When Adrián Mateos Diaz joined the Team in 2017, Winamax was already aware that it had recruited a phenomenon, a UFO that only comes along once in a generation. Seven years later, "la máquina" has more than justified his nickname, having accumulated over $50 million in live winnings, enough to reach top 10 in the rankings of the famous "All Time Money List". Feared, respected and adored all at once, the Madrilenian has established his dominance of the high-stakes circuit year after year. Like a shooting star that never stops shining.
Adrián Mateos Díaz was 16 when he came across a poker tournament on TV. Long before this, his parents and grandparents had already passed the passion for card games on to him: seduced by the mathematical aspect of Texas Hold'em, it soon became his obsession. Whilst not yet an adult, Adrián was up and running, reading up on the Internet and winning his first pots against other fans in the clubs of San Martin de la Vega. "I watched all the videos, everything I could find online: that’s all I thought about. I had already decided that my future would be in an activity where one was rewarded in proportion to the work done. Poker seemed to me the ideal discipline for this, and even before I played my first tournament, I already fancied my chances." Adrián already had a taste for competitions, due an adolescence spent on the tennis courts, where he used to face - and beat - players older than him. This scenario repeated itself during his first poker games against strangers: "I quickly realized that I was much better than them."
From then on, Adrián had only one idea in mind: to reach Madrid, the capital, and its casino. This was to occur immediately after celebrating his 18th birthday (and obtained his driving license, the “open sesame” for travelling the 30 kilometres from San Martin de la Vega!) "My first trips to Madrid were amazing," he remembers, "I was going, I was winning. I was going back the next weekend, I was still winning. And so on. I was really lucky in the beginning." One Friday night, the student announced to his colleagues that he was about to play his very first major poker tournament, a €600 event, funded from his winnings in the past month. Three days later, he returned to school with a victory: ahead of more than 300 players, he had just won €33,000!
Adrián had not yet realized it, but he was experiencing the first chapter of the most dazzling career ever observed in the history of modern poker. He spent his weekends in Madrid and climbed the rungs at full speed: "There were not many tournaments on the programme, so I began to work the cash game: first at €1/€2, then at €2/€4, then €4/€8 ..." Three months later, he won a second tournament, for another €100,000. One year after his debut, his work bore fruit in record time: Adrián was already ready to face the world elite who, stunned, were to see the Iberian tornado surge over them.
It was in Deauville, in the winter of 2013, that he would play his very first European Poker Tour tournament: Adrián was now facing the great figures of poker that he had still been watching on television a few months earlier and... he felt at ease! "There, I met other Spanish players, like Sergio Aido and Javier Gomez, and they quickly became good friends. In the Main Event, I tried a huge bluff in the second hour of play - and it worked! I could not believe it. I realized that I was not afraid. Then I won a €10,300 Highroller satellite, and reached the paid placings, against a lot of very good players: Kevin MacPhee, Jonathan Duhamel, Martin Jacobson ... At first, they tried to intimidate me, but they did not know me, and it did not take them long to respect my game. For all these reasons, this trip to Deauville changed my life."
Encouraged by this first successful experience among the pros, Adrián was to redouble his efforts. He left university, settled in London with his new pro friends and continued his online apprenticeship, together with travel. "This was not a difficult decision to make. In a worst-case scenario, if it did not work, I could always go back to school. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain." In October 2013, after winning $300,000 on the internet, he landed at Enghien-les-Bains, where the European edition of the World Series of Poker was to take place. He was to dominate from start to finish in one of the most important tournaments of the year, beating players of the calibre of Dominik Nitsche, Benny Spindler and Fabrice Soulier in the final, becoming World Champion and a millionaire. He was only 19 years old.
Adrián's first victory in Madrid had given him the confidence to try his luck on the pro circuit. Enghien-les-Bains enabled him to become a permanent fixture on the most expensive tournaments on the planet. Since then, he never stopped travelling, accumulating results in all the top European poker venues. In 2015, he conquered the other Major Tournament in the Old Country - the Monte Carlo EPT Grand Final - surpassing 563 players, for a new seven-figure prize. Since that time, he has been treated as a veteran on the circuit: found everywhere, always feared, and respected above all.
Adrián’s track record in finals kept increasing, as did his experience. It now remained for him to weigh in on the continent that saw the birth of poker: America. This was to be done on his second pilgrimage to Las Vegas. There, he won a second World Champion bracelet in an event that brought together 1,840 players and, in the aftermath, fighting in major Highroller finals throughout the city. He continued his undermining work back in Europe, with new finals in Malta and Prague, and drove it home in 2017 by setting a new record: with his victory in the WSOP heads-up event, he became the youngest player in the history of poker to hold three bracelets, at 22 years old.
After a multitude of trophies, the Spaniard's fourth bracelet arrived in 2021, on the $250,000 Super Highroller, for a whopping prize of $3,265,000. Adrián's love affair with the world's most expensive tournaments is no secret. Having become the “final boss” of the Highroller circuits (Triton and Super High Roller Bowl) and of all MTTs with €25,000 entry fees and above, he continues to rack up 6 and 7-figure winnings. So much so, in fact, that he's now firmly established in the Top 10 of the All Time Money List, with over $50 million in live tournament winnings. A figure that's set to rise rapidly. The Team Winamax leader is putting in performances at such a pace that this biography will certainly be requiring weekly updates.
After a career spanning over ten years, Adrián Mateos isn't just one of the best poker players in the world. He's an ambassador, a role model for many and, without getting too far ahead of ourselves, a future Hall of Fame member and very likely number one on the All-Time Money List in the not-so-distant future. And the bad news for all his rivals is that the Spaniard is as hungry for victory as ever. It's a fact: there's no end in sight. And neither are our updates to his bio. But how can you blame him?
Biography updated on 29th August 2024
08/2024 | Super High Roller Mystery Bounty $25,750 - Cypruse | Winner ($327,000) |
06/2024 | WSOP High Roller $50,000 - Las Vegas | 4th ($681,554) |
05/2024 | Triton Super High Roller $212,000 - Montenegro | 2nd ($3,292,000) |
05/2024 | Triton Super High Roller $53,000 - Montenegro | Winner ($1,761,000) |
03/2024 | Triton Super High Roller $31,800 - Jeju | Winner ($1,175,000) |
10/2023 | Triton Main Event €132,500 - Monte-Carlo | 2nd (€2,818,264) |
10/2023 | EPT $25,000 - Chipre | Winner ($157,946) |
09/2023 | Aria High Roller $25,200 - Las Vegas | Winner ($216,000) |
06/2023 | WSOP High Roller $100,000 - Las Vegas | 3rd ($1,142,147) |
03/2023 | Triton Main Event $100,000 - Vietnam | 4th ($1,201,000) |
01/2023 | PCA Super High Roller $99,000 - Nassau | 3rd ($1,095,903) |
12/2022 | EPT $25,000 - Prague | Winner ($75,243) |
10/2022 | Aria High Roller $10,000 - Las Vegas | Winner ($50,000) |
06/2022 | WSOP Super High Roller $250,000 - Las Vegas | 4th ($1,367,206) |
05/2022 | EPT Super High Roller €100,000 - Monte-Carlo | Winner (€1,385,430) |
11/2021 | WSOP Super High Roller $250,000 - Las Vegas | Winner ($3,265,362) |
10/2021 | Aria High Roller $10,000 - Las Vegas | Winner ($113,199) |
03/2020 | partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller $250,000 - Sotchi | 5th ($800,000) |
12/2019 | EPT Super Highroller €50,000 - Prague | 3rd (€320,170) |
11/2019 | EPT 8-Handed €10,300 - Prague | Winner (€177,500) |
11/2019 | partypoker MILLIONS Bahamas Main Event $10,300 - Nassau | Winner ($1,162,805) |
11/2019 | partypoker MILLIONS Bahamas Super High Roller $25,500 - Nassau | Winner ($520,464) |
07/2019 | WSOP High Roller $50,000 - Las Vegas | 5th ($367,186) |
12/2018 | Super High Roller Bowl $300,000 - Las Vegas | 5th ($972,000) |
10/2018 | WSOP-E Super High Roller €10,000 - Rozvadov | 7th (€331,943) |
07/2018 | Aria High Roller $26,000 - Las Vegas | Winner ($249,880) |
06/2018 | Aria High Roller $26,000 - Las Vegas | Winner $(253,240) |
06/2018 | Aria High Roller $26,000 - Las Vegas | 2nd ($189,000) |
06/2018 | WSOP High Roller €100,000 - Las Vegas | 8th ($295,066) |
05/2018 | Aria High Roller $25,000 - Las Vegas | 3rd ($120,000) |
05/2018 | Winamax SISMIX Main Event MAD6,000 - Marrakech | Winner (MAD1,000,000) |
05/2018 | European Poker Tour €25,000 - Monte-Carlo | 3rd (€114,100) |
04/2018 | partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller €25,500 - Barcelone | 4th (€215,000) |
04/2018 | partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller €25,500 - Barcelone | 4th (€204,000) |
01/2018 | Lucky Hearts Poker Open High Roller $25,500 - Hollywood | 2nd ($403,125) |
01/2018 | Lucky Hearts Poker Open Super High Roller $50,000 - Hollywood | 2nd ($308,125) |
01/2018 | PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event $10,000 - Paradise Island | 4th ($372,600) |
12/2017 | PS Championship 8-max €25,500 - Prague | 4th (€134,800) |
12/2017 | PS Championship Super High Roller €50,000 - Prague | 3rd (€244,900) |
12/2017 | WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic $25,000 - Las Vegas | 3rd ($185,500) |
12/2017 | WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic $25,000 - Las Vegas | 3rd ($156,000) |
11/2017 | Partypoker Caribbean Poker Party Finale $5,300 - Punta Cana | Winner ($250,000) |
10/2017 | Triton Super High Roller Series HK$80,000 - Macau | Winner (HK$2,325,000) |
10/2017 | Triton Super High Roller Series HK$300,000 - Macau | 6th (HK$1,190,000 ) |
10/2017 | Triton Super High Roller Series HK$1,000,000 - Macau | 4th (HK$6,950,000) |
09/2017 | Poker Masters $50,000 - Las Vegas | 6th ($150,000) |
09/2017 | Poker Masters $50,000 - Las Vegas | 7th ($127,500) |
08/2017 | PS Championship €25,500 - Barcelona | 7th (€122,100) |
07/2017 | WSOP Heads-Up Championship $10,000 - Las Vegas | Winner ($336,656) |
05/2017 | Aria Super High Roller $50,000 - Las Vegas | 2nd ($293,340) |
05/2017 | Aria Super High Roller $100,000 - Las Vegas | 7th ($264,600) |
04/2017 | PS Championship €50,000 - Monte Carlo | Winner (€908,000) |
03/2017 | Seminole Hard Rock $50,000 - Hollywood | 2nd ($413,567) |
03/2017 | Aria High Roller $25,000 - Las Vegas | 2nd ($186,000) |
12/2016 | European Poker Tour €25,500 - Prague | 3rd (€260,300) |
12/2016 | WPT Five Diamond $25,000 - Las Vegas | 2nd ($247,680) |
07/2016 | WSOP High Roller $111,111 - Las Vegas | 11th ($310,550) |
07/2016 | Bellagio High Roller $25,000 - Las Vegas | 3rd ($131,040) |
06/2016 | WSOP Summer Solstice $1,500 - Las Vegas | Winner ($409,171) |
04/2016 | WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker $10,000 - Hollywood | 4th ($200,510) |
12/2015 | European Poker Tour €25,500 - Prague | 4th (€193,050) |
05/2015 | European Poker Tour €10,600 - Monte Carlo | Winner (€1,082,000) |
13/2013 | WSOP Europe Main Event €10,000 - Enghien-les-Bains | Winner (€1,000,000) |
01/2013 | Estrellas Main Event €1,100 - Madrid | Winner (€103,053) |
10/2012 | CNP 770 Main Event €600 - Madrid | Winner (€32,699) |
11/2023 | Highroller €250 | 3rd (€4,411) |
11/2023 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€7,827) |
08/2023 | Grand Tournament €1,000 | Winner (€35,627) |
02/2023 | Mystery KO €250 | Winner (€2,907) |
11/2022 | Battle Royale €200 | 2nd (€3,633) |
11/2022 | Highroller €250 | 4th (€3,403) |
04/2022 | Battle Royale €200 | Winner (€3,682) |
03/2022 | Highroller €250 | 4th (€2,897) |
02/2022 | Grand Tournament €1,000 | 3rd (€23,639) |
01/2022 | Battle Royale €200 | Winner (€4,061) |
01/2022 | Rush Hour €50 | 2nd (€1,637) |
12/2021 | Purple €500 | 2nd (€5,847) |
12/2021 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€5,529) |
12/2021 | Highroller €250 | 3rd (€3,577) |
09/2021 | Winamax Series - HU Championsip €250 | 3rd (€3,115) |
09/2021 | Winamax Series - 6-max Super Championship KO €500 | 7th (€4,796) |
06/2021 | Highroller €250 | 4th (€2,385) |
06/2021 | Purple €500 | 3rd (€4,499) |
06/2021 | Battle Royale €200 | 2nd (€2,390) |
03/2021 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€3,341) |
03/2021 | Highroller €250 | 4th (€3,165) |
02/2021 | Highroller €250 | Winner (€9,993) |
02/2021 | Purple €500 | 2nd (€3,175) |
01/2021 | Highroller €250 | 3rd (€6,060) |
12/2020 | XTASE €100 | Winner (€2,473) |
12/2020 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€6,707) |
10/2020 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€5,724) |
09/2020 | Grand Tournament Funday €500 | 4th (€8,726) |
02/2020 | Highroller €250 | 2nd (€4,840) |
02/2020 | Grand Tournament €1,000 | 7th (€5,172) |
01/2020 | Winamax Series - Evento 171 (€250) | 8th (€1,442) |
04/2019 | HighRoller €250 | Winner (€5,006) |
01/2019 | Battle Royale €200 | 4th (€2,751) |
02/2018 | HighRoller €300 | Winner (€14,960) |