David Williams is a professional poker best known for finishing in 2nd place to Greg Raymer at the 2004 WSOP main event.

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• David Williams has become a notable professional poker player ever since 2004 when he made a name for himself at the World Series of Poker. He was born June 9, 1980 and raised in Arlington, Texas and is the son of Shirley Williams.
• David Williams Not Ready to Leave Poker Behind Despite MasterChef Success July 14, 2016 Mo Nuwwarah 18 It takes a certain type of obsessive personality to succeed in poker, a hunger to continually.

He was born in 1980 in Arlington, Texas. Williams received a score of 1550 out of 1600 on his SATs. He was accepted to several Ivy League universities, including Princeton. He went went to Princeton but hated it and left soon after getting there. He then took 2 years off and then decided to go to SMU and study economics.

Like some other professional poker players, Williams was very involved in 'Magic: The Gathering'. He joined the Magic's Pro Tour came in the late 1990s and had already won over $30,000 playing Magic when he made the final day of competition at he 2001 World Championships in Toronto. However, he was disqualified for marked cards, which were bent more than the other cards in his deck, making them easier to cut to when Williams cut his own deck. The tournament's judges determined that Williams the bending was not accidental and that Williams had cheated. Williams denied cheating by marking the cards intentionally but was suspended for one year. During this suspension, Williams started to play poker. He continued to be successful at Magic after his suspension ended but by this time his focus was more on poker.

David Williams Poker Instagram

He began playing in underground poker games in the Dallas area, using his winnings to pay for college. He qualified for the main event in 2004 by winning an online satellite. During the breaks in the tourney, Marcel Luske, one of the best European players, would coach Williams because he was the friend of a friend. He would give him advice about strategy and at one point, when there were only 50 players left and Williams was short-stacked, Luske took him aside to tell him that he was going to have to make a move. Right when he returned to his table, he made a move and doubled-up against Harrington.

Williams faced Raymer heads-up for the bracelet. After Raymer has Williams outstacked 2-1. Willams got dealt A-4 offsuit and raised $300,000. Raymer had pocket 8's and only called. Williams didn't put Raymer on a pair because he only called quickly and didn't raise. The flop came 2-4-5. Raymer, with an overpair to the board, checked. Williams, who had middle pair and an inside straight draw and an overcard, figured he was ahead and bet $500,000. Raymer raised $1.6 million and Williams instantly called. The turn was the two of hearts. Raymer, holding two pair - eights and twos - bet $2.5 million. Williams called. The river was the two of clubs. Raymer went all-in, and Williams immediately called. They both had a full house, but Raymer's was better.

Williams finished in 2nd place to Raymer and won $3.5 million. His second-place finish is the best finish by an African American in the WSOP Main Event, beating Phil Ivey's 7th place finish in 2009. During the tournament Williams, being the underdog, became a fan favorite. His mom, Shirley Williams, was watching as the action unfolded and was profiled on TV. Williams became a member of Team Bodog after the 2004 WSOP.

Four months after the WSOP, Williams finished 2nd at the WPT Borgata Poker Open in 2004 where he won $573,800. In March 2006, he made a 2nd WPT final table, finishing 4th for $280,000. Two months later he made another WPT final table, again finishing 4th and winning $221,958.

Williams won his only WSOP bracelet in 2006 in the $1,500 Seven-card stud event, winning $163,118. That same year he finished 2nd in the $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/rebuys event, winning $256,091.

There have been many players who have burst onto the scene in the 2002-2005 era who have notched high-profile cashes in the WSOP. But few players have been able to sustain that success and maintain a consistency that David Williams has. He has 18 cashes from 2004 to 2009 and added on $800,000 in WSOP earnings and $1.3 million in WPT earnings after his big $3.5 million win. As of 2009, he has 1 WSOP bracelet, 18 WSOP cashes, and total live tournament winnings exceeding $6,325,000.

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For David Williams, success in the professional poker world came literally overnight. While playing online poker at Bodog, he won a seat into the WSOP Main Event in 2004 - an impressive feat, to be sure, but not that extraordinary. The extraordinary thing was that he finished 2^nd to Greg Raymer in that Main Event and pocketed a staggering $3.5 million. He was not, however, a 'one trick pony', and he set out to prove that he did in fact belong with the ‘big boys’. A few months later he placed second in the WPT Borgata Poker Open, and then finished out the year with a third place finish at the WPT Young Guns tournament and a first place finish at the Limit Hold'em Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas. David Williams has gone on the reach several final tables plus a WSOP bracelet, and he is one of the top money earners over the last few years with over $5 million in live tournaments.

David Williams was born in 1980 in Dallas Texas, and he credits his self-discipline and determination to his mother, who as a single parent managed to work and take care of him and his younger sister. His home environment caused him to grow up fast, and by the age of 12 he was taking care of himself, cooking meals and readying himself for school.

He excelled in math and science and was a 4.0 student at college. He admits to being kind of a geek (he plays the card game 'Magic: The Gathering' in his spare time, and has won tens of thousands in its World Championships), but hides it well in stylish clothes and a 'cool guy' image. He is noted for being an intelligent player (he scored a 1550 on his SATs) with an aggressive, random style which has certainly served him well. David Williams was an a regular at the tables of Bodog.com, where he was an official spokesman for the site.

David Williams Fun Facts and Finishes

• In 2006, placed 2^nd in the WSOP No-limit 2-7 Draw Lowball his prize $256k.
• In 2006, won his first WSOP gold bracelet in a WSOP 7 Card Stud tourney.
• In 2006, won the H.O.R.S.E. event of the WSOP Circuit Series at Caesars Las Vegas.
• In 2004, took 2^nd in the WPT Borgata Poker Open.
• In 2004, took 2^nd in the WSOP Main Event taking home a $3.5 million prize.
• He was a top-ranked player on the “Magic: The Gathering” card game circuit.
• Was a finalist on the US cooking show MasterChef.
  

World Series of Poker Bracelets

David Williams Poker Broke