T. J. Cloutier

infobox poker player
firstname=T. J.
lastname=Cloutier
nickname=T.J.


caption=
hometown=Richardson, Texas|Richardson, Texas
wsop bracelet count=6
wsop money finishes=54
wsop main event best finish rank=2nd
wsop main event best finish year=1985
multi-year wsop winner=2000
wpt titles="None"
wpt final tables=2(+1)
wpt money finishes=9
ept titles= "None"
ept final tables="None"
ept money finishes=1

Thomas James Cloutier (born October 13 1939) is a professional poker player from Albany, California. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early years

Cloutier attended the University of California, Berkeley on an athletic scholarship for American football and baseball and played in the Rose Bowl in 1959. However, he later dropped out because of family financial hardship.

Cloutier was drafted into the U.S. Army. After the Army, he played football in the Canadian Football League for Toronto and Montreal, but an injury cut his career short.

Cloutier then started a food company, but it was not successful, so he moved to Texas to work on oil rigs. On his off days he began to play poker, and quit his job after realizing that he was winning more money playing poker than working. He started playing poker when he was a caddy at a golf course and played poker after the rounds. [ [http://www.pokerroad.com/_/pokerroad_radio/3-1-08/ PokerRoad Radio episode with T. J. Cloutier interview] ]

Tournament career

Cloutier specializes in playing tournament poker, especially No Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em. He is the only person in the history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to have won events in all three types of Omaha played at the World Series - (Pot Limit High, Limit High, and Limit 8-or-Better High-low split).

Despite winning dozens of tournaments, he has never won the main event of the World Series of Poker, although he has placed four times in the top 5, including two 2nd place finishes in 1985 and 2000.

Cloutier also plays in World Poker Tour (WPT) events, where his highest finish to date was 3rd place in the 2003 Legends of Poker event won by Mel Judah.

Cloutier has also featured in the Ultimate Poker Challenge, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament and .

Cloutier is currently second to Phil Hellmuth (40) for the most all-time WSOP final table finishes record, with 39. [ [http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=166831 final table record.] ]

As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $9,300,000. [ [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=51 Hendon Mob tournament results] ]

WSOP Bracelets

Poker writings

Cloutier is the co-author (together with Tom McEvoy) of four books:
* "Championship Tournament Practice Hands"
* "Championship Holdem"
* "Championship Omaha"
* "Championship No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em".

In May 2006 Cloutier released "How To Win The Championship: Hold'em Strategies For The Final Table", a book covering tournament strategy with an emphasis on the final few tables.

He also writes for Card Player Magazine.

Media

* He features in the PC Game [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/puzzle/worldclasspokercloutier/index.html World Class Poker with T.J. Cloutier]

References

External links

* [http://www.pokerbooks.com/tjcbio.htm Poker Books interview and biography]
* [http://www.worldpokertour.com/players/?x=profile&id=1034 World Poker Tour profile]
* [http://www.poker-babes.com/bio/tj-cloutier/ Poker Babes profile]
* [http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/profiles/tjcloutier.htm Poker Pages profile]
* [http://www.pokerbaron.com/pro-poker-players/tj-cloutier.html Poker Baron profile]