William Chen
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" Chen is an American
quantitative analyst
, poker
player, and software designer.
in mathematics
(1999) from the University of California, Berkeley
. He was an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis
triple-majoring in Physics, Math, and Computer Science, and was also a research intern in Washington University's Computer Science SURA Program
where he co-wrote a technical report inventing an Argument Game. He is in the Statistical Arbitrage
department at Susquehanna International Group
.
World Series of Poker
Chen won two events, a $3,000 limit Texas Hold 'em
event with a prize of $343,618, and a $2,500 no limit hold 'em short-handed event with a prize of $442,511. Prior to these events Chen's largest tournament
win was for $41,600 at a no limit hold 'em event at the Bicycle Casino's
Legends of Poker in 2000.
Chen has been a longtime participant in the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup and its B.A.R.G.E
offshoot. He is also a member of Team PokerStars
.
With Jerrod Ankenman, Chen coauthored The Mathematics of Poker, an introduction to quantitative techniques and game theory as applied to poker.
In February 2009, he appeared on Poker After Dark
s "Brilliant Minds" week, finishing in 5th place after his lost to Jimmy Warren's after Chen pushed all-in on a flop of .
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,000,000. His 14 cashes at the WSOP account for $882,744 of those winnings.
He is currently the Honorary Chairman of the Churchill Regular Association for Poker, a poker club at Churchill College which has 21 Nobel Laureates as members.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
quantitative analyst
Quantitative analyst
A quantitative analyst is a person who works in finance using numerical or quantitative techniques. Similar work is done in most other modern industries, but the work is not always called quantitative analysis...
, 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, and software designer.
Biography
Chen holds a Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(1999) from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He was an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
triple-majoring in Physics, Math, and Computer Science, and was also a research intern in Washington University's Computer Science SURA Program
Washington University's Computer Science SURA Program
Washington University's Department of Computer Science and Engineering SURA Program served as a model Research Experiences for Undergraduates site for the NSF from 1990-1997 and included many exemplary outcomes, including :* , paper on video on-demand storage servers cited 206 times, Ph.D...
where he co-wrote a technical report inventing an Argument Game. He is in the Statistical Arbitrage
Statistical arbitrage
In the world of finance and investments, statistical arbitrage is used in two related but distinct ways:* In academic literature, "statistical arbitrage" is opposed to arbitrage. In deterministic arbitrage, a sure profit can be obtained from being long some securities and short others...
department at Susquehanna International Group
Susquehanna International Group
The Susquehanna International Group of Companies is a privately held global investment, trading and technology firm servicing securities markets worldwide...
.
Poker career
At the 20062006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
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...
Chen won two events, a $3,000 limit Texas Hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
event with a prize of $343,618, and a $2,500 no limit hold 'em short-handed event with a prize of $442,511. Prior to these events Chen's largest tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
win was for $41,600 at a no limit hold 'em event at the Bicycle Casino's
Bicycle Casino
The Bicycle Casino is the world's second largest poker cardroom.Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, the Bicycle Casino offers a wide variety of poker games and limits, as well as pai gow poker, panguingue and California blackjack.Financing to build the casino...
Legends of Poker in 2000.
Chen has been a longtime participant in the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup and its B.A.R.G.E
B.A.R.G.E
BARGE, the Big August Rec.Gambling Excursion, is a yearly convention held in Las Vegas during the first weekend of August. It consists of a series of tournaments both of poker and other gambling games, as well as a banquet and a host of informal social and gambling activities organized by attendees...
offshoot. He is also a member of Team PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
.
With Jerrod Ankenman, Chen coauthored The Mathematics of Poker, an introduction to quantitative techniques and game theory as applied to poker.
In February 2009, he appeared on Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...
s "Brilliant Minds" week, finishing in 5th place after his lost to Jimmy Warren's after Chen pushed all-in on a flop of .
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,000,000. His 14 cashes at the WSOP account for $882,744 of those winnings.
He is currently the Honorary Chairman of the Churchill Regular Association for Poker, a poker club at Churchill College which has 21 Nobel Laureates as members.
World Series of Poker bracelets
| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
$2,500 Short Handed No Limit Hold'em | $442,511 |
| 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
$3,000 Limit Hold'em | $343,618 |