Nationality
American
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Born (date and place of birth)
June 25, 1964 in Minot, North Dakota, USA
Residence (current location)
Stonington, Connecticut, USA
Education (institution, specialization)
Master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Rolla, graduated in 1989
Year started playing poker
1996
Age when started playing
32
Year turned professional
Early 2000s, professional since winning 2004 WSOP Main Event
First major win (amount, tournament, year)
2004 World Series of Poker Main Event, $5,000,000 first prize
First important tournament
1996 tournament play began; first WSOP recorded participation in 2001
Main motivation for turning pro
Career shift driven by success in tournaments and poker boom era momentum
Poker education (courses, coaches)
Primarily self-taught through experience, no formal poker courses
First sponsor/backing
PokerStars, post-2004 WSOP victory
Total live tournament winnings
Over $8.25 million in live tournament earnings as of 2021
Number of tournament wins
Multiple including 1 WSOP bracelet and 5 Heartland Poker Tour titles
Number of final tables
Over 20 final tables
Largest tournament win (amount, tournament, year)
$5,000,000 at 2004 WSOP Main Event
WSOP bracelets (number)
1 (2004 WSOP Main Event)
WSOP cashes (number)
60+ WSOP cashes
WSOP final tables
At least 4 final tables including 2004 victory
Best WSOP Main Event result
1st place, 2004 WSOP Main Event
High roller wins ($25K-$100K)
Multiple Heartland Poker Tour wins including record fifth title in 2020
Online tournament winnings
WCOOP Event #6 (2007) $168,362 prize, Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys
Major online titles
1 WCOOP bracelet (2007)
Poker team
PokerStars sponsored post-2004 and ongoing
Highest stakes played
Known for high-stakes WSOP tournament play (up to $40,000 buy-in)
Country ranking
Among top US players during peak years
All Time Money List position
Among top WSOP All-Time Money List, $6.7 million+ WSOP earnings
Statistics by year (best/worst year)
Notable wins from 2004 through 2020, including HPT Player of the Year 2012
Main discipline (Hold'em, Omaha, Mixed games)
No-Limit Hold'em primary, also plays Pot Limit Omaha and mixed games
Format specialization (tournaments/cash/online/live)
Primarily live tournaments, some online events
Preferred table size (6-max, full ring, heads-up)
Full ring typical tournament format
Known formats (NLHE, PLO, HORSE, others)
No-Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, HORSE, mixed games
Specialization limits
Mid to high buy-in tournaments ($1,500 to $40,000+)
Online rooms where plays
PokerStars
Favorite casinos/locations
Binion’s Horseshoe (historical WSOP), Heartland Poker Tour venues across US
Style characterization (TAG, LAG, nitty, aggressive)
Tight-aggressive, strategic, disciplined
Known for bluffs/traps
Balanced, strategic bluffing reputation
Mathematical or intuitive approach
Analytical with strong intuition, informed by scientific background
Style adaptability
High adaptability to opponents and situations
Playing strengths
Tournament strategy, heads-up play, psychological insight
GTO strategy usage
Uses GTO and evolving modern theory
Poker software usage
Utilizes analysis and study tools for game improvement
Television appearances (list of shows with specific episodes/dates)
Multiple WSOP final tables on ESPN, Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker participation (seasons/episodes)
Multiple seasons of High Stakes Poker
Poker After Dark appearances (episodes/dates)
Several appearances on Poker After Dark
Documentary films featuring (titles and links)
Featured in poker boom era documentaries
Major publication interviews (publication names, article titles, links)
PokerNews, CardPlayer, PokerListings among others
Podcast appearances (podcast names, episode titles, dates, links)
CardsChat and other notable poker podcasts
Posting frequency in social media
Occasional poker and personal posts
Type of content in social media
Poker insights, career commentary
Current sponsors (company names, deal details if public)
PokerStars
Sponsorship contract history (previous sponsors, dates)
PokerStars from 2004 onward
Poker site ambassadorship (site names, contract details)
PokerStars ambassador
Educational materials (book titles with ISBN, course names with platforms, video series titles with links)
Author of "FossilMan's Winning Tournament Strategies"
Written poker books (titles, publication years, ISBN, publisher)
"FossilMan's Winning Tournament Strategies"
Poker publication articles (publication names, article titles, publication dates, links)
Various poker strategy and career articles in poker media
Poker industry awards (award names, years, organizations)
2012 Heartland Poker Tour Player of the Year
Peer recognition (specific recognitions, award details)
Respected and admired figure in poker community
Special achievements (achievement descriptions, recognition details)
First patent attorney to win WSOP Main Event during the poker boom; record five HPT titles
Records associated with name (record descriptions, verification)
5 Heartland Poker Tour Main Event wins (record)
Contribution to poker development (specific contributions, recognition)
Key poker boom era figure, popularized poker post-2004 WSOP win
Legacy in poker world (specific legacy aspects, community impact)
Pioneer example of amateur winning WSOP Main Event and becoming a poker pro
Industry influence (specific influences, changes attributed)
Promoted poker growth and televised event popularity post-2004
WSOP (World Series of Poker) - all events all years
2024-07-15 | USA | World Series of Poker | Las Vegas | Main Event | 10,000 | 122 | 49,108 | 6,737 | | |||| 2009-06-18 | USA | World Series of Poker | Las Vegas | $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 40,000 | 3 | 774,927 | 201 | | |||| 2005-07-15 | USA | World Series of Poker | Las Vegas | Main Event | 10,000 | 25 | 304,680 | 5,619 | | |||| 2004-05-17 | USA | World Series of Poker | Las Vegas | Main Event | 10,000 | 1 | 5,000,000 | 2,576 | |
WSOP Online events
2007-09-17 | Online | WCOOP | Online | $320 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | 320 | 1 | 168,362 | | |
Provided commentary for WSOP and other events