Greg Raymer
Encyclopedia
Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker
player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker
Main Event.
, attending Dunedin Middle School, and then to St. Louis, Missouri
.
After Raymer graduated from Parkway South High School
in St. Louis, he enrolled at the University of Missouri–Rolla
, where he majored in chemistry
and became a member of the Kappa Sigma
fraternity
. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Masters Degree in Biochemistry in 1989, and then again from the University of Minnesota Law School
in 1992. He then practiced law as a patent attorney
for more than a decade, spending the last six years of his legal career at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer
.
Raymer is nicknamed "Fossilman" because of his hobby of collecting fossil
s. He uses a small fossil as a card protector while he plays poker.
(WSOP) event during 2001 in the $1,500 Omaha hi-lo split 8 or better
event won by Chris Ferguson
. At the 2004 World Series
, Raymer defeated David Williams
to win the $5,000,000 first prize in the $10,000 no limit
Texas hold 'em
WSOP main event.
The following year, as defending champion, Raymer finished 25th (out of 5,619 entrants) in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, earning him $304,680. Arguably, this two-year accomplishment ranks as one of most impressive performances in the main event in recent history, along with Dan Harrington
. Both players posted deep-runs in consecutive years (Harrington finished 3rd and 4th in 2003/2004), and both looked to repeat as world champion within a ten-year span (Harrington won the Main Event in 1995).
In 2005 Raymer also entered the inaugural British Poker Open
which was filmed in London and was the UK's biggest live poker event in history. As a firm favourite Raymer made the final table to come third in a live final and collect around £20,000.
On September 17th, 2007, Raymer won his first World Championship of Online Poker
(WCOOP) bracelet by winning Event #6 of the 2007 WCOOP, a $320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event. The victory netted Raymer $168,362.
At the 2009 WSOP $40k No Limit hold 'em event, Raymer placed third out of 201 entrants and won $774,927.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $6,900,000. Most of his winnings ($6,487,512) have come from his places in the money at WSOP tournament events.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
Main Event.
Early life
Raymer's family moved numerous times during his childhood, from his birthplace to Lansing, MI, where he lived until age 10. He then moved to Clearwater, FloridaClearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, attending Dunedin Middle School, and then to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
After Raymer graduated from Parkway South High School
Parkway South High School
Parkway South High School is a fully accredited high school, serving students in grades 9-12 in the Parkway School District, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. Parkway South is the largest of the Parkway high schools...
in St. Louis, he enrolled at the University of Missouri–Rolla
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...
, where he majored in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and became a member of the Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Masters Degree in Biochemistry in 1989, and then again from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
in 1992. He then practiced law as a patent attorney
Patent attorney
A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing an opposition...
for more than a decade, spending the last six years of his legal career at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
.
Raymer is nicknamed "Fossilman" because of his hobby of collecting fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s. He uses a small fossil as a card protector while he plays poker.
Poker
Raymer first finished in the money of a World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) event during 2001 in the $1,500 Omaha hi-lo split 8 or better
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
event won by Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson
Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
. At the 2004 World Series
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
, Raymer defeated David Williams
David Williams (card player)
David Anthony Williams is a professional poker player and popular Magic: The Gathering player.-Personal life:Williams was born in Arlington, Texas. He briefly attended Princeton University before switching to study economics at Southern Methodist University...
to win the $5,000,000 first prize in the $10,000 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
WSOP main event.
The following year, as defending champion, Raymer finished 25th (out of 5,619 entrants) in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, earning him $304,680. Arguably, this two-year accomplishment ranks as one of most impressive performances in the main event in recent history, along with Dan Harrington
Dan Harrington
Dan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...
. Both players posted deep-runs in consecutive years (Harrington finished 3rd and 4th in 2003/2004), and both looked to repeat as world champion within a ten-year span (Harrington won the Main Event in 1995).
In 2005 Raymer also entered the inaugural British Poker Open
The Poker Channel
The Poker Channel is a dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to over 30 million TV homes in 30 countries.The Channel is typically carried in the basic packages of cable and satellite operators in Europe and classified as a sport or entertainment channel in electronic programme guides...
which was filmed in London and was the UK's biggest live poker event in history. As a firm favourite Raymer made the final table to come third in a live final and collect around £20,000.
On September 17th, 2007, Raymer won his first World Championship of Online Poker
World Championship of Online Poker
The World Championship of Online Poker is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It is played on the PokerStars site in September....
(WCOOP) bracelet by winning Event #6 of the 2007 WCOOP, a $320 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event. The victory netted Raymer $168,362.
At the 2009 WSOP $40k No Limit hold 'em event, Raymer placed third out of 201 entrants and won $774,927.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $6,900,000. Most of his winnings ($6,487,512) have come from his places in the money at WSOP tournament events.
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 2004 World Series of Poker The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January... |
$10,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em World Championship Texas hold 'em Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with... |
$5,000,000 |
Other activities
- Raymer was one of the original members of Team PokerStars Pro, a group of professional poker players who represent and endorse PokerStars.comPokerStarsPokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
, the world's largest online poker site. As of early 2011, he is no longer a Team PokerStars Pro. - Raymer has lobbied extensively to have poker regulated and classified as a game of skill, after the passage of the UIGEA in 2006. As part of this effort, he is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Poker Players AlliancePoker Players AllianceThe Poker Players Alliance is an American nonprofit Interest group formed "to speak with one voice to promote poker, and to protect the players' rights." The PPA formed to serve as an advocacy group to Washington to establish rights and protections for U.S. poker players. Within the first year of...
. - In a December 2006 interview Raymer said that he was considering running for Vice-President of the United States in 2008 as a candidate of the Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
. However, Raymer did not end up running. - On December 20, 2004, two men attempted to rob Raymer at gunpoint as he returned to his BellagioBellagio (hotel and casino)Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
hotel room after playing in a cash game. Raymer held them off until police arrived and was unharmed.