Greg Laliberte

Founder and chief executive officer of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, is not just any professional poker player that is new to the scene.

Laliberte was born in Quebec City, Quebec, in 1959. As a young man, Laliberte, knew that he wanted to be involved in the performing arts. He began as a street performer, doing everything from playing the accordion to fire-eating. Throughout the years, Laliberte participated in and headed various outdoor performances and festivals. In 1983, with a grant from the government of Quebec, Laliberte co-founded Cirque du Soleil.  Cirque du Soleil clearly developed into an enormous success, as of today Laliberte is a 95% shareholder of the $1.2 billion dollar Cirque du Soleil.

Laliberte became interested in poker about two years ago, the math and social skills required for the game are what attracted him. He was initially interested in backgammon and blackjack before evolving into a poker player. Laliberte began playing in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, which is home to the Cirque du Soleil show “O”. He has been declared the 664th richest man in the world by Forbes Magazine and has no difficulty playing with some of the biggest names in poker.

Laliberte earned $696,200, while finishing fourth during season five of the World Poker Tour championship games, in April, 2007. Guy Laliberte was also part of season four of the show High Stakes Poker, which aired on TV in November, 2007.

Interesting Facts::
 In 2004, he was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
 In 2006, he received the Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year award.
 In 2007, he was distinguished with the 2007 Humanitarian Award for his work and commitment to the ONE DROP Foundation.

Guy currently plays poker online at Full Tilt Poker under the username "noataima".  In 2007 he was the biggest losing online poker player.

Guy Laliberte Pictures

Guy Laliberte Videos

Guy Laliberte shows that he doesn't care about the money in this $1.2 Million Dollar Pot with David Benyamine



Doyle Brunson vs Guy Laliberte 818k Pot, Biggest On HSP

 

Guy Laliberte Interview



Watch more videos in our Poker Videos section.

Guy Laliberte also appears occasionally in the Bankroll Boost Poker Gossip Blog.