Gavin Griffin: From Internet to Live Poker
Gavin Griffin can still be considered as a newbie in the poker industry because he only became a professional poker player in 2003. However, he has already showed exceptional skills in the game. When he won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 2004, he was considered as the youngest poker professional to have attained such success. Furthermore, a WSOP bracelet is not his only achievement to boast of. He is also a World Poker Tour title holder as well as a European Poker Tour title holder. And such achievements are not so common for a poker player who has only been in the industry since 2003.
Born in Darien, Illinois on August 28, 1981, Gavin Griffin has a college degree in speech therapy. He first worked as a speech therapist before he decided to penetrate the world of professional poker. His interest in live poker was ignited by his passion for Internet poker. That is the reason why he attributes much of his success to his interest in playing online poker.
Because of the fact that he was more into online poker, Gavin Griffin was not really popular in the poker world until he participated in the 35th Annual World Series of Poker on May 14, 2004. He was only twenty two years old at that time but has confident enough to be a contestant in a Pot Limit Hold'em game. He victoriously became the first placer, not only earning a WSOP bracelet and not only earning US$270,420 but also being able to break the record of poker professional Allen Cunningham as the youngest holder of a WSOP bracelet.
Gavin Griffin was also a participant of the European Poker Tour that was held in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2007. He qualified for the grand finals of the No Limit Hold'em event that was held on March 28 and fortunately finished first. It was his first time to earn a European Poker Tour title and his first time to earn as much as US$2,391,895.
Gavin Griffin's latest achievement is earning a World Poker Tour title on January 31, 2008. Such achievement was earned from his participation in the Borgata Winter Open that was held in the sixth season of the World Poker Tour. It was a No Limit Hold'em event and his prize money amounted to US$1,375,609.
With those three victories, Gavin Griffin has been known as the only young poker professional to have won one WSOP bracelet, one European Poker Tour title and one World Poker Tour title between 2003 and 2008.
In a span of five months, it can be said that Gavin Griffin has had contributions to the industry that can be compared to the contributions of some of the big names in the poker world. His other poker contributions include finishing third in the No Limit Hold'em Championship game held during the Harrah's Rincon Poker Tournament in San Diego, California on February 22, 2007 and ending as the seventh placer in the Pot Limit Hold'em World Championship game featured at the 38th Annual World Series of Poker.
