12/20/07

In 1991, Brad became the first Million Dollar winner in poker when he won the most sought after prize in poker ... the World Championship of Poker.

Brad has been playing poker for over 35 years. His first memory of playing was on a field trip in high school while riding a train from Payette, Idaho to Kansas City, Missouri . After graduating high school, Brad began working in the construction industry as a heavy equipment operator. Brad continued playing poker through those years, sitting at the tables whenever he had the chance. During those early years, Brad only played no-limit lowball and no-limit five card stud, which were the only games played in Idaho at the time. Over the next few years he perfected his technique and became a winning player in those games. After Doyle Brunson had won his second Worlds Championship in 1977, Brad decided to give poker a full-time effort. Since they never played Texas Holdem in Idaho he decided to move to Reno, Nevada where he could play and study No-Limit Holdem, After the move, Brad did nothing but play poker, working on his game.

 Brad married in 1984, and because his wife didn't feel secure with him only playing, he went to work as a dealer and then as a part-time card manager. He already knew he made more money playing full-time than he did working so in 1987 he talked her into agreeing that he quit his job and go on the road playing. However, his marriage could not withstand the rigors of a traveling poker player and he was divorced in 1989.

 His perseverance was rewarded though, and in 1991 he won the World Series of Poker World Championship $10,000 buy-in main event and the first One Million dollar prize awarded in poker. He won against Don Holt who tried to call and raise Brad all the way to the river. On the final hand Brad won the prize with a mere pair of Jacks. Since then, he now lives in Las Vegas , Nevada and has won close to 2 million in total winnings. He doesn't travel as much these days and prefers to play cash games, online, and some of the larger tournaments. But there is one event he never misses, that being the World Series of Poker World Championship $10,000 buy-in main event. His main ambitions now is to continue promoting poker by doing consulting, seminars, interviews, hosting poker tournaments, writing poker books and teaching poker. He lives that dream as well as he has given numerous seminars, poker lessons and co-authored two best selling books with Tom McEvoy titled CHAMPIONSHIP SATELLITE STRATEGY and NO-LIMIT TEXAS HOLDEM FOR NEW PLAYERS.