It is not easy to accuse one of the hottest, hippest young pros around of being a closet nerd, but we must do it. Behind David Williams’s good looks and sleek style lies an honor student who scored a 4.0 GPA and a 1550 SAT score, was admitted to Princeton and was among the world’s best players of the fantasy game “Magic: The Gathering.”
A native Texan, Williams grew up in a single-parent home and had to look after himself from an early age. He credits this for teaching him self-discipline, responsibility, and a strict bankroll management that have helped make him the successful player he is now. On a curious note, Williams’ mother Shirley often attends poker events with him, and she even outlasted him in the 2006 Main Event.
Williams was a top-ranking player of Magic: The Gathering when he was suspended from official tournaments for a year. During his suspension he started playing poker online much more seriously, and was mentored later on by Marcel Luske. He made a successful comeback into Magic after his suspension, but the poker bug had bit him, and he decided to pursue it further. Williams qualified online for the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event – his first important tournament – and he placed second, earning $3.5 million and the title of best ever Main Event finish for an African-American player.
After such a start, Williams had no difficulty in becoming a household name in poker: he became an official Bodog pro in 2004, won a WSOP bracelet in 2006, scored several World Poker Tour (WPT) final tables and got featured in the poker video game “Stacked” along with Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren and Jennifer Harman. In 2010, Williams won the WPT Championship for $1.5 million; he promptly parted ways with Bodog.
Williams found himself in the middle of a minor scandal when some claimed he had appeared in a home-made porn video, which he denied. But scandal and all, with his looks, brains, and great poker skills, Williams is set to become the icon of the internet poker generation.
Click here for David Williams’ interview with Poker News Daily.
