Jeff Madsen, an American professional poker player, was born on June 7, 1985 in Santa Monica, California. He was brought up in Los Angeles and finished his schooling from Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California. He went to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he decided to pursue film theory for his degree. Jeff Madsen still resides in Santa Barbara, California.
It was during the summer after his high school graduation that his friend taught him how to play poker. Unlike most young players, Jeff Madsen did not rely much on playing online poker to develop his skills. Instead, he set up a small library of poker books to study different strategies of the game in order to hone his skills. During his college days, he played at the Chumash Casino, where he gained exposure to tournaments. He came out on top in two of their tournaments and earned $2,000 for each win. Jeff Madsen initially played Limit Hold-em, but then he moved on to play $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em games, which became his main event.
Jeff Madsen is good with numbers and can read people well, which makes him a threat to others at the poker table. He claims that his studying film helped him develop his people-reading skills. His strategy at the poker table is to always play very aggressively while making the right decisions.
On July 3rd, 2006, Jeff Madsen finished third in the $2000 Omaha High-Low Split event of the 37th Annual WSOP and earned $97,552. His first bracelet came at the same WSOP tournament in the No-Limit Texas Hold’em event at the age of 21, making him the youngest WSOP winner at that time. He also walked away with $660,948 in the process. Just six days after he got his first bracelet, Jeff Madsen went on to collect his second WSOP bracelet by winning the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shorthanded event. On July 24, 2006, he pocketed $65,971 for his third-place finish in the $1000 Seven Card Stud High-Low Split event. Impressed by his run of success, Full Tilt Poker, an online poker card room, took him in as a sponsored pro.
His first World Poker Tour cash-in was in 2007, where he finished eighth at the Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship. So far in his poker career, he has reached 4 final tables, he has had two first-place finishes and earned two WSOP bracelets, and he has received a ProRank 1 Position of 1063. As of 2008, Jeff Madsen has made more than $1,800,000 from tournament winnings.
Jeff Madsen plans on returning to the University of California, Santa Barbara to finish up his final year. He intends to take up a dual career, one as a film writer and director and the other as a professional poker player. In an interview, Jeff Madsen even said that he would love to direct a movie on his World Series of Poker experience.
Jeff Madsen – Poker Career Achievements:
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Event: 2008, 39th World Series of Poker 2008 Event #8 - WSOP World Championship Mixed Event / Finished: 8th / Earned: $54,144
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Event: 2007, Bay 101 Shooting Star/WPT Event Season 5 WPT No-Limit Hold'em Championship / Finished: 8th / Earned: $100,000
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Event: 2006, Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic/WPT Event Season 5 Event #8 – No-Limit Hold'em / Finished: 3rd / Earned: $90,770
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Event: 2006, 37th Annual World Series of Poker Event #35 - WSOP Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo / Finished: 3rd / Earned: $65,971
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Event: 2006, 37th Annual World Series of Poker Event #30 - WSOP No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed / Finished: 1st / Earned: $643,381
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Event: 2006, 37th Annual World Series of Poker Event #22 - WSOP No-Limit Hold'em / Finished: 1st / Earned: $660,948
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Event: 2006, 37th Annual World Series of Poker Event #8 - WSOP Omaha Hi/Lo / Finished: 3rd / Earned: $97,552
