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TJ
Cloutier is old school, and proud of it. He is a
legend in the poker world, one of the founding
fathers of Texas Hold’Em. TJ is one of the
last of the legendary road gamblers, that group
of men who traveled from town to town in search
of the next game. TJ cut his teeth in the smoky
back rooms of Texas, where it wasn’t unusual
to be sitting at a table with guys packing heat.
TJ has said that the hard part wasn’t making
money in those games, but rather it was walking
out the door with it.
If
you conducted a poll of the top poker players,
and asked them who they think the best player in
the world is, TJ Cloutier’s name would come up
again and again. By all accounts, Cloutier has
won more than 50 major tournaments, more than
any other player. He has made it to the final
table of the WSOP Main Event
four times, and he has been runner-up
twice. He is one of the top money winners in
WSOP history, and he has made two final tables
on the WPT (in the season 2 event at the Bike he
finished a heartbreaking third, busting out when
his pocket jacks were cracked by Paul
Phillips’ pocket 7’s). Cloutier has probably
played more hands of poker than any other
person, with the possible exception of Doyle
Brunson. There is no situation that he hasn’t
found himself in.
TJ
Cloutier is one of the most popular players on
the tournament trail. A big reason for this is
that he always conducts himself with grace and
class at the table. This was never more evident
than the final hand of the 2000 WSOP Main Event.
After battling back and forth, Cloutier and
Chris Ferguson were heads-up and about dead even
in chips (Ferguson had a few more chips).
Ferguson held A9 and Cloutier had AQ. Ferguson
raised and Cloutier pushed all-in. After
thinking for several minutes, Ferguson made the
call and didn’t like what he saw. The flop and
turn were bricks, but then the river floated up
a 9. Ferguson had sucked out and put a dagger in
the heart of Cloutier, taking the title that the
legend had wanted for so many years. “Are we
still friends?”, asked Ferguson, who was near
tears. “Of course. Don’t feel bad. You
played great.”, replied Cloutier, who then
proceeded to hug Ferguson like he was a long
lost son. Cloutier was obviously heartbroken at
that moment, and bitterly disappointed, but he
handled it like the gentlemen he always is.
TJ
Cloutier is also beloved by the poker community
for his sense of humour and storytelling
ability. TJ Cloutier has seen it all and lived
to tell. During breaks in tournaments you can
always tell which table TJ is at, because it is
the one with a crowd of people surrounding it.
TJ has a memory like steel, and he remembers
just about every
crooked gambler, con man, and beautiful
damsel that has ever crossed his path. The
younger players, especially, delight in TJ’s
stories about the old days of back room Texas
games. One of TJ’s most famous stories is the
time he won a big pot with no cards! Rather than
paraphrase (which couldn’t possibly do the
story justice) here is the man himself, in all
his weathered glory. Enjoy.
“I
was playing pot-limit hold'em down in
Shreveport. We'd been playing for quite a few
hours and there was a lot of money on the table.
A hand came up in which I had the stone nuts on
fourth street. I had $5,000 in front of me and
made a $2,000 bet. Wayne Edmunds was in the game
and he had a habit of putting his head down
after he called a bet, so that he never saw what
was going on anywhere else. As I was making my
bet, the dealer grabbed my cards and threw them
in the muck. Of course, Wayne didn't see it
happen. "What do I do now?!" I was
wondering. I have big hands and so I just kept
them out in front of me like I was protecting my
cards. The dealer burned and then turned the
river card. I bet my last $3,000 and Wayne threw
his hand away. I won the pot without any cards!
Everybody at the table except Wayne saw what had
happened, but nobody said a thing. So, this is
what I call my "mystery hand" play.”
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