Mel Judah

Mel Judah was born on October 8, 1947, in Kolkata, India, later moving to Australia and representing the country in tournaments. He learned poker at age 14 by watching his father play five-card draw. Before turning professional, he worked as a barber for many years and believes this experience helped him better understand player psychology.

Judah has achieved notable results in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), winning two gold bracelets:

• 1989: Won the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event, earning $130,800.
• 1997: Defeated Vasilis Lazarou in the $5,000 Seven-Card Stud event to win $176,000.

His most famous WSOP result came in the 1997 Main Event, where he made the final table and finished third for $371,000. The champion that year was Stu Ungar. As of 2009, Judah had 36 WSOP in-the-money finishes, with total WSOP earnings of $1,299,630.

On the World Poker Tour (WPT), Judah won the 2003 Legends of Poker Main Event for $579,375. At the final table, he defeated top players including Phil Laak, Farzad Bonyadi, Chip Jett, T.J. Cloutier, and Paul Phillips. He also finished sixth in the 2003-2004 Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $101,842. His total WPT earnings are $681,217.

• 2006: Finished fourth in the Poker Million final table.
• 2009: Won the $1,100 Omaha Hi-Lo event at the Aussie Millions.

Judah's live tournament winnings exceed $3,712,421 (as of 2025 data), with WSOP earnings accounting for $1,580,707.

In 2006, Judah was appointed director of the European Poker Masters, the first independent poker tour in Europe. He also invented the "Cashout Poker" concept, allowing players to cash out a portion of their chips at their current value during a tournament. This was implemented through Cashout Poker, a company he founded in 2007.

In 2009, Judah was inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame as one of the inaugural members. His nickname "Silver Fox" is shared with fellow player Peter Costa.

Judah is known for his aggressive and attacking style, particularly post-flop. He excels at using position and stack size to apply pressure, while also adjusting his strategy flexibly in deep-stacked tournaments. His hand-reading ability, combined with years of experience, has kept him competitive across different events.

Judah currently resides in Sydney, Australia. Besides poker, he remains interested in tournament structure innovation and continues to participate in high-stakes events as a seasoned player.