John Shipley is a veteran poker player from Solihull, West Midlands in the United Kingdom. Renowned for his stern exterior and shrewd punting, Shipley has been gambling all his life, but took up poker only in 1991.
In the eighties, Shipley earned himself the reputation as one of the best on-track greyhound punters in the UK. Shipley lives in Solihull with his son Jay Jay in the house he bought after winning £55,000 from a bet he placed on a little known soccer team in 1986.
John Shipley turned his attention toward professional poker in 1991, a year in which he finished with a loss. That was the only time. Thereafter, Shipley has finished each year in the green. He earned his first major tournament cash in 1995 in the £200 No Limit Hold'em event at the Christmas Cracker 1995 in London, where he finished 3rd with total winnings of $4,293. In March 1996, Shipley won the £50 Hold'em event at the Great Britain Poker Championships in Birmingham. This was his first tournament win, bringing him $17,779 in prize money.
Shipley participated in his first ‘World Series of Poker’ event in its 31st edition in Las Vegas in 2000. In the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event, John Shipley placed 23rd, earning $2,610. A few days later, in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Hold'em event, he picked up $15,000 by finishing 42nd.
Later in 2000, Shipley won the £500 No Limit Hold'em event at the Grosvenor UK Open 2000 in Luton and walked away with a handsome $50,090. He is however best known for his performance in the $10,000 Championship Event at the 33rd World Series of Poker 2002 in Las Vegas, where he finished (a disappointing) 7th after reaching the final as the chip leader. His $125,000 prize money however, offered some consolation.
John Shipley shrugged off his 2002 World Series of Poker disappointment with his biggest ever tournament prize at the European Poker Classics in London on October 9, 2004. Playing the £3,000 Championship No Limit Hold'em event, Shipley finished on top and took home a small fortune in the form of $359,479 as reward.
Shipley has been a regular at the last three World Series of Poker events. In July 2006, John Shipley participated in four events at the 37th World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, his best showing being a 9th place finish in the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event, earning him $60,349. These four events fetched him a total of $89,885.
At the 38th World Series of Poker in June 2007 in Las Vegas, John Shipley finished 39th in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em event, taking home $10,485. This year in June again, at the 39th World Series of Poker 2008, Shipley managed an impressive 9th place finish in the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event, and won $56,782.
