Whenever you see Barry Greenstein playing in a poker tournament you should be rooting for him. That’s because when Greenstein wins a tournament he’s not the only one that really wins. Charities also win.

Greenstein donates all his poker tournament winnings to charity, a majority of which goes to Children Incorporated. This philanthropy has earned Greenstein the nickname the “Robin Hood of Poker” and a reputation as one of the nicest poker players you’ll ever meet. Before making a living at the poker tables Greenstein was a software designer working for Symantec. He left Symantec in 1991 to play poker fulltime, and the world has been better off because of that decision.

Greenstein makes a living by playing in high-stakes cash games, but it’s his tournament play that gets him noticed. Greenstein has two World Series of Poker bracelets, having won the $5000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw event in 2004, and the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event in 2005. He’s also cashed in over 20 WSOP events.

Greenstein has also had plenty of tournament success on the WPT circuit. Greenstein has finished in the money a whopping 12 times in WPT events and that includes four final tables and two main event wins. Those two big wins came in the 2005 World Poker Open and the 2006 WPT Invitational.

If you ever end up at the same table as Greenstein at a tourney and you’re lucky enough to eliminate him, you’ll end up with a signed copy of his book Ace on the River. In every tournament in which Greenstein plays, he keeps a copy of his book under his chair. If anyone at the table is able to knock out Greenstein he autographs his book and often writes out the hand with which he has just been beaten.