T.J. Cloutier

Cloutier attended college at the University of California under a scholarship as an athlete. He played both football and baseball and event played in the Rose Bowl in 1959. Because of financial hardship in the family, Cloutier could not finish school. He was drafted into the United States Army around that time. After the army, he began playing for the Canadian Football League, but after sustaining injuries during play, his career in football was brought to an end.

He started a business in the food industry but it failed and after his first marriage ended, he moved to Texas to do work on oil rigs in the gulf. When TJ wasn’t working at the rig, he played poker and began making more money than he thought possible. He soon quit his day job to pursue a career in poker.

Among Clouiter’s accomplishments as a tournament player, are 55 money finishes at the World Series Of Poker, 9 money finishes at the World Poker Tour and 1 money finish at the European Poker Tour. He has been at more main event final tables at the WSOP than many of his opponents including two second place finishes, a 5^th place finish and a 3^rd place finish.