Poker Player - Greg "Fossil Man" Raymer
 |
He is called the Fossil Man for his bizarre glasses, but there is nothing bizarre about his poker game. The former patent attorney exploded onto the poker scene in 2004 when he won the World Series of Poker’s Main Event. Raymer, a patent attorney, qualified online on PokerStars, then went on to win poker’s biggest prize.
Raymer’s first prize was over $5 million. He beat David Williams heads up for the title, when his pocket 8s beat Williams A-4. Raymer’s win came a year after Chris Moneymaker revolutionized the event by winning a PokerStars satellite and essentially starting the online revolution.
Even though Raymer qualified online, he bristles at the comparisons. “I was a part-time poker pro for a long time before that,” Raymer said. “I was planning to pay my way in anyway. I just happened to win the seat online. I had a lot of success in tournaments before that. Everyone wants to act like I came out of nowhere like Moneymaker, but I didn’t. I had been playing for a while.”
In fact, Raymer had finished in the money in an Omaha event in 2001, and had played in the Series before. Raymer has 11 in the money finishes at the WSOP, and his most impressive performance might have come a year after his victory. He finished 25th in 2005, following up his title with a deep run. He was great shape late in the tournament when his kings were cracked after a questionable call by Aaron Kanter, who held QhJh and got lucky and hit.
Raymer most recently won a major online tournament, the WCOOP Pot-Limit Omaha with rebuys tournament, winning over $168,000. Unlike a lot of pros, Raymer simply hasn’t played as much. He plays only selected tournaments, and he spends a lot of time at home with family. His deal with PokerStars allows him to focus on things other than poker.
When he plays, though, Raymer is still a threat. Raymer is nicknamed "Fossilman" because he collects fossils as a hobby and uses a small fossil as a card protector when he plays live. Raymer is also famous for holding off two gunmen who attempted to rob him at a Las Vegas casino. Raymer fought them both off, and in fact physically fought with them until security guards arrived. The men escaped but were captured later.
Raymer primarily plays World Series events now, along with a few selected other events, and plays online. He remains a serious threat when he does play. Raymer was part of a three-year stretch of PokerStars pros winning the Main Event, and he was followed by Joseph Hachem.
While Raymer has not been as visible as some of the other winners since his title, he is still one of the most recognizable faces in poker thanks to his trademark sunglasses. When Raymer won in 2004, he said he felt good about his chances early in the tournament, but was worried when he got to the final table.
“I entered the tournament thinking I had a chance.” Raymer said. “I was confident that I could go a long way. But I didn’t know I had it until the last card fell. Even with a big cheap lead, one double up and the complexion changes so much. That’s no-limit.” Raymer can still be found occasionally playing on PokerStars, and considered running for Vice President as a Libertarian. He is active in politics and is not a fan of the traditional U.S. parties.
|