David Williams: WSOP Bracelet Winner and WPT World Champion
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 2014
David Williams emerged as one of the most recognizable players of poker's early-2000s boom after finishing second in the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event. He went on to build a career that includes a WSOP bracelet, a WSOP Circuit ring, a World Poker Tour championship and sustained success across both hold'em and mixed games.
As of August 26, 2026, Hendon Mob lists David Williams with $9,564,126 in live tournament earnings and a career-best live cash of $3.5 million. Tournament database totals and rankings can change as new results are recorded.
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Who Is David Williams?
David Williams is an American professional poker player from Dallas, Texas, who has been a prominent tournament competitor since the early 2000s. Hendon Mob lists his current residence as Las Vegas, Nevada.
Before his poker breakthrough, Williams competed in Magic: The Gathering, another strategy-based card game. His transition into high-level poker came during the period when televised tournaments and online qualification were rapidly expanding the game's audience.
Williams became nationally known almost immediately after reaching the heads-up stage of the 2004 WSOP Main Event. Rather than being defined by that runner-up finish, however, he later added championship victories in seven-card stud, H.O.S.E. and no-limit hold'em to establish a much broader tournament résumé.
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The 2004 WSOP Main Event Breakthrough
Williams' career changed at the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas.
The $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship attracted 2,576 entries, a record field at the time. Williams advanced all the way to heads-up play before finishing second to Greg Raymer.
The runner-up finish paid Williams $3.5 million. More than two decades later, it remains the largest live tournament cash of his career according to Hendon Mob.
The timing also made the result especially significant. The 2004 Main Event arrived during a period of explosive growth for televised poker, and Williams became a familiar presence to viewers following the WSOP on television.
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David Williams Wins a WSOP Circuit Ring and Bracelet
Williams proved that his tournament ability extended beyond no-limit hold'em during 2006.
In May, he won a $5,000 H.O.S.E. tournament at the WSOP Circuit stop at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for $91,250. The result accounts for the Circuit ring listed on his official WSOP player profile.
Two months later, Williams captured his first WSOP bracelet.
The official WSOP report on his 2006 victory records Williams as the winner of the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event. He defeated a field of 478 entries and earned $163,118.
Winning a bracelet in seven-card stud was an important addition to a résumé that had initially become famous through no-limit hold'em. Combined with his H.O.S.E. Circuit victory, it demonstrated that Williams could compete successfully across multiple poker variants.
As of August 2026, WSOP lists Williams with one bracelet and one Circuit ring.
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Williams Wins the 2010 WPT World Championship
Williams added another major title in April 2010 when he won the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
The World Poker Tour's official event record lists Williams as the Season VIII champion with a first-place prize of $1,530,537.
He defeated Eric Baldwin heads-up to secure the championship. The victory gave Williams one of the most prestigious titles available on the World Poker Tour and became the second-largest live cash of his career.
The official WPT player profile for David Williams lists one WPT title. His WPT record also includes several other deep finishes accumulated across many seasons of tour competition.
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David Williams' Major Poker Accomplishments
Williams' career combines one of the defining Main Event runs of the poker-boom era with championship success across several formats.
Runner-up in the 2004 WSOP Main Event for $3.5 million
One WSOP bracelet
Winner of the 2006 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud WSOP bracelet event for $163,118
One WSOP Circuit ring
Winner of the 2006 $5,000 H.O.S.E. event at WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace for $91,250
One WPT title
Winner of the 2010 WPT World Championship for $1,530,537
More than $9.5 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 26, 2026
The list also illustrates the range of Williams' results. His most famous finish came in no-limit hold'em, while two of his major WSOP-related victories came in stud and a mixed-game format.
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Playing Style and Mixed-Game Versatility
It is difficult to reduce Williams' approach to a single playing-style label, but his tournament record provides clear evidence of versatility.
His biggest score came in the no-limit hold'em WSOP Main Event, and his WPT World Championship title was also earned in no-limit hold'em. At the same time, his WSOP bracelet came in seven-card stud and his Circuit ring came in H.O.S.E., a rotation of multiple poker variants.
That mixed-game experience continued to show in later stages of his career. At the 2024 WSOP, Williams finished third in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better event for $102,335.
In 2026, he again made a deep mixed-game run in the $3,000 Nine Game Mix. The variety of those results is more useful in describing Williams as a player than assigning him an unsupported label such as loose-aggressive or tight-aggressive.
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David Williams' Live Tournament Earnings
As of August 26, 2026, Hendon Mob lists Williams with $9,564,126 in recorded live tournament earnings.
His $3.5 million score from the 2004 WSOP Main Event remains his largest live cash. The $1,530,537 he earned for winning the 2010 WPT World Championship is another of the defining seven-figure results on his record.
Career-earnings totals should always be treated as changing statistics. They can increase whenever a player records another qualifying live tournament cash, and historical databases can also be updated as additional results are documented.
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David Williams' Current Poker Status
Williams remained active in poker in 2026 as both a tournament player and a media personality.
At the 2026 World Series of Poker, he finished 17th in Event #52, the $3,000 Nine Game Mix, earning $10,760. That result continued a pattern of mixed-game cashes that stretches back through much of his career.
Williams also took on a visible role away from the table. In May 2026, the WSOP announced Williams as part of its 2026 talent team, adding broadcasting work to his continuing tournament participation.
That combination makes his current place in poker different from the player who first became famous in 2004. Williams remains connected to major tournament poker while also contributing to how the game is presented to viewers.
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Why David Williams Matters in Poker
Williams' career connects several eras of modern tournament poker.
His 2004 Main Event run placed him near the center of the poker boom, when WSOP television coverage was introducing a much larger audience to tournament professionals. He followed that breakthrough with victories that showed he was capable of winning major events rather than simply producing one famous result.
The seven-card stud bracelet and H.O.S.E. Circuit ring established mixed-game credentials. The 2010 WPT World Championship added a premier no-limit hold'em title. Later mixed-game final tables and cashes demonstrated longevity well beyond his initial period of fame.
More than 20 years after his Main Event breakthrough, Williams was still competing at the WSOP in 2026 and appearing as part of the series' broadcast talent. That combination of tournament results, longevity and visibility gives him a lasting place in the story of modern poker.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much has David Williams won in live poker tournaments?
Hendon Mob lists David Williams with $9,564,126 in live tournament earnings as of August 26, 2026. That figure can change as additional tournament results are recorded.
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How many WSOP bracelets does David Williams have?
David Williams has one WSOP bracelet. He won the 2006 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event for $163,118.
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How many WSOP Circuit rings does David Williams have?
The official WSOP player database lists David Williams with one Circuit ring. He won a $5,000 H.O.S.E. event at WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace in 2006 for $91,250.
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Did David Williams win a World Poker Tour title?
Yes. David Williams won the 2010 WPT World Championship at Bellagio for $1,530,537. WPT lists him with one main-tour title.
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How did David Williams finish in the 2004 WSOP Main Event?
David Williams finished second to Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP Main Event. Williams earned $3.5 million, which remains his largest recorded live tournament cash as of August 2026.
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Is David Williams still active in poker?
Yes. Williams competed at the 2026 WSOP and finished 17th in the $3,000 Nine Game Mix for $10,760. WSOP also named him to its 2026 talent team, giving him an ongoing role in poker broadcasting as well as tournament competition.