Poker Player - T.J Cloutier
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T.J was born 1939 in Albany, California, he graduated from Jefferson High School in Daly City, California where he participated in various sporting activities such as Basketball, Football and Baseball. T.J later went on to the University of California at Berkley on an athletics scholarship for Football and Basketball, he final dropped out of school in order to work and help out his father with some of his mothers medical bills when she had become ill. T.J was later drafted into the army and it was here that he tuned into his poker skills, when he left the army, he went on to play for the Montreal Alloutes of the Canadian Football League until he was traded to the Argonauts of Toronto. T.J's football career ended when he injured his knee, it was then that T.J picked up poker until he ventured into business with his father and brother starting the company Bets Quality Foods. A stint of bad luck meant that the business went bad, at this time T.J also separated from his first wife. T.J made the move to Texas and started playing poker on his days off, the more he played the more money he won it was far move lucrative for T.J to play poker and so he decided to give up work and play poker on a full time basis. T.J then took to the road in search of the best poker games to win at, he was introduced to his second wife Joy, and he married her in 1984.
T.J is not only respected within the poker community but he is also one of the most popular players, he has an old school element and is proud of it. A big reason for his popularity on the poker trail is that he always conducts himself with class and grace whenever at a table. The most poignant evidence of his character was clearly shown at the final hand of the 2000 World Series of Poker main event, when Coulter and Chris Ferguson where head to head. As the last of the cards were dealt Coulter found that he had not been dealt the cards to win, it was the title that T.J always played towards, in stead it was Ferguson who claimed the title, he asked T.J "are we still friends", T.J replied "of course. Don't feel bad, you played great", he gave Ferguson a hug even though at that moment he would have been bitterly disappointed and obviously heartbroken, he handled it like the gentleman he always was.
T.J is also held in high regard within the poker community for his sense of humour and his story telling abilities. T.J has seen many goings on and lived to tell it, as one of the legendary road gamblers, one of the group of men who travelled from town to town in search of the next big game, T.J would often find himself sitting at a table where most of the players were packing a gun. T.J often found that the hardest part wasn't trying to make the money it was more a case of whether he would walk out the door with his winnings. During tournament breaks you will often find a crowd surrounding T.J so you can always tell what table he is at. Many of the younger players especially take great delight in T.J's stories of his old poker days in the backrooms of Texas. T.J's memory is extremely sharp and he remembers every con man, crooked gambler and beautiful women that have ever crossed his path.
T.J is considered one of the best tournament players of all time, he has won over fifty major events with buy ins of $500 or more. For five years he has been one of the leading top five money winners at the World Series of Poker, the 3rd time greatest money winner at $2,992,841. T.J has also been placed four times in the top five of the $10,000 main event including two second place finishes to Chris Ferguson in 2000 and previously to Bill Smith in 1985. T.J has four Bracelets for his wins in Omaha 1987, Pot Limit Hold'em and Omaha eight or better in 1994 and Omaha Pot Limit in 1998, he has also been given four Hall of Fame watches and been named tournament player of the year in 1998 and 2002. T.J has also won $10,000 in No Limit Hold'em three years running 1990-1992, he has also the co-author of three poker books.
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