David Williams
Written January 29, 2008 by Jack Jones
David Williams has a bright, young mind and is one of the more charismatic players in the poker world. He is another member of the Bodog “Rat Pack.”
Williams is a savvy tournament and online poker player who was thrust into the spotlight as a 23-year-old at the 2004 World Series of Poker main event. He earned a nice $3.5 million paycheck for his second place finish and then went on to a runner-up finish at the World Poker Tour’s Borgata Open.
This is one of the brightest minds on tour, Williams is a scholar with numerous academic achievements to his credit. He began college at age 16, entering the accelerated Texas Academy of Math and Science at North Texas University.
“Williams entered the World Series of Poker because he’s a perfectionist with a strong desire to be the best at anything he does,” wrote Pat Jordan in Playboy Magazine. “At the age of six he had to beat his mother at video games. In grammar school he had to have perfect grades. When he once got a 95, he confronted his teacher about his five missing points.”
Such drive at such a young age sent Williams toward the realm of the elite. After graduating from NTU, Williams was flooded with acceptance letters from several top institutions, including Harvard, Northwestern and Cornell. He opted to enroll at Princeton, but his stay at the New Jersey campus was short. With a desire to return closer to home, he left the Ivy League to earn a economics degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
It is at the card table, however, that Williams has made his highest marks.
Before becoming a poker prodigy, Williams was an avid “Magic” player, a game that is only played one-on-one. Gaining important playing experience engaging in Magic battles throughout the Dallas area, Williams quickly improved his abilities - thanks in large part to his dogged determination and a thirst for victory. This drive to succeed led Williams to his first serious foray into card playing as he engaged in various Magic tournaments throughout the United States and, eventually, in more than 35 countries. Magic has elements of chess and poker - the game is played with a deck of cards, all of which hold a specific function. Players utilize cards in combinations to defeat their opponents in head-to-head matches.
After graduating from the world of Magic, Williams soon found his analytical skills were helpful in high-stakes poker. A frequent player in the Bodog Poker Room, Williams parlayed an online poker victory into his seat at the 2004 WSOP, surviving the entire field only to lose to Greg “Fossil Man” Raymer in the heads-up final.
Since then, he has lived an opulent life. He has secured personal financial success, has become a celebrity and is a featured player in Daniel Negreanu’s poker video game Stacked.
“Williams had first grabbed my attention because of that air (or aura, if you will) of calm, cool, focused confidence that he projected, and nothing he said in talking to me ever changed that impression. This is one very mature 23-year-old: He even showed that quality in admitting to fears about the high bar he’s set for himself,” wrote the late Andy Glazer, who covered the 2004 WSOP for Card Player Magazine. “Whether he decides to remain a high-profile poker player or go on to other things outside the poker world, I believe we were all privileged to see a very special young man stay within himself and do a terrific job of remaining focused on the job at hand when it came time to play cards, while letting the nervous tension release during the breaks.”
The David Williams File
Date of Birth: June 9, 1980
Birthplace: Arlington, Texas
Hometown: Dallas
University: Southern Methodist University
Marital Status: Single
Read more about David Williams at his web site.
World Series of Poker Highlights: Runner-up in the 2004 $10,000 World Championship Event ($3,500,000), 34th place in the 2005 $1,000 No Limit Holdem Event ($7,705).
Career WSOP earnings: $3,507,705
