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26th
AnnualDan Harrington, a 49-year-old professional poker player from Downey, California, captured his first World Series title on May 12, when he won the $2,500 buy-in no-limit hold'em event. A former attorney, he has cashed in several other World Series competitions through the years and has accumulated total earnings of $297,250. According to Harrington, he began playing poker 12 years ago primarily for "the fun and excitement" the game offers.
Brent Carter, a 46-year-old retired businessman from Oak Park, Illinois, has two World Series of Poker titles to his credit and boasts career World Series earnings of $428,104. Named the Best All-Around Player in the 1995 Queens Poker Classic, Carter also holds titles from the Hall of Fame Poker Classic, the Super Bowl of Poker, the L.A. Poker Classic, and the Diamond Jim Brady Poker Tournament. His introduction to poker came during grade school, when he began playing penny ante with his friends.
Chuck Thompson is a 56-year-old professional poker player from Santa Cruz, California. Formerly a chemist for Mobil Oil Company, he holds a title from the Peppermill tournament and has cashed in numerous major poker competitions through the years. His career World Series earnings currently stand at $45,913. When he isn't traveling the tournament trail, Thompson props the poker games at Garden City Casino in San Jose, California, where he has worked for 15 years. He is also a contributing writer to Card Player magazine, and his article "The Wall -- Where the Fox and the Farmer Meet" not only appeared in that publication but also was reprinted in Tom McEvoy's book Tournament Poker.
Hamid Dastmalchi, the 1991 World Champion of Poker, holds three World Series of Poker titles, as well as titles from numerous other major poker competitions. His World Series earnings to date total $1,424,160, and he presently ranks No. 6 on the roster of all-time tournament money winners. A 39-year-old real-estate investor from San Diego, California, Dastmalchi began playing poker at the age of 12 in his native Iran. He has lived in the United States for 20 years.
Barbara Enright, a professional poker player from Van Nuys, California, bears the distinction of being the only two-time Women's World Poker Champion, winning her titles in 1986 and 1994. Prior to the beginning of this year's no-limit Hold'em championship competition, she had total World Series earnings of $56,780 and now ranks No. 1 on the women's roster of all-time money winners. In addition to her two World Series titles, Enright holds titles from the Super Bowl of Poker, the L.A. Poker Classic, and the Diamond Jim Brady Poker Tournament. She has been playing poker since childhood.