Greg Raymer, aka Fossilman (born 25 June, 1964) is a professional poker player. Relatively unknown before the 2004 World Series of Poker, his main event victory made Greg Raymer a force to be reckoned with in the professional arena.
Greg Raymer began playing poker at University. He worked as a card-counter at Indian casinos and took up blackjack, but was confronted with a shortage of worthwhile tables in Chicago, where he had moved to work as a patent Lawyer. He then accidentally came across a $3-$6 Texas Hold'em charity game. With the help of poker guidebooks and the rec.gambling.poker (RGP) newsgroup, Greg Raymer was soon playing serious tables at Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino. He would go on winning first place six times, as well as scoring 11 money finishes.
Greg Raymer first finished in the money at the 2001 WSOP. His major breakthrough, however, would only come in 2004. That year's event firmly put the name of Greg Raymer and the Fossilman moniker in poker spotlight. Unlike his former experiences, everything went smoothly from day one, he later said; ploughing through a field of 2,576 players, Raymer won his WSOP bracelet and an unbelievable $5,000,000 - the largest cash prize for a poker tournament at the time. In 2005 he nearly repeated this extraordinary achievement, coming in a record 25th out of a 5,619-strong field. Greg Raymer was thus the first player since Johnny Chan to come so close to winning a consecutive WSOP.
Since the stupendous 2004-2005 season, Greg Raymer has cemented his world poker ace status. Known for sporting holographic glasses at tables, Greg Raymer is considered one of the most agreeable persons in professional poker; news of his 2006 online feud with fellow pro Daniel Negreanu thus raised several eyebrows. Raymer and Negreanu differed over a lawsuit filed against the World Poker Tournament by himself and six other pros. The feud soon ended, however, and ultimately did no harm to the cheerful, talkative pro. The same applies to the 2004 Las Vegas attempted robbery he was involved in. Not living to the fat guy stigma, Raymer held robbers off and escaped unharmed.
Greg Raymer has several interests to keep him busy in between WSOP events. He is a family man, a representative of poker portal PokerStars.com, a spokesman for World Tavern Poker, a golfer and antique-hunter, as well as an avid fossil collector. This hobby serves to make Greg Raymer synonymous with the nickname Fossilman. Raymer, for one, appreciates the humor. In the past, he had tried - in vain - to become a stand-up comedian, taking advantage of his lack of stage fright. "Unfortunately, I just wasn't all that funny," he frankly admitted.
Greg Raymer
Landmark winnings:
2008 NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship
03/02/2008 $25,000
2007 38th WSOP
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship
06/24/2007 $103,008
2006 37th WSOP
$ 5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball
25/07/2008 $93,124
2005 36th WSOP
$10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
07/07/2005 $304,680
2004 35th WSOP
$10,000 No Limit Hold'em main event
22/05/2008 $5,000,000
Overall winnings: $6,013,530
