If you’re on Instagram, there’s a good chance that you follow Dan Bilzerian. His 22.8 million followers get to live vicariously through his posts as he documents the lavish lifestyle of an international playboy. Bilzerian may be lounging on a superyacht in the Mediterranean one day, playing poker with celebs the next, and firing guns in the Nevada desert at the weekend. For all of these activities, he will be accompanied by his trademark posse of scantily-clad model types. But who exactly is Dan Brandon Bilzerian? Let’s take a closer look at the Instagram King to find out.
Jack of all Trades
You can say a lot of things about Dan Bilzerian, but whether you love him or hate him you have to agree that he’s led an interesting life. His father was a Wall Street corporate raider convicted of stock and tax fraud who currently lives in the West Indies, and his brother became a poker player like himself. All members of his family are reputed to have near genius-level IQs, with a God-given gift for hustling. The brothers grew up in an eleven-bedroom mansion in Florida, complete with a batting cage, basketball court, swimming pool and water slide. Bilzerian trained as a Navy SEAL and though he didn’t graduate from the program, he holds a longstanding love for military-grade weaponry. He often showcases his gun collection on Instagram, posting videos of himself firing the weapons in the California and Nevada desert.
A Controversial Playboy
Bilzerian’s known as much for his controversial lifestyle as he is for loving the ladies. His fast-paced lifestyle led to a pulmonary embolism and double heart attack before the age of 32, and he’s been no stranger to courtrooms. One of the most notable court battles was in 2014, when he was sued for throwing porn star Janice Griffith naked off of a roof for a Hustler magazine photo shoot. He’s not afraid to share inappropriate thoughts on social media, and has been branded a misogynist by many for his womanizing lifestyle. Then of course there’s the time he posted a photo of one of his bikini-clad babes riding a 100-year-old endangered sea tortoise, angering feminists and environmentalists alike. The most recent controversy stems from the recent tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas. Bilzerian filmed himself running away from the scene, drawing criticism from war hero Dakota Meyer for filming social media videos rather than helping the wounded around him.
A Killer Poker Player
Behind all the online Hefner-like antics, Bilzerian’s just a really good poker player. He got his start playing the game when he was studying Business and Criminology at the University of Florida, selling his guns to raise starter funds of $750. He was able to transform this into $10,000 through his poker matches, before trying his luck in Vegas. There, he turned around the $10K into $187,000. By this time Bilzerian was good enough to enter the World Series of Poker in 2009. This helped launch his reputation as a serious contender, and his charisma onscreen led to plenty of ESPN screen time. If you would like to become like Dan Bilzerian and start playing poker, you might just take a look at these Poker Guides. You could even be invited someday to Bilzerian’s high stakes games at home, attended by his celebrity buds like Tobey Maguire and Mark Wahlberg.