Paul Darden Poker Paul Darden was born in 1968 in the poverty ghetto of New Haven, Connecticut. His father owned a pool hall, Big Bettor’s Place, that had a back room where there was always a card game going on. When Paul Darden was seven years old, his parents divorced. Darden then spent most of his growing years watching and learning from card sharks ands other hustlers. The game consumed his life and he studied it diligently.

New Haven is a rough place to grow up in. Poverty, drugs, and gangs are the normal way of life. These surroundings shaped the young Paul Darden who had a rough childhood.

According to Darden, "Growing up, I hung out with the wrong crowd. They robbed people at times. Some of my best friends were drug dealers.”

Paul Darden tried several jobs, including one as a paperboy. But with no proper education and no future of escaping the run-down neighborhoods, he turned to gambling as a means to make money.

Paul Darden claims that poker saved his life. At age fifteen, he was wrongly arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. It was a case of mistaken identity. He was later acquitted but the experience changed his outlook. He decided to try to do something with his life. He dropped out of school and started playing poker full-time.

Paul Darden started playing regularly at a local bar called the Dumbar, which was run by a good friend of his. It helped to keep him off the streets and out of trouble. He began winning and taking in serious cash which soon led to action at games outside the bar. He started to travel to some of the poker games and at times brought home more than $10,000.

In 1992, Foxwoods Casino, one of the world’s largest casinos, opened up and Darden started playing seven card stud, limit hold ‘em, and other games.

According to Darden, “I realized that to play at high limits, you have to know mixed games.”

He honed his craft at the tables of the Foxwoods, adjusting his style from what he learned in the backrooms of pool halls. He even made a few trips to Atlantic City. It was there that he met his friend and mentor Phil Ivey. Ivey taught Darden to play Texas hold ‘Em and further helped him develop his poker game. He even spotted him to enter the 2000 World Series of Poker no limit hold ‘em event.

Paul Darden started to enter poker tournaments and soon placed second in four major poker events. Ivey began to antagonize him by calling him ‘Number Two’, saying that Darden would never take first if he continued to rush the action when heads-up. In 2001, he finally took first at the World Series of Poker in the $2500 seven card stud event and brought home $147,440.

After that, he won the main event at the 2002 New England Poker Classic. The prize was over $72,000. Then in 2003, he won the World Poker Tour Gold Rush Tournament which was televised. The prize for first was $146,000. At the final table, he beat out the master Phil Helmuth and Antonio Esfandiari.

2004 turned into a difficult year for Paul Darden. After scoring big at several large tournaments, Darden’s luck turned cold. At the 2003 WPT Championship at the Bellagio Hotel, with only three tables left, Darden was beat out by Alan Goerhring. Then in a series of tournaments, he was consistently knocked out early.

Paul Darden said, “I been in a cold spell. That's the thing about poker, is you're gonna have hot and cold spells.”

Darden started to garner more success in 2005. He took in a big win at the PartyPoker.com Million IV event where he won fifth place. The event had the largest hold‘em prize pool in history, at just over $7 million. Darden's fifth place win earned him $300,000.

Patience is a big key to Paul Darden’s playing style. His mistakes in the past of rushing the action has taught him the value of that specific virtue.

"I think patience is the most important skill in being a successful poker player," he said. "Without it, you are always going to make more and more mistakes or go on tilt."

Paul Darden has earned cash at over 40 tournaments and his hip-hop street attitude has made him a favorite with the fans. Televised events gave the audience a glimpse of a street-dressed African-American with a confident, laid-back playing style. He was given the nickname “American Thug” but he has always preferred the moniker ‘Truth’, a name he came up with when he once tried a career at stand-up comedy.

His cool demeanor and aggressive play earned him a spot in the World Poker Tour's Bad Boys of Poker event along with other recognizable players such as Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and David Ulliott. Paul Darden finished in second place, a notable achievement at an event with such names.

Unlike some other professional poker players, Paul Darden tries to be financially responsible with is earnings. His attitude towards poker is realistic, acknowledging that the game has highs and lows. He has stated that one must have a bankroll built up to help get through those low periods. In recent years he has tried to enhance his income by other business ventures such as real estate. Being a married man with four children, family is important to Darden. His ultimate goal has always been to spend more time at home and establish a good financial foundation for his children.

Paul Darden has helped break the stereotype of the white professional gambler. Since the explosion of online gambling, which opened the doors to many younger gamblers, there is much more diversity among the players. Darden wants to be a positive role model for the black community.

"You know," quotes Darden in an interview, "I beat the odds. A lot of guys that I grew up with in the inner city ended up in drugs, and all kinds of violence. Although I dropped out, I was smart enough to do something positive, rather than negative."

As of 2007, Paul Darden's total estimated earnings have been $1,900,000.