Lyle Berman

Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father’s leather business, Berman Buckskin. When the business was sold to W. R. Grace in 1979, he stayed on as president and CEO. The company was then later sold to the Melville Corporation where it became Wilsons Leather. From 1994 to 2000 he was the chairman and CEO of the Rainforest Cafe chain of restaurant and retail stores.

Berman also played an important role in gaming companies. In 1990 he was a co-founder of Grand Casinos Inc., a company that sought to create gambling establishments outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Grand Casinos’ Native American casino holdings were spun off into a new company, Lakes Entertainment Inc., and Berman was named CEO. Additionally, Berman is the chairman of the board of the World Poker Tour.

He won the B’nai B’rith Great American Traditions award in 1995 and the Gaming Executive of the Year award in 1996.

Although he prefers high-stakes cash games, he has as of 2007 won over $1,800,000 in live poker tournaments. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2005 Lyle Berman competed in the National Heads Up Championship. He finished in fifth place losing to eventual champion Phil Hellmuth Jr.

According to the James McManus book Positively Fifth Street, Berman has bankrolled T. J. Cloutier in numerous poker tournaments, including the 2000 WSOP main event, where he finished 2nd.

Doyle Brunson considers Berman one of the players he respects the most. Berman’s son Brad eliminated Brunson from the Main Event of the 2004 World Series of Poker. Brad Berman would himself be eliminated by eventual champion Greg “Fossilman” Raymer.

Berman currently resides in Plymouth, Minnesota and has 4 children.