T.J. Cloutier is one of the most veteran poker players on the major tournament circuit and has over 60 major tournament wins to his name. It’s also estimated that he’s won more than $10 million during his illustrious poker career.
Discovering Poker
T.J., still sporting a powerful figure, went to UC Berkeley on a football and baseball scholarship and played in the Rose Bowl in 1959. After dropping out of college because of financial strain, he later played in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes before a career-ending injury.
Cloutier moved to Texas and did odd jobs on oil rigs until he discovered the money he could make playing poker. Like so many other competitive personalities, it didn’t take long for T.J. to start feeling at home at the tables.
Like Doyle Brunson, Cloutier was a college athlete before finding poker. He played football at UC Berkeley, then worked oil rigs in Texas before discovering he could make more money at the card table than in the oil fields.
The Main Event Heartbreak
Perhaps his greatest distinction is “the greatest poker player to have never won the WSOP Main Event”. Personally, I feel as though this is a pretty ridiculous title. How many of us have had terrible beats knock us out in second place for a tournament or Sit ‘n Go?
Close calls in 2000 and 1985
That’s exactly what happened when Chris Ferguson crippled T.J with a dominated hand in the 2000 Main Event. Ferguson eventually went on to take the title.
It was a deja vu for T.J., who had much the same thing happen to him in the 1985 Main Event, when he lost the final battle to Bill Smith. Cloutier also has two other finishes in the top 5 of the Main Event.
He credits most of his successes to his ability to read every action from his opponents and remember them for years.
In the 2000 WSOP Main Event, Cloutier held A-Q against Chris Ferguson’s A-9. An unlikely 9 on the river gave Ferguson the title. Fifteen years earlier, a similar bad beat cost Cloutier the 1985 Main Event. Two crushing losses that cemented his reputation as the best player to never win it.
Tournament Results
Besides the Main Event, T.J. Cloutier has 6 WSOP bracelets including one in each of the 3 Omaha events:
- High-Low
- Pot-Limit
- Omaha High.
He’s the only player to reach that accomplishment. Cloutier’s remaining WSOP bracelets came from:
- Pot Limit Hold’em (1994)
- Seven Card Razz (2004)
- No Limit Hold’em (2005)
His WSOP winnings account for about half of his overall winnings, totaling $4.4 million.
For his accomplishments on the green felt, T.J. was introduced into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006. He was also named the Cardplayer’s player of the year in 1998 and 2002.
Cloutier is the only player in WSOP history to win bracelets in all three Omaha variants: Hi-Lo, Pot-Limit, and Omaha High. This versatility across formats is what separates the great tournament players from the specialists.
Beyond the Table
You can catch some of his great tournament play in the first season of Poker Superstars. He has co-authored 3 tournament poker books with WSOP Champion Tom McEvoy.
One tidbit I especially appreciate is that T.J. actually brings his wife Joy along with him on the tournament circuit. Their home is in Texas and they have 6 children.
In 2006, T.J. published his first solo book, entitled How to Win the Championship – Hold’em Strategies for the Final Table.
One of the more endearing details about Cloutier: he brings his wife Joy along on the tournament circuit. In a game dominated by solo grinders and road warriors, Cloutier has always made it a family affair.
T.J. Cloutier represents the old-school tournament grinder — a player who built his reputation through decades of consistent results, not a single defining moment. His 6 bracelets, Hall of Fame induction, and $10.5 million in earnings speak for themselves. The Main Event just wasn’t meant to be.