Anyone who is only slightly familiar poker and its players is sure to be familiar with one of the world’s most famous poker players who goes by the recognised name T J Cloutier.
To become better acquainted with this iconic poker figure, let’s start at the beginning. T J Cloutier, also known as Thomas James Cloutier was born on October 13th, 1939 in Richardson Texas, United States. T J Cloutier currently resides in Albany, California with his wife Joy and their six children.
Here are some quick T J Cloutier facts
T J Cloutier started playing poker in 1956 and to date he has over 251 cashes, 39 first place finishes, $9,108,713 in total winnings, 6 WSOP Bracelets and a ProRank 1 Position of 863. T J Cloutier’s favorite poker game is No Limit Hold’em. The poker players which have earned his respect over time are Chip Reese, Ben Roberts, Erik Seidel, Surrindar Sunar.
Let’s start at the beginning
T J Cloutier graduated from Jefferson High School in Daly City, California. T J Cloutier was an avid basketball, football, and baseball player where he played on his high school teams. After graduating, T J Cloutier enrolled to the University of California at Berkeley where he attended on an Athletic Scholarship for baseball and football where he played in the Rose Bowl in 1959. After his family encountered some financial tribulations, T J Cloutier decided to abandon his university scholarship and joined the U.S. Army – and that’s exactly where he starting to hone his poker skills. After TJ completed his army service, he went on to play for the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League, and was later traded to the Toronto Argonauts. A knee injury during T J Cloutier’s football career forced him to leave the team which led him to work in his family’s wholesale food business – which closed in 1976. The closer of T J Cloutier’s family business led him to work on a Texas Oil Rig. During his years of instability and family difficulties, T J Cloutier never gave up his game of poker and when he started earning more money from his poker prizes, that when he decided to play poker full time.
Let the T J Cloutier games begin
T J Cloutier has earned himself six bracelets for his unparalleled wins in Omaha 1987, Pot Limit Hold’em and Omaha 8 or Better in 1994, Omaha Pot Limit in 1998, Razz in 2004, and the $5,000 buy-in No Limit event in 2005. Despite his victory and successes, T J Cloutier has yet to win a main WSOP (World Series of Poker). T J Cloutier came quite close to taking first place, but has been in the top 5 four times, and twice of those occasions he ranked 2nd place in 1985 and 2000 – but his goals are to win first place.
T J Cloutier’s poker specialties include playing tournament poker, with a strong emphasis on No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em. In the entire history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), T J Cloutier is the first and only person to have won events in all three types of Omaha: Pot Limit High, Limit High, and Limit 8-or-Better High Low split. T J Cloutier also participates in the WPT (World Poker Tour) events, where he ranked with his highest finish to date at 3rd place in the 2003 Legends of Poker event which was won by poker competitor Mel Judah. T J Cloutier is currently tied with famous poker player Phil Hellmuth for the most all-time WSOP final table finishes record, each totalling 39 finishes.
Throughout his poker gaming years, T J Cloutier has featured in the Ultimate Poker Challenge, National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, and Poker Royale: Battle of the Ages. After years of winnings, T J Cloutier’s stealth seemed almost indefinable and in 2006 he received one of his biggest honours yet as a professional poker player and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Furthermore, T J Cloutier doesn’t stop there – and has become a renowned co-author with Tom McEvoy of 5 top selling books: Championship Tournament Practice Hands, Championship Hold’em, Championship Omaha, and Championship No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em. His most recent book was titled ‘How To Win The Championship: Hold’em Strategies For The Final Table – where he covers tournament strategy and final tables. Furthermore, he is an active writer for Card Player magazine.
T J Cloutier WSOP Bracelets
Year Tournament Prize
1987 $1,000 Limit Omaha Hi $72,000
1994 $1,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better $135,000
1994 $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em $163,000
1998 $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi $136,000
2004 $1,500 Seven Card Razz $90,500
2005 $5,000 No Limit Hold'em $657,100
