T.J. Cloutier was born on October 13, 1939, in Albany, California. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Daly City, California where he excelled at sports. He enrolled at the University of California at Berkley and was accepted on a football and baseball scholarship and played in the 1959 Rose Bowl.

When T.J. Cloutier's mother became ill, he had to drop out of college. He went to work in order to help his father pay her medical bills. Before long, he was drafted into the army to serve his country. While in the army, Cloutier honed his poker skills playing his fellow servicemen. He had a natural talent for it but at that time did not consider playing as a full-time profession.

As soon as T.J. Cloutier got out of the Army, he played professional football for the Montreal Allouettes in the Canadian Football League. After a time with them, he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts. Back then, U.S. football was rough and Canada was apparently no exception. During one game with the Alouettes, Cloutier got nailed in the face by an elbow. Two of his teeth punched through his lip and instead of being sent to the hospital, the coaches sewed his lip up on the sidelines and then sent him back in to play.

After five grueling seasons, T.J. Cloutier’s football career came to an end when a knee injury took him out of the game. He needed a new job so he went into business with his father and brother-in-law. They started up Bets Quality Foods but the venture turned sour.

Soon after that T.J. Cloutier and his first wife divorced. During this time the Texas oil industry was booming so Cloutier decided to give it a shot. He moved to Longview, Texas and worked in the oil fields for awhile.

T.J. Cloutier - Poker in Shreveport, LA

He kept up his poker playing by traveling down to Shreveport, Louisiana on his days off. Before long, he was making more money at poker than he was his own job. He quit the oil field business and became a full-time player, traveling around to all the games, some legal and some not so legal.

T.J. Cloutier was one of the ‘Texas Rounders’, a term used to refer to gamblers who made the rounds to different card games. The 1960’s were a dangerous time to be traveling around Texas playing poker. Gambling was illegal so one ran the risk of being busted by the police in a raid. Also, if a player was cheated, he certainly couldn’t turn to the police, either. Things had a way of being settled on their own, and sometimes violently.

T.J. Cloutier - World Series of Poker

TJ. Cloutier eventually began to travel back and forth to Las Vegas. He entered his first World Series of Poker in 1983 and it was the beginning of a long and successful career. At the 1985 World Series of Poker World Championship No Limit Hold’Em, Cloutier took second place and won $280,000. It was one of his first biggest tournament wins.

T. J. Cloutier holds six WSOP gold bracelets. His first was in 1987 in $1,000 Limit Omaha Hi where he earned $72,000. His second bracelet was in 1994 in $1,500 Limit Omaha 8 or Better where he took home $135,000. His third bracelet also came in 1994 at $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’Em. He took home $163,000 for that win. He won his fourth bracelet in 1998 at Pot Limit Omaha Hi and earned $136,000. He won his fifth bracelet in 2004 at $1,500 Seven Card Razz. He took home $90,500 for that event. Then his sixth bracelet came in 2005 at $5,000 No Limit Hold’Em. That win earned him $657,100.

But T.J. Cloutier has yet to win a WSOP Main Event. He has placed four times among the top five players at the Main Event and has had two second place finishes. He is even one of the top money finishers in the WSOP.

T.J. Cloutier - World Poker Tour

Besides the WSOP, T.J. Cloutier has had two final table finishes at the World Poker Tour and over 50 final table finishes throughout his career. Some of the highlights include the 1990 Superbowl of Poker where he placed sixth in a No Limit Hold’Em event. A few days later at a larger No Limit Hold’Em event, he took first place and won $240,000.

In August of that same year, he won first place in No Limit Hold’Em at the Jim Brady Tournament. That win earned him $256,000. He also took a first at the Hall of Fame Poker Classic. In 1991 at the Seventh Annual Diamond Jim Brady Tournament, Cloutier won first in the No Limit Hold’Em Championship and earned $230,000.

At the California State Poker Championship in 1997, he came in second in Limit Hold’Em. At the 2001 Tournament of Champions he came in second place in No Limit Hold’Em. In 2002 at the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic he took first place in Pot Limit Omaha.

Two of his most recent big wins have been in 2007 and 2008. At the Third Annual Red River Roundup in 2007, TJ Cloutier took second place and won $120,000. Then in 2008 at the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge, he won first in the Poker Pages Ranking No Limit Hold’Em Championships. That win earned him $240,560.

TJ Cloutier - Poker With a Photographic Memory

T.J. Cloutier is famous for having what he has termed ‘an elephant’s memory’. It is basically a photographic memory regarding poker. He can remember hands that opponents have played from years back. He does not always remember names but he has almost total recall of how a person played certain cards. He has stated that in high stakes games, it is critical to know one’s opponent.

TJ Cloutier - Poker on Television

TJ Cloutier is the only person in the history of the WSOP to have won an event in all three types of Omaha. He has had appearances on the televised shows Ultimate Poker Challenge, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, Poker Superstars Invitational, and Poker Royale: Battle of the Ages. He is currently ranked second to Phil Hellmuth in the most table finishes of all time in the WSOP.

T. J. Cloutier Poker Books

Along with Tom McEvoy, Cloutier has co-authored four books:

Championship Tournament Practice Hands
Championship Hold’Em
Championship Omaha
Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold’Em.

He is featured in the computer game World Class Poker with TJ Cloutier. As of 2008, his estimated tournament winnings are around $9 million. He currently lives in Texas with his wife Joy, who travels the circuit with him. Cloutier is considered one of the best tournament players of all time and one of the best Pot Limit players in the world.