WSOP bracelet winner David Williams wasn't the first person to successfully transition from Magic: The Gathering to poker and, according to Williams, he won't be the last.
But, as Williams was quick to point out, Magic can prepare you for a lot more than poker.
“I think Magic is great because it's a non-gambling game that kids can play and it will prepare you for poker or a ton of other career paths you can go down,” Williams told PokerListings.com.
“I learned more playing Magic than I did at school, until I got to the more advanced stuff in college, and the cool thing is that you don't even realize you're learning because it's so much fun.
“A lot of people have moved from Magic to poker but I have a lot of friends from Magic that have gone into finance or technical fields but basically they're mentally prepared to succeed in anything in life.”
"Magic: The Gathering Trains You to Stay on Your Toes"
Unlike most card games where players share cards out of the same deck, each Magic player constructs their own deck and uses it to battle one or more opponents.
Williams, who has earned more than $8.3 million playing live poker tournaments, got his start in competitive gaming playing Magic more than a decade ago, and says it was the analytical skills and long hours at the table that prepared him for poker.
“I think the biggest things it can teach you are problem solving, how to focus and stay on task for long hours, and I think that's the key that helps people succeed at poker,” said Williams.
“Magic trains you to stay on your toes for long periods of time and know that every decision matters,” he said. “In regular life you usually get breaks and you're not playing for 12 hours a day for three or four days.”
“Poker tournaments aren't like that and neither are Magic tournaments.”
Success in Magic Translates to Success in Poker
David Williams is just one of a long list of former Magic pros to put their skills to work at the poker table.
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brock Parker is credited as being one of the first successful MtG players to make the jump, and he was followed by a list that includes Gabriel Nassif, Scott Seiver, Isaac Haxton, Adam Levy, Justin Bonomo and Eric Froelich, to name just a few.
And the reason that so many Magic players are taking a shot at poker is simple. Money.
Last October Williams played a team Magic tournament that had a field of over 1,700 players. Williams and his two teammates won the event and pocketed just $2,000 each.
To put that in perspective Williams pocketed $3.5 million at the 2004 WSOP Main Event and he didn't even finish first.
“No one I know plays Magic for the money,” said Williams. “But it's amazing any time you win at something you're passionate about and honestly that win felt as good as any poker tournament I've ever won.”
The Phil Ivey of Magic: The Gathering
Just like poker there are players in the Magic world that crush the game on a completely different level than the rest of the population.
But unlike poker where Phil Ivey is widely regarded as the greatest player in the game, the title of greatest Magic player could belong to one of two players depending on who you ask.
“There are definitely Magic players that just crush and win way more than the average good player, kind of like Phil Ivey in poker,” said Williams.
“The best player in the world is debatable but it's either a German guy named Kai Budde or an American named Jon Finkel.
“In my eyes Finkel is the very best but there's an argument for both,” he said.
You may also like: Eric Froehlich: “Magic: The Gathering is Best Game Ever Made”
