Paul Darden
Encyclopedia
Paul Darden, Jr. is an American
professional poker
player, rap music promoter, and night club owner from New Haven, Connecticut
.
at the age of 15, due to mistaken identity
but was acquitted. Poker was Darden's way of changing his life around, and he was helped in this by his mentor
, Phil Ivey
.
player, where he had several notable tournament finishes in 2000 prior to winning the World Series of Poker
(WSOP) bracelet in 2001
for the $2,500 seven-card stud event, defeating Tom Franklin
heads-up.
In 2002, Darden won a World Poker Tour
(WPT) title in the $3,000 main event of the Gold Rush tournament. He would later finish in 2nd place behind Gus Hansen
in the WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational event. Additionally, in March 2005 he finished 5th in the $10,000 main event of the PartyPoker.com Million IV cruise.
In 2003
, he made his first money finish in the $10,000 WSOP main event, finishing in 45th place. He also cashed in the same event in 2005
.
Darden is also the mentor of poker player Amnon Filippi
.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,100,000 with his 16 cashes at the WSOP accounting for $287,456 of those winnings.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, rap music promoter, and night club owner from New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Early years
He was accused of murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
at the age of 15, due to mistaken identity
Mistaken identity
Mistaken identity is a defense in criminal law which claims the actual innocence of the criminal defendant, and attempts to undermine evidence of guilt by asserting that any eyewitness to the crime incorrectly thought that they saw the defendant, when in fact the person seen by the witness was...
but was acquitted. Poker was Darden's way of changing his life around, and he was helped in this by his mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
, Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey
Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables...
.
Poker career
Originally, he was best known as a seven-card studSeven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
player, where he had several notable tournament finishes in 2000 prior to winning the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP) bracelet in 2001
2001 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
for the $2,500 seven-card stud event, defeating Tom Franklin
Tom Franklin
"Captain" Tom Franklin is an American professional poker player born in Fresno, California.Franklin's poker career began in the 1970s. His first in the money cash at the World Series of Poker occurred in 1990, finishing 24th in the $10,000 no limit hold'em championship event...
heads-up.
In 2002, Darden won a World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) title in the $3,000 main event of the Gold Rush tournament. He would later finish in 2nd place behind Gus Hansen
Gus Hansen
Gustav "Gus" Hansen is a professional Danish poker player who lives in Monaco. In his poker career, Hansen has won three World Poker Tour open titles, the 2007 Aussie Millions main event and was the season one winner of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament...
in the WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational event. Additionally, in March 2005 he finished 5th in the $10,000 main event of the PartyPoker.com Million IV cruise.
In 2003
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
, he made his first money finish in the $10,000 WSOP main event, finishing in 45th place. He also cashed in the same event in 2005
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
.
Darden is also the mentor of poker player Amnon Filippi
Amnon Filippi
Amnon Eric Filippi is a professional poker player based in New York City.Filippi's significant achievement to date was his first place finish in the 2005 $10,000 No Limit Texas hold 'em Bellagio Challenge Cup poker tournament held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada from July 18, 2005 through...
.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,100,000 with his 16 cashes at the WSOP accounting for $287,456 of those winnings.