20 Facts About Ylon Schwartz

Ylon Schwartz is a chess master and professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York, and a fourth-place finisher in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker, played on November 9,2008.

Ylon Schwartz is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

Ylon Schwartz used to play poker professionally online under the screen name "TenthPlanet".

Ylon Schwartz was a regular, hustling $100 per day playing chess against passersby.

Ylon Schwartz reached a peak rating of 2408 United States Chess Federation, and as of 2008 his ratings stood at 2304 from the USCF and 2259 from FIDE.

Ylon Schwartz has attained the title of FIDE Master with a ranking above 2300.

Ylon Schwartz grew up as an only child in the New York City borough of Manhattan.

Ylon Schwartz took a number of jobs after flunking out of college.

Ylon Schwartz soon devoted full-time to gambling on backgammon, chess, darts and horses.

An inveterate gambler, Ylon Schwartz made $340 from passersby on wagers that he would be able to throw a lemon across a street onto the top of a Burger King restaurant on the other side.

Ylon Schwartz had practiced the throw the previous night and knew he could win the bets.

Ylon Schwartz was introduced to Texas hold 'em by Fat Nick, a fellow backgammon player.

Ylon Schwartz entered a pair of poker tournaments at a club run by Fat Nick in 2000, winning both and walking away with $12,000 and a new passion.

Ylon Schwartz has drawn comparisons between his tournament experience as a ranked chess master, noting that many of the skills he needed to succeed in chess are useful in poker and that the memory skills needed in chess transfer to retaining details on betting patterns of opponents needed to win in poker.

Ylon Schwartz pointed out that chess strategy provides excellent preparation for knowing when to time bets to prevent other players from folding when he has a good hand.

Ylon Schwartz observed that the two games share the geometric relationships between the pieces on the chessboard and those connecting the cards and chip stacks of fellow poker players, while recognizing that chess is a game of complete information, in contrast to poker.

Ylon Schwartz's mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he spent much of his time in his twenties caring for her and taking her to doctor appointments until her death in 2003.

The last time Ylon Schwartz heard from his father was in the making the 2008 WSOP final table and Ylon Schwartz refused to speak to him.

Ylon Schwartz's father remarried and now lives in New Mexico.

On November 10,2008, Ylon Schwartz was eliminated after going all in against Peter Eastgate and finishing the tournament in fourth place, earning $3,774,974.