View source for David Williams (card game player)

{{Short description|American poker player (born 1980)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox poker player
| name = David Williams
| nickname =
| image = David Williams 2018.jpg
| caption = David Williams in 2018
| residence = [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], U.S.
| birth_name = David Anthony Williams
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|6|9}}
| birth_place = [[Arlington, Texas]], U.S.
| wsop bracelet count = 1
| wsop money finishes = 19
| wsop main event best finish rank = 2nd
| wsop main event best finish year = 2004
| wpt titles = 1
| wpt final tables = 5
| wpt money finishes = 17
| updated = &nbsp;July 21, 2010
}}

'''David Anthony Williams''' (born June 9, 1980) is a professional [[poker]] and ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' player who also competed on [[MasterChef (American season 7)|Season 7]] of the FOX cooking show ''[[MasterChef (American TV series)|MasterChef]]'', where he finished as co-runner-up.

==Personal life==
Williams was born in [[Arlington, Texas]].  At 16, he attended the [[Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science]], a two-year [[early college entrance program]] at the [[University of North Texas]].<ref name="Brass">{{cite web|url = http://www.brassmagazine.com/article/what-are-odds-david-williams-take-betting-it-all|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101230212332/http://www.brassmagazine.com/article/what-are-odds-david-williams-take-betting-it-all|url-status = dead|archive-date = December 30, 2010|title = What Are The Odds?: David Williams' take on betting it all|date = May 1, 2006|publisher = Brass Magazine}}</ref>  Later, he briefly attended [[Princeton University]] before switching to study [[economics]] at [[Southern Methodist University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poker ace Williams hopes for pair of successes |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/wordofmouth/stories/070805dnspowordofmouth.83d31d23.html |website=Dallas Morning News}}</ref> Williams currently resides in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]].  Williams has one daughter, Liliana.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2014 |title=David Williams: "I Try to Keep My Name in Lights" |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/david-williams-i-try-to-keep-my-name-in-lights-63618 |access-date=December 23, 2023 |website=PokerListings.com}}</ref>

==Poker career==
Williams's poker success was capped at the [[2004 World Series of Poker]]. He won his buy-in through an [[online poker]] site and made it to the final table of the Main Event, ultimately finishing second to [[Greg Raymer]], but still winning $3.5 million for the runner-up prize. Four months later, he finished second at the Borgata Open [[World Poker Tour]], where he collected $573,800.

===Live===
====Tournaments====
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $7,900,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Williams' profile on The Hendon Mob |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=26690 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}</ref> $4,317,983 of his live winnings have come at the WSOP, and most of the rest has come from the WPT.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Williams |url=https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=276 |access-date=April 1, 2024 |website=WSOP.com}}</ref>

=====World Series of Poker=====
Williams won his sole [[World Series of Poker bracelet|WSOP bracelet]] in [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]] in the $1,500 [[Seven-card stud]] event when his {{cards|K♠|3♥|4♠|K♦}} ({{cards|6♠|4♣|8♥}}) defeated John Hoang's {{cards|4♣|5♠|9♦|3♣}} ({{cards|A♦|8♠|T♠}}). His mother, Shirley Williams, often attends his poker events, and even competed in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, outlasting her son in the process.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|+ World Series of Poker bracelets
|-
! Year
! Tournament
! Prize (US$)
|-
| [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]]
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud
| $163,118
|}

=====World Poker Tour=====
In March 2006, Williams made a second WPT final table, finishing 4th for $280,000. Two months later, he made another WPT final table, again finishing 4th. In 2010, he won the WPT World Championship, defeating [[Eric Baldwin]] in heads-up play and winning over $1.5 million.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ World Poker Tour Titles
|-
! Year
! Tournament
! Prize (US$)
|-
| [[World Poker Tour season 8 results|2010]]
| $25,000 WPT World Championship
| $1,530,537
|}

===Online poker===
Following the 2004 World Series of Poker, David Williams became a member of Team Bodog. Williams parted ways with Bodog after the 2010 WPT World Championship.<ref name="onlinepoker.net">Rhodes, M. (June 30, 2010), ''Pokerstars Welcomes David Williams as Sponsored Pro'', OnlinePoker,net; http://www.onlinepoker.net/poker-news/poker-pros-news/pokerstars-welcomes-david-williams-sponsored-pro/6437</ref> In June 2010, Williams joined Team [[PokerStars]] as a sponsored pro.<ref name="onlinepoker.net" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/wsop/2010/wsop-diary-day-35-williams-and-selbst-si-070981.html |title=Williams and Selbst sign on the line for Team PokerStars Pro |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707081047/http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/wsop/2010/wsop-diary-day-35-williams-and-selbst-si-070981.html |archive-date=July 7, 2010 }}</ref>

====Tournaments====
=====World Championship of Online Poker=====
In 2009, Williams, playing under the screen name "RugDoctor", defeated poker professional [[Alexander Kostritsyn|Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn]] to capture Event #42 ($2,100 8-Game) of the [[WCOOP|World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)]].<ref>Welman, Jessica (September 20, 2009); {{cite web |url=http://news.bluffmagazine.com/7171-7171/ |title=2009 WCOOP Events #41 and #42: Young, Williams Rack up Wins &#124; BLUFF Poker News |access-date=February 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708074607/http://news.bluffmagazine.com/7171-7171/ |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
|+ World Championship of Online Poker Titles
|-
! Year
! Event
! Tournament
! Prize (US$)
|-
| 2009
| Event 42
| $2,100 8-Game
| $107,800
|}

==''Magic: The Gathering''==
{{Infobox Magic: The Gathering Player
| name = David Williams
| nickname =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| residence =
| nationality = {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States of America|USA]]
| debut =
| winnings =
| pt_top_8 = 0 (1)<sup>*</sup><ref name="Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s">{{cite web |title=Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s |date=September 6, 2011 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |access-date=November 17, 2011 |url=http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=protour%2Fstandings%2Ftop8byplayer |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919034232/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=protour%2Fstandings%2Ftop8byplayer |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| gt_top_8 = 3 (9)<ref name="Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s">{{cite web |title=Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s |date=November 14, 2011 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |access-date=November 17, 2011 |url=http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fstandings%2Ftop8byplayer |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919033538/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fstandings%2Ftop8byplayer |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| pt_median_finish =
| lifetime_pro_points = 177<ref name="DCI Ratings and Rankings">{{cite web |title=DCI Ratings and Rankings |date=October 21, 2009 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |access-date=August 12, 2008 |url=http://webapp.wizards.com/ratings.aspx?action=search_member&personid=68903&brandid=1}}</ref>
| pw_level = 48 (Archmage)
| matches_played =2,571<ref name="DCI Ratings and Rankings" />
| footnotes = <sup>*</sup> Williams reached the Top 8 of 2001 Pro Tour Tokyo and the 2001 Worlds but was disqualified from the World Championship
}}

Williams is an accomplished ''Magic'' player. His initial foray into ''Magic'''s Pro Tour came in the late 1990s. He made the Top 8 of eight Grand Prix events in cities such as San Diego, Cannes, Moscow, and Cleveland with Team Event wins in Yokohama and Taipei in 2001. He also made the top 8 of the first Pro Tour in Japan, finishing 7th at PT Tokyo 2001. He had already won over $30,000 playing ''Magic'' when he made the Top 8 of the 2001 World Championships in [[Toronto]]. However, he was disqualified without prize for [[card marking|marked cards]] because three of his four Accumulated Knowledge cards were bent more than the other cards in his deck, making them easier to cut to when Williams cut his own deck after his opponent shuffled it.<ref name="wizards.com">Wachter, Toby (August 12, 2001); http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=Worlds2001\466williamsdq {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010827143405/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=Worlds2001%5c466williamsdq |date=August 27, 2001 }}</ref> The tournament's judging staff determined that the bending was not accidental and that Williams had cheated based on two criteria:
* Each time Williams cut his deck as part of pregame shuffling procedure, a copy of Accumulated Knowledge was on top.
* The judges were able to consistently cut his deck to a copy of Accumulated Knowledge.

Williams admitted that the cards were marked but disputed the determination that he cheated by marking them intentionally.<ref name="wizards.com" /> Williams was suspended by the [[Duelists' Convocation International|DCI]] from sanctioned ''Magic: The Gathering'' tournaments for one year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=Worlds2001%5C466williamsdq |title=Wizards.com |access-date=February 1, 2007 |archive-date=August 27, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010827143405/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=Worlds2001%5c466williamsdq |url-status=dead }}</ref> During this suspension, Williams started to focus more on [[Texas hold 'em]], especially on the Internet. He made a successful comeback after his suspension was finished, and won money at several more ''Magic'' events, though his focus was mainly on poker.

Even though there is more money that can be made in professional poker than in professional ''Magic'', Williams has said he will continue to play both games, although poker will take precedence. Like many who play both, he has asserted that the two are for different purposes: he plays ''Magic'' to have fun, and poker to make money.

==''MasterChef''==
Williams competed as a contestant on the [[MasterChef (American season 7)|seventh season]] of the United States cooking competition ''[[MasterChef (American TV series)|MasterChef]]'' in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nuwwarah |first=Mo |date=April 28, 2016 |title=David Williams To Compete in Upcoming MasterChef Season On Fox |url=https://www.pokernews.com/news/2016/04/david-williams-masterchef-24645.htm |access-date=April 1, 2024 |website=[[PokerNews.com]] |language=en}}</ref> He was one of three contestants to make it into the finals, ultimately losing to Shaun O'Neale and finishing as co-runner-up with Brandi Mudd. He had six total challenge wins during the season.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/4200-david-williams Card Player profile]
*[https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=26690 Hendon Mob profile]
*[https://www.pokernews.com/poker-players/david-williams/ PokerNews profile]
* [http://www.worldpokertour.com/player/david-williams/ WPT profile]
*[https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=276 WSOP profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311195106/http://www.texasholdemforums.com/interviews/david-williams.php TexasHoldemForums.com interview]
* [http://www.pokerlistings.com/player-interviews/finally-david-williams-has-a-bracelet PokerListings.com interview]

{{WPT Championship winners}}
{{Team PokerStars}}
{{2000s WSOP Bracelet Winners}}
{{MasterChef (U.S.)}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, David}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:World Series of Poker bracelet winners]]
[[Category:World Poker Tour winners]]
[[Category:Poker After Dark tournament winners]]
[[Category:American Magic: The Gathering players]]
[[Category:People from Arlington, Texas]]
[[Category:Poker players from the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:MasterChef (American TV series) contestants]]