David Anthony Williams (born June 12, 1980 in Dallas, Texas) is a professional poker and Magic: the Gathering player.

Magic

His initial foray into Magic's Pro Tour came in the late 1990s. He had already won over $30,000 playing Magic when he made the cutoff for the final day of competition of the 2001 World Championships in Toronto. However, he was disqualified without prize because a few of the cards in his deck were bent slightly. They were all copies of the same card, and the tournament judges were able to cut the deck to one of them every time they tried. Williams disputed this, saying that he had simply borrowed those cards and not noticed the bend. Williams was suspended by the Duelists' Convocation International from sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournaments for a period of one year.

During this suspension, Williams started to play high-stakes Texas hold 'em, especially on the Internet. He made a successful comeback after his suspension was finished, and won money at several more Magic events, though his focus was mainly on poker.

Poker

Williams's poker success was capped at the 2004 World Series of Poker. He qualified through an online poker site and made it to the finals of the main event, ultimately finishing second to Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, but still winning $3.5 million for the runner-up prize. Four months later he finished second at the Borgata Open World Poker Tour stop where he collected $573,800.

Despite the fact that there is much more money that can be made in professional poker than professional Magic, Williams has said he will continue to play both games, although poker will take precedence. Like many who play both, he has asserted that the two are for different purposes: he plays Magic to have fun, and poker to make money.

Williams is currently a student at Southern Methodist University.

External links

• Poker Babes profile
• Hendon Mob tournament results