Dewey Tomko

Duane "Dewey" Tomko was born on December 31, 1946, in Glassport, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He began playing poker profitably as a 16-year-old in Pittsburgh pool halls, using his winnings to finance his education. After working as a kindergarten teacher for several years and often playing poker through the night, he realized poker was more profitable and left teaching to play full-time.

Tomko won his first WSOP bracelet in 1979 in the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em event, defeating Duanne Hammrich heads-up for $48,000. At the 1984 WSOP, he won two bracelets in back-to-back days: the $10,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($105,000) and the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with re-buys ($135,000). In total, he has three WSOP bracelets and 43 WSOP money finishes.

Tomko is best known for his deep runs in the WSOP Main Event. He finished runner-up in 1982 to Jack Straus and again in 2001 to Carlos Mortensen, earning $208,000 and $1,098,925, respectively. He also made the final table of the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship in 2006, finishing 7th for $343,200.

Beyond the WSOP, Tomko has two World Poker Tour final tables: runner-up in the 2003 Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $552,853 and 4th in the Costa Rica Classic for $14,650.

In 2008, Tomko was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame alongside Henry Orenstein. As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceeded $4.96 million, with $2.64 million from the WSOP. His career cashes span over 40 years, and he played every WSOP Main Event from 1974 to 2008—the longest consecutive streak at the time.

Tomko is an excellent golfer and spends much of his free time on the course, often playing with fellow poker pros like Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey. His frequent golf partner is Hilbert Shirey, who also lives in Winter Haven, Florida. Author Rick Reilly featured a day with Tomko on the golf course in his book Who's Your Caddy. Tomko is married and has a son, Derek, who encouraged him to return to tournament poker.