Poker Player - Dave “The Devilfish” Ulliot
Dave Ulliot, professional poker player, was born in Hull in the North of England in 1954. Dave is the son of truck driver who learned to play poker while still a boy, and developed a talent for the game very early on. He left home aged just 15, as poker had created problems at home – the main problem being that he was consistently winning at the poker tables, and beating his father. His next career step was to become a jeweller and pawnbroker, while continuing to play poker as a sideline.
By the 1990’s, Dave Ulliot had developed quite a reputation on the local poker circuit. He even had a nickname of “Dave the Clock” because of the time when he bought into a local game using a Grandfather clock! But his effectiveness at the poker tables meant that his competition was limited, and it was becoming harder to find opponents who would be willing to play him, knowing their chances of winning were slim! In 1996, Dave started to look at professional tournament poker, and headed for the big time, and the tables of Las Vegas.
In 1999, back in the UK, Dave started to become more well known as a player to a wider audience – he famously won the very first Late Night Poker Grand Final, beating David “Karizma” Welch. He made it to the final table again for the second series, but has so far failed to take the title a second time. In spite of this however, Dave has far more prestigious titles under his belt, which make him one of the most famous British poker players in the world! He is also well respected in the world of professional poker, always bringing charm and style to the table, and famously, always wearing an elegantly tailored suit to the final table, where many others will play in casual jeans.
His preferred game is Pot-Limit Omaha Hold’em, and in 1997, he won the World Series of Poker title for this event, historically defeating Men “The Master” Nguyen. He has made it to the final table to finish in second place a total of 5 times at the World Series of Poker since 1997, and has finished in the money 35 times. He regularly competes and takes money at the World Poker Tour and Late Night Poker events, and is the only player to have won tournaments at all three events. These achievements resulted in him being placed at number 9 on the October 2005 PokerPlayer Magazine Top 10 Legends of Poker List. In fact, his money takings from live tournaments by 2006 have topped $3,400,000 so the position is well deserved.
Dave “the Devilfish” is also deserving of his rather unusual nickname. The story goes that he was given the tag by his friend Stevie Au-Yeung who was watching him play, and defeat, Men Nguyen at the 1997 World Series of Poker. The Devilfish is another name for the Japanese delicacy tako, which is a poisonous fish which will kill if eaten without proper preparation. In the same manner, facing Dave Ulliot at a poker table without proper preparation will inevitably lead to a bad end!
He is now a veteran on the professional poker circuit, but retirement looks to be a long way off! Dave “The Devilfish” Ulliot still resides in his hometown of Hull, with his wife. He is the father of seven children and is also the spokesman for the online poker site Ultimatebet.com. He is a big music fan, loving the blues as well as The Rolling Stones and The Fine Young Cannibals. He is also a close friends with fellow poker player and snooker star Jimmy White.
|