Todd Witteles

infobox poker player
firstname=Todd
lastname=Witteles
nickname=Dan Druff


caption=Todd Witteles in the 2005 World Series of Poker
hometown=Las Vegas, Nevada
wsop bracelet count=1
wsop money finishes=9
wsop main event best finish rank="None"
wsop main event best finish year=
multi-year wsop winner=
wpt titles=
wpt final tables=
wpt money finishes=
ept titles=
ept final tables=
ept money finishes=

Todd Witteles is an American professional poker player. A former computer scientist, Witteles made poker his full-time pursuit in 2003.

Primarily a cash game player, Witteles entered his first tournament at the 2005 World Series of Poker, where he played the $1500 Limit Texas hold 'em event. He finished in third place out of a field of 1,049 entrants, with the final table being shown on ESPN. He took home nearly $116,000 after getting knocked out of the tournament by 21-year-old Eric Froehlich. As a gimmick, Witteles used a small Head & Shoulders bottle to protect his cards while playing, in reference to his online moniker "Dan Druff."

Nearly a month later, Witteles entered his second tournament, again at the World Series of Poker. This time he played the $3,000 Limit Hold 'em event, and bested his previous tournament by finishing first, earning a World Series of Poker gold bracelet and $347,385. Witteles set a World Series of Poker record, as no other player in history has finished better in their first two events. [ [http://www.thepokerforum.com/wsop0536.htm World Series of Poker 2005 Event #36 Tournament Report] ] He was also named CardPlayer Magazine's 2005 World Series of Poker Player of the Year. [ [http://www.cardplayer.com/magazine/article/14907 Card Player Magazine's 2005 World Series of Poker Recap] ]

After finishing 2nd and 6th in smaller Los Angeles area tournaments, Witteles picked up his next major cash by finishing 4th at the Caribbean Poker Classic on the island of St. Kitts. He won $87,000 for that effort, and it was his first appearance at a final table of a major No Limit Hold 'Em event.

At the 2006 World Series of Poker Witteles finished in 12th place at the $1500 Limit Hold 'Em Shootout, and earned $34,589 for his 4th place finish in one of the $1500 No Limit events. He ended up cashing three times in the 2006 Series. At the 2007 World Series of Poker, he finished 10th in the $1000 no limit hold 'em with rebuys event.

At the 2008 World Series of Poker, Witteles cashed three times. He earned 19th-place at the $10,000 World Limit Hold 'Em Championship event, and came in 10th at the $1500 Mixed Hold 'Em event the following week. He has finished 10th place or better in at least one World Series event each year since 2005. Seven of his nine World Series cashes have been 19th place or better.

In November 2006, Witteles made the final table in the first-ever live tournament of the new game "Hold 'Em Blackjack", a game that is actually similar to a hybrid between Seven-Card Stud and Blackjack. He ended up finishing in 5th place.

In May 2008, Witteles won the $545 No Limit Hold 'Em with Rebuys tournament at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. It was his first victory in a No Limit event with a buyin of more than $500.

Witteles owns a portion of the popular neverwinpoker.com poker forum, where he regularly participates and offers free poker strategy advice. He also hosts two internet radio programs that broadcast from the site.

In March, 2008, Todd was selected among eight other top online poker players to participate in ESPN's "Online Poker Think Tank." [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker/columns/story?columnist=wise_gary&id=3285950 ESPN Online Poker Think Tank, Week 1] ]

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $710,000. [ [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=44406 Hendon Mob Poker Database: Todd Witteles] ]

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