Greg Raymer

Gregory Paul Raymer was born on June 25, 1964, in Minot, North Dakota. His family moved frequently during his childhood, living in Lansing, Michigan, until age 10, then Clearwater, Florida, and later St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Parkway South High School in St. Louis before enrolling at the University of Missouri–Rolla, where he majored in chemistry and became a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He earned a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1989 and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1992. Raymer practiced as a patent attorney for more than a decade, spending his last six years in that role at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

Raymer first cashed in a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 2001, finishing in the money in the $1,500 Omaha hi-lo split 8 or better tournament won by Chris Ferguson. His career-defining moment came at the 2004 WSOP Main Event. The tournament drew 2,576 entries, with 315 coming from PokerStars as the 'Moneymaker Effect' continued. Raymer entered the final table holding nearly one-third of the chips in play. He eliminated four of the first five players, including Dan Harrington, who finished fourth for the second consecutive year. In heads-up play against David Williams, Raymer won in just seven hands to claim the $5,000,000 first prize. At the time, the top two payouts were the largest ever awarded in a poker tournament.

As defending champion in 2005, Raymer finished 25th out of 5,619 entrants, earning $304,680. This two-year performance is considered one of the most impressive in Main Event history, alongside Dan Harrington's back-to-back final tables in 2003-2004. In 2009, Raymer placed third in the $40,000 40th Anniversary WSOP event, winning $774,927 — his second-largest live cash. He also made a deep run in the 2016 Main Event, finishing 122nd out of 6,737 for $49,108. Raymer has cashed 61 times at the WSOP and earned one gold bracelet. He has two World Poker Tour cashes but no final table appearances.

Outside the WSOP, Raymer finished third in the inaugural British Poker Open in 2005, a live final worth approximately £20,000.

Raymer won his first World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) bracelet on September 17, 2007, taking Event #6 — a $320 Pot Limit Omaha tournament with rebuys — for $168,362. He has also dominated the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT). In 2012, he won an unprecedented four HPT main events: at Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico (July 30); River City Casino in St. Louis, Missouri (October 1); Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino in Iowa (October 22); and Belterra Casino in Indiana (November 19). Those victories earned him $371,967 and the HPT Player of the Year title. On January 20, 2020, Raymer won a record fifth HPT title at Ameristar Casino East Chicago, besting 520 opponents for $171,411 on a $1,650 buy-in.

Raymer employs a tight-aggressive style built on mathematical rigor. He carefully selects starting hands and leverages position and pot odds post-flop. Known for his patience and emotional control, he adjusts his approach based on stack sizes and tournament stage: controlling pots in deep-stacked play and seeking profitable all-in opportunities when short-stacked. He has also appeared on televised cash games such as High Stakes Poker. Raymer emphasizes the importance of understanding odds and psychology, advising beginners to master basic probabilities and maintain discipline over the long term.

Raymer's nickname 'Fossilman' stems from his hobby of collecting fossils and prehistoric artifacts. He uses a small fossil as a card protector at the table, and since 2008, he has given the fossil to the player who knocks him out of a tournament. As he told PokerNews in 2020, 'I started using a fossil as a card protector a long time ago and got the nickname "FossilMan." Since '08, it occurred to me that I might as well take that fossil and give it to the person that knocks me out. So every single tournament is a new fossil.' He often wears fossil-rimmed glasses, making him instantly recognizable. A science fiction enthusiast, he has referenced works like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in his poker commentary. Raymer is also the author of a book on tournament poker and is known for his friendly, humorous personality. He resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Raymer's 2004 Main Event victory came during the peak of the poker boom, and his success inspired many aspiring players. His disciplined, math-based approach served as a model for recreational and professional players alike. Despite never winning a second WSOP bracelet, he has remained active on the tournament circuit for over two decades, amassing more than $8.3 million in live earnings. As of 2025, he ranks among the top 100 on the United States all-time money list and second on the North Carolina all-time money list. His unique fossil-themed persona and consistent results have secured his legacy as one of the memorable figures from poker's golden era.