Matthew “Aussie Matt” Kirk’s Life: Net Worth, Biggest Profits, Losses and Private Life
Matthew “Aussie Matt” Kirk is a professional poker player and high-stakes cash game specialist from Perth, Australia, born around 1986 or 1987. He has $187,000 in recorded live tournament earnings - a figure that is almost entirely irrelevant to his actual financial picture. His estimated net worth is between $50 million and $300 million, with the extreme width of that range driven by unverified but persistent rumours of early Bitcoin holdings that could, if accurate, make high-stakes poker a hobby rather than a profession.
You can view his poker profile on Somuchpoker here.
His specialty is high-stakes live Pot Limit Omaha cash games, a format he has played in private games and on camera against Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari , Doyle Brunson , and others. He is best known publicly for losing approximately $3.5 million in a single livestreamed partypoker session in April 2018 - one of the largest on-camera losses in the history of televised poker - and for a $2 million debt lawsuit against Czech casino owner Leon Tsoukernik that was later dismissed.
Aussie Matt Kirk | Key Facts (2026)
| Personal | Poker | Wealth (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew “Aussie Matt” Kirk Born c. 1986–1987, Perth, Australia Started playing at 18 in local casinos Transitioned to private games early Estimated net worth: $50M–$300M | $187,000 total live tournament earnings 6 ITM finishes across 4 years No WSOP bracelets Specialty: high-stakes live PLO cash Biggest loss on camera: ~$3,500,000 | Bitcoin rumours: 66,000 BTC claimed At peak BTC prices: $250M+ $250K buy-in at Aria Bobby’s Room Plays Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio Described by Doyle Brunson as “a bit of a maniac” |
Who Is Aussie Matt Kirk?

Kirk began playing poker at 18 - the legal minimum age in Australia - at land casinos in Perth. He quickly moved into private games and found his preferred format: Pot Limit Omaha. He has said consistently that high-stakes live PLO cash games are where he makes his money, and the few public windows into his game back that up.
He first attracted wider attention in 2015 when he bought into the $250,000 minimum buy-in cash game at the Aria in Las Vegas - not because he had a plan to, but because there were no PLO games running and he was bored. He played against Phil Ivey and Antonio Esfandiari. He lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Doyle Brunson watched the session and described him afterwards as “a bit of a maniac.” The description stuck.
His tournament record is minimal - six cashes, $187,000 total, no titles. That is not the story. The story is what happens when he sits down in a private PLO game, where buy-ins can exceed a million dollars and no public record is kept.
What Does Aussie Matt Kirk Do for a Living?
Kirk’s income is almost entirely from private cash games, with a small public record of televised appearances and tournament results.
- Private High-Stakes PLO Cash Games: His stated primary income source. He plays predominantly in private settings - Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, the Aria big game, and invite-only sessions that never appear in any public database. The scale of these results - wins and losses alike - is not publicly known.
- Televised Cash Games: Has appeared on PokerGO’s Poker After Dark, where he won an almost $1 million pot at $200/$400 NLHE in 2017. Also appeared in partypoker’s high-stakes PLO livestream in 2018, where the $3.5 million loss session occurred.
- Live Tournaments: Largely incidental to his poker career. Six cashes, $187,000 total, with the biggest result being an 11th place at the Aussie Millions Main Event in 2008 for A$135,000.
- Cryptocurrency: Rumoured to hold a significant Bitcoin position - reportedly as many as 66,000 BTC - acquired early. If accurate, that holding would represent hundreds of millions of dollars at various points in Bitcoin’s price history, dwarfing anything his poker record could suggest.
Aussie Matt Kirk Net Worth 2026 - What the Numbers Actually Show

The $50 million to $300 million range is the most honest framing available - and the honest caveat is that the lower end is based on assumptions about private cash game wealth and the upper end is based entirely on unverified Bitcoin rumours.
His Hendon Mob profile shows $187,000 in live tournament earnings. That tells almost nothing about his real financial position. A player who buys into $250,000 minimum buy-in cash games at the Aria out of boredom, reloads millions at a single PLO session, and appears comfortable sitting with Phil Ivey and Antonio Esfandiari at nosebleed stakes is not operating from a $187,000 base.
The Bitcoin story originated during his infamous 2018 partypoker PLO loss session, when Sam Trickett told him at the table that “Bitcoin just went up, so you’re pretty much even” - and Kirk responded by placing a finger to his lips. The poker community took that exchange as confirmation of the 66,000 BTC rumour. Whether accurate or not, it is not publicly verifiable.
The $3.5 Million Loss Session
On April 28, 2018, partypoker streamed a super high-stakes PLO cash game for promotional purposes. The table included Sam Trickett, Rob Yong, Leon Tsoukernik , Yair “The Wolf” Bitoun, and Aussie Matt Kirk. Stakes were $200/$400 with near-constant straddling that effectively pushed the real stakes considerably higher.
Kirk reloaded repeatedly through the session, losing enormous pot after enormous pot. In one four-way all-in worth $600,000, he flopped a set of threes while all three opponents had flush draws. The draw completed. He lost. The session ended with Kirk down approximately $3.5 million - one of the largest on-camera losses in poker history.
Less than three months later, he was back at the same table with Tsoukernik - despite the ongoing lawsuit between them - apparently with no visible animosity.
The $1 Million Poker After Dark Pot
In 2017, Kirk appeared on PokerGO’s revived Poker After Dark playing $200/$400 NLHE. He won a pot of almost $1 million in one of the session’s standout hands.
The Tsoukernik Lawsuit
In June 2017, court documents revealed that Kirk had filed a $2 million lawsuit against Leon Tsoukernik - Czech casino owner and founder of King’s Casino in Rozvadov - over an alleged unpaid debt from a private heads-up cash game at the Aria in Las Vegas.
Kirk claimed he had loaned Tsoukernik $3 million during the game and received only $1 million back. He cited text messages and security camera footage as evidence. Tsoukernik countersued for defamation, seeking $10 million. Despite widespread belief in the poker community that Kirk had a strong case, a district court judge dismissed the entire matter - claims, counterclaims, and third-party claims - with prejudice.
The two were subsequently seen playing against each other multiple times with no apparent bad blood, including at the partypoker PLO stream where Kirk lost $3.5 million.
Bobby’s Room, January 2019
In January 2019, Gus Hansen posted a video to Instagram of Kirk playing heads-up PLO against Isaac Haxton at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio - less than a year after the $3.5 million session. The video confirmed that Kirk’s appetite for the biggest available games had not diminished.
Heads-up in Bobby’s Room A post shared by Gus Hansen (@therealgushansen)
The Unanswered Questions
The public record only goes so far. Here is what we genuinely do not know:
- Whether the 66,000 BTC holding is real: The rumour originates from one exchange at the poker table. It has never been confirmed or denied publicly. At various points in Bitcoin’s price history, 66,000 BTC would represent between $200 million and well over $4 billion.
- What his aggregate private cash game results look like: Years of high-stakes PLO in private games in Las Vegas and elsewhere. No public record exists. The $3.5 million loss is the only on-camera data point of any scale.
- Whether the online account “andrewkirk” on Full Tilt was his: Some believe it was. The account belongs to a losing high-stakes PLO player. Kirk has not confirmed or denied it.
- What his current activity level is in 2026: He has not appeared in any publicly documented result since 2019. Whether he continues to play at the highest private stakes is not publicly known.
Aussie Matt Kirk Career Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| c. 2005 | Begins playing at local casinos in Perth at 18. Quickly moves to private games and settles on PLO as his preferred format. |
| 2008 | Cashes in the Aussie Millions Main Event - 11th for A$135,000. First and largest recorded live tournament result. |
| 2011 | Cashes again in the Aussie Millions Main Event - 20th for A$45,000. |
| 2012 | Cashes in the WSOP $10K PLO event - 33rd for $16,801. Last recorded Hendon result. |
| 2015 | Buys into the Aria $250K minimum buy-in game out of boredom. Plays against Phil Ivey and Antonio Esfandiari. Loses hundreds of thousands. Doyle Brunson calls him “a bit of a maniac.” |
| 2017 | Appears on PokerGO’s Poker After Dark at $200/$400 NLHE. Wins a pot worth almost $1 million. Files a $2 million lawsuit against Leon Tsoukernik over an alleged unpaid poker debt. |
| 2018 | The Tsoukernik lawsuit is dismissed with prejudice. Loses approximately $3.5 million in partypoker’s livestreamed high-stakes PLO session in April - one of the largest on-camera losses in poker history. The Bitcoin rumour goes viral after Sam Trickett’s comment at the table. |
| 2019 | Appears at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio playing heads-up PLO against Isaac Haxton, as documented by Gus Hansen on Instagram. |
What Is Aussie Matt Kirk’s Outlook in 2026?
At approximately 38–39 in 2026, Kirk remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the high-stakes poker world. His public record is almost entirely uninformative about his real financial position. A player who absorbs a $3.5 million loss on camera, returns to Bobby’s Room within months, and is rumoured to hold a Bitcoin position worth hundreds of millions at peak prices is operating on a scale that tournament databases cannot begin to capture.
Whether the Bitcoin story is true, partially true, or entirely invented by forum speculation is genuinely unknown. What is true is that Kirk has shown sustained access to the biggest available games, an indifference to public perception, and an appetite for PLO at stakes that most professionals would never approach.
The poker community’s fascination with Aussie Matt Kirk comes precisely from how little anyone actually knows about him. That seems unlikely to change.
Social Media & Online Presence
Grab your exclusive poker bonus codes and get started on the best online poker sites today.
Responsible Gambling
Poker involves real financial risk. Only play with money you can afford to lose. If gambling becomes unenjoyable, help is available. Free, confidential support 24/7: National Problem Gambling Helpline (USA: 1-800-522-4700) and BeGambleAware (UK). Somuchpoker.com content is independent and commission-based. Commissions do not influence ratings or recommendations. Must be 18+ and gambling must be legal in your jurisdiction.
Chaar-Lee is the Editor-in-Chief and Technical Architect of SoMuchPoker. With over 20 years across poker media, television production, and enterprise software development — including WorldSkills and EuroSkills recognition as a mentor and expert — he brings rare depth to every editorial and technical decision on this platform. He works exclusively on international poker and iGaming markets.




















