Champion of Poker

Thomas “Thunder” Keller got his start in poker in a different kind of card game. He was an avid “Magic: The Gathering” player and was a regular on the Magic tournament circuit. Sills from playing the game of Magic were easily transferable to poker such as calculating odds, counting outs, and the ability to bluff. Keller nearly became a Magic professional but then another game caught his attention.

Thomas Keller attended college at Stanford University. It was during a Christmas break from college that he was introduced to poker. He and his buddies would play several small stake games and when the game was over, Keller was up as much as $100. He decided that he would spend a little more time playing poker.

Keller began playing $3-$6 poker both in live casinos and online. After getting his degree in Economics, he picked up and headed out to Arizona and began making the climb through the limits. At one point, he owned every $100 chip in the casino he played at. Player had to go to him to purchase chips for their games.

Keller began playing tournament poker in 2003. His first decent score was at the CA State Poker Championships. He placed 3rd for $36,395. He then won an event at the Bellagio Five Diamond for his first six figure payday in poker at $281,525. He then proceeded to enter the 2004 World Series of Poker and ended up winning his first major title when he won the $5,000 No Limit Holdem Event. He won the gold championship bracelet and $382,020.

After his win at the 2004 World Series of Poker, Keller pretty much dropped off the map in professional poker. He had a few cashes, including two WPT cashes in 2004, but other than a final table finish at the 2005 World Poker Classic, Keller zero cashes until the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the WSOP he cashed in both the $2,000 No Limit Holdem Event and finished 61st in the Main Event.

Keller has also dropped a lot of weight since his 2004 bracelet win. He had gastric bypass surgery to assist him in his weight loss. He stated that stamina in tournaments is one reason that he chose to have the surgery. Nowadays, Keller claims that most of the time he plays tournaments for exposure. It was also rumored that Keller went through a bad run and lost most of his bankroll and has only recently built it back to the point where he can play regular tournaments again.

Thomas Keller exploded onto the poker scene in 2003 and 2004 and has since cooled off. If the bankroll rumors about Keller are true, and the recent results at the WSOP are any indication, expect to see great things again from “Thunder” Keller soon.