Another Magic: The Gathering (a collectable card game) talent turned poker professional, Italian-born Dario Minieri found the transition between the two card games quite seamless. He began playing poker in low-stakes heads-up games online at age 18 on PokerStars. Soon thereafter, he was logging in long hours on multiple tables. In just a couple of years, Minieri accumulated enough Frequent Player Points to buy a Porsche. Ironically enough, he didn't even have a driver's license at the time.

His success online prepared him for live tournaments. His first big cash came at the European Poker Tour stop in Baden. He placed third and received almost $160,000. Minieri also cracked the top 100 in the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, which was good for more than $67,000. At the 2008 WSOP, Minieri won his first bracelet in the $2,500 six-handed no-limit hold'em event. He defeated more than 1,000 players, winning $529,000. A Team PokerStars Pro, Minieri's next Frequent Player Point purchase will likely be an Aston Martin.