I remember back in junior high, I used to make fun of those guys with their “Magic – The Gathering” cards, who played throughout lunch in the cafeteria. After learning about poker pro David Williams, I wish I had joined them instead of mocking them. Williams, who is now a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and Team Bodog Pro, progressed from Magic cards to real cards and poker.
Williams is probably best-known for finishing as runner-up to Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP main event. Williams may not have earned the title as world champion that year, but he still cashed out with a hefty $3.5 million. He won his first WSOP bracelet two years later in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud event and he has also made it to three final tables on the WPT.
At only 25 years old, Williams – one of the WPT’s “Young Guns” of poker – has plenty of time to add to his growing list of poker accomplishments and to add to his bankroll, which already exceeds $5 million in tournament winnings alone. For more info on Williams check out his website at www.davidwilliamspoker.com
Apparently one of the fast-food giants has decided that poker is a good way to sell their chicken.
KFC has created a commercial that has poker stars David Williams, Gavin Smith, and Paul Wasicka eating fried chicken and putting opponents on hands. It is a breakthrough for the industry, as no poker star has entered such a celebrity/sports figure-dominated market before.
What this says is that the big corporate suits are recognizing that poker stars are admired and can be used to sell product. Before this, most promotional work was industry-related. If poker stars end up proving that they can sell chicken, the sky is the limit as to the promotional work the players could get. The poker industry is full of entertaining characters that would be naturals as actors.
Let’s hope the players don’t sell out too much and keep it all tasteful. I’d hate to see Mike Matusow hawking mouthwash.
David Williams took a different journey into the world of poker than most famous poker pros. This 26-year-old poker pro began his poker training in a different game – “Magic: The Gathering”. If you were in junior high in the 90s, you might remember some of the geeks playing the fantasy card game in the library or the lunchroom. If you knew the money that great “Magic: The Gathering” players could have won at tournaments, maybe you would given the game a try instead of mocking and laughing at them.
Williams was one of the top Magic players in the U.S. when his career was put on hold at the 2001 World Championships in Toronto. At that competition, Williams was accused of using a marked deck and was banned from competition for one year. During his time off from Magic, he learned Texas Hold’em which would make him a lot more money than Magic.
Williams burst on to the poker scene at the 2004 World Series of Poker when he finished second to Greg Raymer in the main event. Second place wasn’t exactly a losing finish though, as he still netted $3.5 million. Williams went on to have more success in tournament poker with four final table appearances, and eight money finishes in WPT events. He also became a member of Team Bodog Poker after his 2004 WSOP runner-up performance.
At the 2006 WSOP, Williams won his first bracelet in the $1,500 7-Card Stud tournament. As one of the “young guns of poker”, Williams likely has a few more WSOP bracelets in his future and many more cashes if he sticks with the game. Williams is also studying economics at Texas Methodist University (after passing on Princeton and Harvard), and has said in past interviews that he enjoys playing poker but didn’t want to ruin his love of the game by making it a career.
That may be the best thing other poker pros have heard in a long time, because if Williams decides to cut down his poker tournament schedule that’s one less great player the other high-level competitors will have to worry about.
