Of all the colorful personalities to currently populate the professional poker circuit, few are as engaging as Humberto Brenes. His exuberant style and infectious charm never fail to draw enthusiastic reactions from the audience, both live participants at the events and millions watching from home. It seems almost impossible not to root for this gentleman, because he takes so much pure and sincere pleasure in playing the game of poker.

Humberto Brenes was born in Costa Rica in the year 1951. Though he has traveled far and wide since then, he still resides in the city of San Jose in his home country. And, while he is treated with tremendous respects wherever he may play poker around the globe, within the borders of Costa Rica itself he is little less than a living legend.

Strange as it may seem, Brenes did not begin his massively successful career as a gambler with the game of poker, but rather baccarat. He was extremely talented in that endeavor, yet at some points in the early '70s began to feel his attentions drifting away to world of high stakes poker. It was in 1974 that he played his first poker tournament and by the mid-1980s he had established himself as one of the most reliable fixtures on the professional circuit.

While Brenes possesses devastating skills in a wide array of poker of variants, he seems to get the most satisfaction from Hold'em games. As of the writing of this article, he has garnered well over $3.5 million from his mastery with cards and has collected a pair of World Series of Poker bracelets in the process. On top of those great accomplishments, he has managed to finish in the money a staggering 40 times in both the WSOP and World Poker Tour events.

And yet, no matter how much money or accolades he may win, it is his inimitable personality that makes him such a favorite with the fans. Always dressed in a dapper style, he has adopted the rather unusual habit of wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time, one on top of the other. And his look is more often than not capped off with a shiny green adviser. Brenes has been known to be a shameless flirt with attractive female dealers, but he does it with such a charming, light touch that they just can't seem to get enough of him. And this is a good thing, because by all indications he will be playing professional poker for a long time to come.