Brad Daugherty looking confident at the Rio poker room

This bio is based on an interview with Brad Daugherty, which took place in the Pavillion poker room at the Rio on June 1, 2005.

BIOGRAPHY OF BRAD DAUGHERTY

Born:
Mountain Grow, Missouri

Current Residence:
Las Vegas, NV, USA

Distinctions:
Author of two poker books
President of an online poker school
Wants sunglasses to be banned from the tables
Former card room manager
Considers himself a good reader of people
Believes that playing online poker makes it more difficult to read people
Likes to talk players out of their 'secrets'

Favorite Poker Game:
No-Limit Texas Hold'em

Playing Style:
Solid/aggressive

Biggest Poker Accomplishments:

Brad Daugherty was introduced to card playing by watching his family play when he was growing up in Idaho. It must have made an impact because at one point he won a trip to Kansas City through the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and remembers playing poker on the train for two days straight. In the Seventies, while working mainly in the construction business, Brad heard about Doyle Brunson's success as a poker player and it encouraged him to give poker a serious try. He ended up moving to Reno, NV around 1979-1980 to begin his career as a professional poker player. Brad was successful at most forms of poker but could not beat the Limit Texas Hold'em games. He was used to playing No-Limit poker and it wasn't until No-Limit Hold'em gained a foothold in poker that Brad immediately found success in playing. He now considers it both his best game and also his favorite game. And, while he plays both cash games and tournaments, Brad thinks that he should probably be playing more No-Limit Hold'em ring games as there is so much action in this game today.

In 1987, Brad was working part-time as a card room manager when someone suggested that he try his luck on the road as a full-time poker player. He thought it was worth a shot, considering that he always had more money when playing full-time, and began his career as a traveling player. However, life on the go took a heavy toll on his marriage and he was divorced in 1989.

He continued playing and was rewarded with a stroke of good luck when, in 1991, he won the WSOP $10,000 Main Event and became the first ever winner of $1,000,000. Brad remembers playing very well throughout the tournament and not getting unlucky by people drawing out on him. Since then, he has not won any major tournaments but has come close plenty of times. Nowadays he plays quite a few of the bigger events and his dream is to win another major tournament, preferably the WSOP Main Event!