidwick finishes play for the day he uses a solver to review the tough spots he faced.

“I run sims and break down specific spots, like blind vs blind play at certain stack depths,” he says.

And if that sounds like a ton of hard work, that’s because it is.

15) Life at the top is hard work, even for Stephen Chidwick.

“Poker is very competitive,” he says. “I remember how hungry I was when I first started playing. Poker consumed me completely. I wouldn't do anything else.

“Now I try to balance my life with other things.”

16) For starters, Stephen Chidwick is now a family man.

“For years I've had a pipe-dream of owning a climbing gym,” he says. “I think it would be a cool life.

“If my kids enjoy it then I can spend a lot of time with them, have a passive income, and have a relaxed lifestyle.”

17) But poker players: don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Stephen Chidwick isn’t leaving poker.

“I still want to compete at the highest level,” he says. “I really enjoy it.

"Playing poker against the best players in the world at the highest stakes is so much fun.”

Thanks for reading (and thanks to @BigSlickNeil for the photos).

I interviewed Stephen Chidwick for the April 2018 print edition of @BluffEurope.

If you enjoyed this story, please like and share it and I’ll probably do more.