David Sklansky Poker Author David Sklansky was born in 1947 in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was the son of a Colombia University mathematics professor. Young Sklansky seemed to inherit his father’s mathematical talents and it was reflected in his school grades. He graduated from Teaneck High School in 1966 and enrolled at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He attended classes for a year but then dropped out and returned home. While at college, David Sklansky discovered poker and began to play with several friends. They would occasionally skip class to go play and then afterwards would analyze the hands they had played.

Back in Teaneck, David Sklansky took multiple exams for the Society of Actuaries and took a job working for an actuarial firm. While working at the firm, Sklansky discovered a faster way of doing some of their calculating. He showed his discovery to his boss who gave him permission to use the new method but not to show it to the other workers. That kind of analytical mind would help him in his future career in poker.

David Sklansky - Becomin a Professional Gambler

David Sklansky didn’t last long as an actuary. He soon quit his job and moved to Las Vegas to pursue a career as a professional gambler. One of his first big wins was in 1979 at the Amarillo Slim’s Superbowl of Poker where he won the $1,000 Razz event. In the next few years he won a total of three World Series of Poker bracelets. He won his first bracelet in 1982 at $1,000 Draw High where he earned $15,500. His second bracelet was also in 1982 at $800 Mixed Doubles. His third bracelet came in 1983 at $1,000 Limit Omaha where he took home $25,500. He continued to make final table finishes at the WSOP and other tournaments until 1991. Then he disappeared from the tournament circuit.

David Sklansky Publishes 'Winning Poker'

David Sklansky did not give up on poker. He continued to play in cash games but by that time was concentrating on writing and publishing books on the game. In 1983, he published Winning Poker, co-written with Roger Dionne. Over the years he would go on to publish over a dozen books, the most popular of which was The Theory of Poker released in 1987. It is viewed by many as a must have for any aspiring players. He also produced instructional videos for players as well as wrote numerous articles for poker publications both in print and online. Some of his books include Hold’Em Poker (which was one of the first books on the subject), Getting the Best of It, Hold’Em Poker for the 21st Century (co-written by Mason Malmuth), Poker, Gaming, and Life, Sklansky on Poker, Sklansky on Razz, and Tournament Poker for Advanced Players.

David Sklansky Returns to the WSOP

David Sklansky returned to the poker circuit in 2001. At the WSOP, he made the final table and took fifth place in the $1,500 Omaha event. In 2002, he made another final table and finished in the money at the Main Event.

David Sklansky - World Poker Tour

In 2004, David Sklansky was invited to participate in the World Poker Tour By the Book Invitational. It was an event that featured poker authors and players such as Mike Caro, Phil Hellmuth, TJ Cloutier, Mike Sexton, and Doyle Brunson. Sklansky went on to face Brunson in heads up where he defeated him and won the tournament.

Since then David Sklansky has played in more tournaments where he has experienced some success. In 2005 at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, he took ninth place in No Limit Hold’Em and earned $25,000. At the 2005 Five-Star World Poker Classic, he had a nineteenth place finish at the No Limit Hold’Em Championship event that earned him $75,485. In 2006, he had a big win at the WPT Borgata Open. He came in third at the Championship event and took home an impressive $419,040. One of his most recent wins was at the WSOP 2008. At the Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball event, he finished in sixth place and took home $20,527.

David Sklansky - Consulting at Poker Tek, Inc.

Recently, David Sklansky became a consultant for PokerTek, Inc. PokerTek is a company that makes PokerPro and dealerless Heads-Up poker tables for casinos and gambling establishments around the world. The tables are fully automated and feature a screen at each seat that displays a player’s digital cards and chips. David Sklansky, as spokesperson, has declared that the tables will change the game and offer new features to players that manual tables could not provide.

David Sklansky is often sought out by casinos and internet gambling sites for consultation. He once helped develop the new casino game World Poker Tour All-In Hold’Em for the company Lakes Entertainment.

David Sklansky - Christian Fundamentalists Controversy

Sklansky has also been involved in his share of controversy and criticism. In 2006, he offered a wager to Christian fundamentalists. The fundamentalist contestants first had to pass a lie detector test to affirm their complete faith in Jesus Christ and that anyone who did not believe in him would go to hell. If they passed the test, they would then be able to wager $50,000 and attempt to outscore Sklansky in an SAT test. They had to take the SAT in half the normal time. The idea behind the wager was that Sklanksy wanted to prove that Christian fundamentalists were less likely than Asians, Jews, or even atheists to be scientifically brilliant. But the wager drew harsh criticism. Some predicted that Sklansky would get a perfect score on his SAT and thus not much incentive to attract competitors. Also, many felt the lie detector test would not allow a good representation of American Christians. Several days after Sklansky had issued the challenge and no one came forth to take it up, he withdrew it and admitted that it had been a publicity stunt.

David Sklansky - Brandi Hawbaker Scandal

In 2007, David Sklansky had his reputation tarnished by his involvement with the late Brandi Hawbaker. She was a young poker player with an apparent slew of personal and emotional problems. She had approached Sklansky for poker lessons and in exchange for a staged publicity photo Sklansky agreed. He ended up giving her several lessons in exchange for small favors but it was soon blown out of proportion in public forums over the internet. When the two finally had a falling out, Hawbaker claimed that Sklansky had tried to take advantage of her sexually which Sklansky denied. The allegations were posted all over the internet, particularly in the popular forum 2+2. Hawbaker eventually found herself banned from the site but by then the damage had been done. Hawbaker committed suicide a few months later.

David Sklansky Recent Developments

Sklansky has weathered those storms and still remains a top authority on poker. He continues to play in tournaments and write articles on poker. He currently lives in Henderson, Nevada. His book the Theory of Poker is still a bestseller as it is sought out by pros and amateurs alike. His articles can be found on the internet and he regularly posts on the 2+2 forums.