Champion of Poker

There are fewer more interesting poker personalities than David Sklansky. Controversy, genius and notoriety for good and bad reasons are part and parcel of the myth of this great poker player. David has had a part in many of the great poker books available on the market today and his life story cannot be done justice in a short feature piece such as this. We will, however, do our best to cover the most memorable and well-known parts of his colourful life.

Sklansky is best known for writing a chapter in Doyle Brunsons Super System book and also his own legendary poker book “Theory of Poker”. David is a mathematician who talks fondly of growing up with a father that set him Math puzzles in order to develop the logical part of his brain. David has actually written thirteen Poker books and is a founding member of the Poker publishing company Two plus Two publishing who are a massive poker forum where strategy and serious poker discussions take place daily. Within the poker community he is known as a top authority on gambling.

David prides himself on thinking outside the box. In an interview for the two plus two podcast, he talked about how he was awoken with a gun to his head and immediately used his logical mind to put the robber at ease and ensure he survived the ordeal. The robber even asked him if he could take his car for a drive and eventually returned it unharmed. David was so in control during the robbery that despite being handcuffed and blindfolded he had the presence of mind to admit to the robber that it was partially his own fault he was being robbed because of his failure to implement adequate security in his home, so he felt anything taken was a penalty he deserved to pay.

Sklansky has enjoyed some poker tournament success. In the early 1980’s he won three WSOP bracelets including Limit Omaha and Draw high. He also won a large WPT event when he beat Doyle Brunson heads up after trailing when the heads up battle began.

Many poker fans are not sure whether Sklansky is very intelligent or just quirky. There is little doubt he has a well-developed logical mind. He comes across a little socially awkward on interview and freely admits he prefers dating very young woman. This is not necessarily something that many people would admit to, yet David does so without concern. He has a segment in the two plus two pokercasts where they play a “Sklansky Minute”. This is things that David records during moments of reflection and include such things as asking a telephone operatives their name so they associate their response with personal judgement and therefore give you better help so to reflect well on themselves because you know their name. Sometimes these pieces of advice are rather bizarre.

Check out some of the two plus two podcasts when David is interviewed. I love listening to them whilst I am playing at my favourite poker room bwin.com and trying to win a small stakes poker tournament. It is great entertainment. Whatever you think of Sklansky the person, there is little doubt he has made a massive impact on poker through his work on gambling and poker theory, which are still brilliantly preserved thanks to his body of work in the poker books he has written and published.

I always enjoy listening to a David Sklansky interview on poker or gambling theory and to me he is one of the most interesting poker players in the world.

By Malcolm Clarke