Hasan Habib doesn't have to grind out a living at the poker table with his fellow pros. The life he left behind in Pakistan is one of privilege, built on profits from his family's thriving business and banking empire. Nonetheless, when Habib turned 18 his feet grew restless; he wanted to study at an American university and get by without financial assistance from his family.

He would receive an education in the U.S. alright, though not in any traditional discipline. Habib's primary catechism would be in the card rooms.

Thousands of miles from Hold'em's roots in the gambling halls of Texas, Habib was born April 19, 1962 in Karachi, Pakistan, the oldest of four siblings.

He had a comfortable existence in Karachi, where his family has a long-established reputation for success in business and philanthropy. Habib, however, excelled at sports and spent his free time as a youngster playing tennis competitively. He became so good he won a national tennis championship for youth at the age of 14.

Habib's athleticism factored into his research of U.S. post-secondary schools to attend after graduation in Pakistan. He found a natural fit at the University of Redlands in California, an institution that enjoyed a successful tennis team and a strong business program.

But it wasn't athletics or the familial profession that sparked Habib's interest: Instead, he got a rush from college poker games. He discovered a hidden talent for cards, which he felt out at a couple of small tournaments. To improve, Habib mined strategy guides for advice and cornered pros to talk poker.

The game proved to be such a profitable distraction that, in the end, Habib quit school and took up cash-game play in local casinos. It may have been fun, but it wasn't easy. Wanting to get by without taking money from his family back home, Habib eked out a living at the tables.

He didn't make his presence known on the tournament scene until the mid-90s when he started cashing at minor tournaments in California. He chipped away at events, drawing in four-figure pots but little else until 2000 when his bank account started to swell with noteworthy poker winnings.

At the time he was short on scratch and living in a $25-a-day rented room near a casino in Los Angeles. Then came the 2000 World Series of Poker.

Not only did Habib best his existing record for tournament winnings by cashing $80,000 in the $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event, but the mild-mannered pro also made the Main Event final table. There, he treated his competition to his signature style of play: unpredictable and fearless. The end result was a fourth-place finish and $326,000, courtesy of the WSOP.

If that didn't get Habib noticed, then his $1.4 million second-place at the 2004 World Poker Tour Championship and his first WSOP gold bracelet win in $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo a few months later did. The same year's Festa Al Lago Championship produced another big payday, worth $328,738.

Needless to say, Habib is no longer living in a rented room.

Though his performance at tournaments seems to have peaked in 2004, he is still a force at the table when he chooses to compete. He told PokerListings.com in 2005 his best results are at tournament No-Limit Hold'em, and said he also enjoys Omaha Hi-Lo side games.

Now that he's paid his dues at the felt, Habib has a clear vision of what his future holds, and it doesn't involve marathon sit-downs at casino card tables. "I'll try to relax more and not play so much poker," he said.

Habib also has plans of world travel to compliment his regular trips home to visit family in Pakistan. With what's left of his spare time the bachelor enjoys relaxing in his three homes in the U.S., pampering his prized cat, reading, dancing and playing sports.