Poker Player - "Cowboy" Kenna James
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"Cowboy" Kenna James is known as much at the poker tables for his upstanding character and polite manner as he is for his tournament skill, and of course, his trademark "cowboy" hat. Some people regard him as being an 'all round good guy'. Anyone doubting his integrity should hear this story: once while playing in a satellite, the dealer made a mistake and awarded the pot to Kenna. The dealer started dealing the next hand and Kenna realised the dealer had made a mistake. He spoke up, gave his chips to his opponent and left the table. How many other poker players do you know who would have done the same? Kenna James is a firm believer that you reap what you sow and tries to conduct himself both in and out of the poker spotlight accordingly.
Kenna James was born on December 18th, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to southern California to pursue a career in acting and got a job as a poker dealer at Hollywood Park Casino to make some extra money on the side. By 1995 Kenna had worked his way up to the position of floor manager but decided that playing poker for a living would require working less time for more money. And so it was that in 1995 Kenna James started playing professional poker which, in the poker world, makes him fairly new.
It was a wise move. His poker accomplishments include sixteen final table appearances in 2003, eight of which were wins. He finished 4th place in the WSOP $2,500 No Limit Hold 'em event worth $36,140, 1st place in the Grand Slam of poker worth $28,120, 1st place in the Four Queens Poker Classic collecting $30,030. He also took 1st place in the Bellagio Five-Diamond World Poker Classic taking home $156,168 and one month later finished 3rd place in the Crown Australian Poker Championship worth $101,625 to mention but a few. As of 2005 his total live tournament winnings exceeded $1.8 million. His favourite game is No Limit Hold'em although he has had a great deal of success in many other types of poker tournament.
Like many professional poker players, Kenna James is never content with his game, he is constantly looking to learn more and his ambition is to be one of the top ten all around poker players in the world. He has a respect for everyone at the table and aspires to build something positive out of his poker success, he would like to do more with his tournament winnings and not just be self-absorbed. He has even been thinking of developing a business model for community involvement. One day he hopes to create a film production company that lends insight to the human condition.
Kenna currently resides in Downey, California with his wife Marsha Wagonner who is in her own right an accomplished professional poker player and held in great respect by her husband and peers, the couple have two children. Bearing in mind their poker accomplishments, some may find it surprising that poker talk is generally avoided at the James house as the couple feels that their competitive natures are best left at the poker table and not brought to the dinner table.
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