Thomas John Cloutier

Thomas John Cloutier was born on October 13, 1939, in Albany, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley on an athletic scholarship for both football and baseball, playing in the 1959 Rose Bowl. Financial hardship forced him to drop out, and after serving in the U.S. Army, he played professional football in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes (1962) and the Toronto Argonauts (1963) as an end. A knee injury ultimately ended his football career.

After football, Cloutier started a food company that failed. Following the end of his first marriage, he moved to Texas and worked on oil rigs. On his days off, he played poker and soon realized he could earn more from poker than his job. He quit to pursue poker full-time, marking the start of a legendary career.

Cloutier specializes in tournament poker, particularly no-limit and pot-limit hold'em. He is the only player to win WSOP events in three Omaha variants: Pot-Limit High, Limit High, and Limit 8-or-Better High-Low. His six WSOP bracelets came in 1987, 1994 (two), 1998, 2004, and 2005. The full list of his bracelet wins is:

He has four top-five finishes in the WSOP Main Event: second in 1985 (losing to Bill Smith), second in 2000 (losing to Chris Ferguson in a dramatic heads-up battle), third in 1998, and fifth in 1988. His Main Event cashes include:

As of 2024, his total WSOP earnings exceed $4.7 million, and he holds over 50 live tournament wins.

On the World Poker Tour, Cloutier's best finish was third in the 2003 Legends of Poker ($146,775). He also placed eighth in the 2004 WPT Championship at Bellagio ($133,064) and has multiple other cashes:

He also cashed in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Copenhagen Main Event in 2007 (20th for DKr76,032), and in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship among other events. His best live cash of $896,500 came from his runner-up finish in the 2000 WSOP Main Event. As of 2025, his live tournament earnings total over $10.56 million, ranking him among the all-time money leaders.

Cloutier is co-author (with Tom McEvoy) of several influential poker strategy books, including Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em and Championship Omaha. These books are considered essential reading for serious players and have helped shape modern tournament strategy.

Cloutier is known for an aggressive, math-based style in no-limit and pot-limit games. He emphasizes position, reading opponents, and calculated aggression. His approach has been studied and emulated by generations of players, and his books provide deep insights into his thought process.

Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006, Cloutier is revered for his achievements, contributions to poker literature, and his role in popularizing tournament poker. He remains an active player and respected figure in the poker community, frequently appearing at major events and sharing his expertise.