Allen Cunningham: A Young Poker Professional
When a person wants something so much, that person does everything to make it possible. That's what happened in the case of professional poker player Allen Cunningham. He was supposed to be a civil engineer but decided to drop out from the University of California, Los Angeles to play professional poker. At the age of eighteen years old, he was already playing poker at gambling facilities and casinos located in Southern California.
Born in California on March 28, 1977, Allen Cunningham was encouraged even more to seriously play professional poker when he experienced a big win when he was only twenty two years old. In a Legend of Poker event that was held at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, he was voted as the Best All-Around Player below thirty-five years old. Since then, he has always been participating in big poker tournaments and has been nominated for various poker awards. As a matter of fact, in 2005, this professional poker player won the 2005 ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year award, which he almost won again in 2006.
Before he reached the age of thirty, Allen Cunningham already won four World Series of Poker bracelets. The first bracelet was won in 2001, when he participated in the US$5,000 Seven-Card Stud event and received US$201,760. In the following year, this professional poker player once again proved himself by placing first in the US$5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event of the World Series of Poker. His winnings for the said event amounted to US$160,200 plus his second World Series of Poker bracelet.
Allen Cunningham joined World Series of Poker events in 2003 and 2004 but did not win first place until 2005. It was in the US$1,500 No Limit Hold'em event that this professional poker player earned his third World Series of Poker bracelet and cash that amounted to US$725,405.
Allen Cunningham seemed to be unstoppable as he earned his fourth World Series of Poker bracelet in 2006. The event that this professional poker player participated in was the US$1,000 No Limit Hold'em/w Rebuys, allowing him to take home US$625,830.
When he reached thirty years old, this professional poker player continued to show everyone what he's got as he won his fifth and latest World Series of Poker bracelet. He won in the US$5,000 Pot Limit Hold'em event wherein he received an amount of US$487,287.
Such achievements were from the World Series of Poker alone. He also placed first in the US$300,000 Mega Match game featured in the television show "Poker After Dark" in October 2007. In December 2007, he also participated successfully in an event held by the National Poker League Vegas Open Championship.
Allen Cunningham already has a lot of contribution to the poker world. And being only thirty years old, this professional poker player definitely still has a long, long way to go.
