Originally hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Tom McEvoy learned poker from his grandmother at the age of 5, and regularly got in trouble for playing with his friends at school. He studied to be an accountant, but when he got laid off from his first job in 1978 he decided to turn his full attention to poker.
After having mixed success at the start of his career, McEvoy broke through in 1982 when he won Amarillo Slim’s Superbowl of Poker for $57.5K. A year later, he exploded at the World Series of Poker by winning two events; $1K No Limit Hold’em for $117K and the Main Event for $540K. In 1986, he won his third WSOP bracelet in $1K 7 Card Razz, and then added his fourth in 1992 for Limit Omaha. Tom’s other big tournament scores include a second in 1997’s $3K Pot Limit Hold’em for $102K and a victory in the Professional Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Stars of Poker for $225K. At the 2009 WSOP, he took down the Champions Invitational, taking home the Binion Cup and a 1970 Corvette for his troubles. All told, McEvoy live tournament earnings exceed $2.8 million.
As much as he’s respected for his game on the felt, away from the table he’s also become one of the foremost poker authors in the business. His most popular titles include Tournament Poker and Championship No limit & Pot Limit Hold’em. When he’s not playing or writing poker, Tom enjoys collecting stamps, reading history, fine dining, and watching movies.
Not often found in the spotlight, Tom McEvoy is certainly held in the highest regard by his peers. His results speak for themselves, but his longevity and unmatched contributions as an author and ambassador of poker make him one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Currently, Tom still travels the tournament circuit and can also be founds online at PokerStars, where he remains a sponsored pro.
