Understanding TJ Cloutier

When TJ Cloutier enters the room, even the most seasoned poker professionals take notice. It is as if a living poker royalty is in the area. Even normally egocentric Phil Hellmuth stopped a lecture mid-sentence to introduce TJ when he snuck into the room. He is one of the original Texas gamblers, and his stories of poker past allow him to be one of the most popular story tellers in professional poker.

With a group of eager poker amateurs gathered around recently, Phil Hellmuth called out, "TJ, tell them the one about you and me back in '89." A wry smile came to his face, and everyone leaned in to hear TJ weave a true tale of poker past. His tough yet approachable personality makes him one of the most respected players on the tour as measured by fans, fellow players, and media alike.

Understanding TJ starts with understanding where he comes from. A tall, strong guy, he was an accomplished athlete in high school in California. His prowess in athletics led him to scholarships for baseball and football at Cal-Berkley. He was drafted into the Army, where he learned the game of poker and the discipline that is needed to excel in it.

When I asked him when he started playing poker seriously, he joked that it was "Oh, about 20 years before you were born, I'd guess." A more exact start date of his poker playing seems to be somewhere near 1956. He grew to be a feared football player, landing gigs with the Montreal Allouettes and Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football league. His bad knees railroaded his professional football career, though. A limp in his gate still today evidences these days of football glory. TJ ended up in Texas working on the oil rigs, making hard money for hard work. After his work day ended, he'd often unwind by trying his hand at the many poker games that filled the backrooms of bars and businesses across the state of Texas. Soon he found that he was making more money playing poker after work than he was via his actual paychecks.

Since those days of traveling through Texas hitting the dimly-lit (and often dangerous) backroom games, Cloutier has evolved to become a true living legend of the game. Ask any known professional poker player to list the best No Limit HE players in the world, and TJ's name will undoubtedly be at or near the top of every single list. Without fail, everyone has supreme respect for this man and his game. Since the WSOP main event title has eluded him, many pros will tell you that if they can't win it they'll root for TJ. That is a testament alone to his place in the mind of his cohorts. TJ is certainly the best player to have never one the "big one," although he's come extremely close with 2 different 2nd places in the main event and 4 total top 5 finishes. He holds 6 total WSOP bracelets, 2 in Hold 'Em, 3 in Omaha variants, and 1 in Razz. TJ's long list of poker accomplishments include well over 50 major tournament wins to the tune of somewhere near $6 million in winnings (some think he has the most wins of any player all time in $500 buy-in or greater tourneys). Also, he's co-authored 4 different books with well-known poker author and player Tom McEvoy. Some of the best parts of TJ's books are his stories of the old time in poker, which sometimes involved catching cheats, getting robbed at gunpoint, and playing unbelievable hands.

Not only is TJ a devout poker player, he is also a strong family man. He and his wife live in Texas. He is proud to have 6 kids. TJ is a wealth of poker information, and a wealth of life information.

TJ Cloutier: Play Profile & Prediction

PLAY PROFILE: While everyone considers TJ to be one of the best Hold 'Em players in the world, some overlook that he has a WSOP bracelet in 3 different Omaha games (Pot-Limit Hi, Limit Hi, and Limit 8 or better) and one in Razz. In other words, TJ should be feared in any game, at any time, and at any limits. He is a tournament specialist who probably wished the current boom in popularity happened about 20 years ago while he was younger and more apt to easily keep up the hectic schedule. His play style adapts to the situation, as most great players attempt to do. TJ is a wise tournament player. In listening to him explain his game, he stresses chip management and wise decisions. "Don't go broke only holding one pair," he flatly explained. He advocates for using position and aggression to accumulate chips when the antes are added to the game, sweetening the pot. He also talks about not playing "too cute." In other words, he tries to convince players to not slow play their big hands and allow inferior hands to catch up. TJ's strength at the table is his unmatched experience and keen ability to read players. He stays as focused as a hawk at the table, even during hands he is not involved with. Inevitably he'll have mental notes on every player he's encountered, and use their weaknesses against them. When I faced him in a hand recently, I glanced up him to attempt to see if he was exhibiting a tell. Of course, a moment later I thought to myself, "Duhh, its TJ Cloutier - there isn't going to be any tells." After 50 years of playing experience, TJ does not show tells and he des not go on tilt.

PREDICTIONS: TJ just wants to play the game he loves. While some professional poker players are delving into business deals, TV contracts, and movie deals, TJ is content to play poker and meet with his old friends along the way. He seems unfazed by the wild antics and maniac-style play of the new breed on internet players. Like a true predator, he waits for their mistakes and pounces upon them. Because of his unrivaled abilities across all types of poker games, TJ will continue to earn his place at the final tables at major poker events. With the impossibly massive fields that now converge upon the WSOP main event, it sadly seems that he will never get that elusive main event title. I could foresee him getting another bracelet on some of the earlier events in upcoming years, though. I would consider him one of the favorites in the new H.O.R.S.E event at the WSOP due to his well-rounded game, for instance.

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♣ Jennifer Harman ♣ Johnny Chan ♣ Mark Seif ♣ Mike Matusow ♣ Phil Gordon ♣ Phil Hellmuth ♣ Phil Ivey ♣ Phil Laak ♣ Poker Hotties ♣ Sam Farha ♣ TJ Cloutier

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