BIO

Age: 42

Born / Raised:
Chicago, ILL / moved to Albion, MI in 1972 at the age of 9

School /degree:
Two years of College - Fine Arts
Michigan School of Art in Jackson, MI

Wife: Poker Pro Marsha Waggoner

Kids name/age: Spencer Christian 7 Jim 13

Reside Now: The World is my Oyster - but I receive my mail in Las Vegas

Turned Pro: 1999. Last regular job (non-poker playing) was at Hollywood Park Casino in 1997-1998 as a floorman /dealer

Poker Games Played: All games, except some of the exotic home games

Q & A

How did you get the nickname “cowboy”?
Chad Brown from the Ultimate Poker Challenge gave me the name after a a woman from the audience kept yelling "Go Cowboy! Ride 'em Cowboy!" due to me wearing my hat and boots while playing and winning the tournament at The Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas.

Describe your style of play:
Dangerous

What brought you to Los Angles?
Acting, I threw everything in the trunk of my car and drove out there in 1985 to become a star.

So you were an actor, what movies, shows were you in?
I was in a couple of independent movies that never made it to main screen release but have been released in some markets on video. I also did a couple of soap opera day player stuff. It is a role that is larger then an extra as I had lines and such but was not a regular character. I have performed in theater throughout the LA area and did continuing studies at the Tracy Roberts Studio and The Beverly Hills Playhouse.

How did you get your start in poker?
After finishing one of the independent movies in Florida my agency closed and I got tired of needing someone else's approval to work. My friend John Isaac told me that his wife at the time was making a good living dealing cards. I spent the money to go to dealers school and learn the trade. I played in my first game at a casino while I was studying and learning to become a dealer. It was $1-2 limit hold’em at Hollywood Park Casino in 1995. Three months later I got a job there dealing cards.

What limits did you start playing live?
I worked my way from $1-2 to $3-6 limit hold’em pretty quickly. I then played 3-6 for a year or so before playing $20 buy-in tournaments and then making the move to $10-20 and 15-30. It wasn't until I was playing $20-40 regularly in 1997 that I began to have aspirations of being a professional poker player.

What has been your biggest high in poker?
Wow, there have been so many. I have been very lucky to experience so many great moments in my relatively young career so it is hard for me to pick the biggest. Here are a few that come to mind right away:

* Playing in the World Series of Poker main event for the first time in 2002
(There were 300 or so players and I went out just before the end of day one)

* Finishing 38th in 2003. When I made it through day 3 I broke down on the
phone with my wife trembling with excitement of realizing a dream.

* Winning the $2500 Limit Hold’em event at Belliago Festa Al Lago after
being down to only three chips on the final table which included one of my
idols, Eric Seidel

What has been your lowest point in poker?
Going broke. I can't remember which time..LOL. I just remember sitting in my car in the parking lot at Hollywood Park in tears feeling like I was kidding myself and I should just give it all up.

How do deal with the emotional roller coaster of being a full time poker player?
First of all you have to enjoy roller coasters! I'm a Sagittarius and they are famous for enjoying the uncertainties and spontaneity of life. And with experience (after years of ups and downs) you begin to see it all as one big cycle. Knowing that you will have months of loses but that if you work hard and honestly the game and the wins will find their way back. Sometimes the game will "test" your character to see how much you can take, just like life. But it's how you face the adversity that defines character. Sometimes the tests can be pretty hard but I believe if you are honest with yourself and have assessed your abilities correctly you will overcome the obstacles.

Being married to a fellow pro, do you both talk a lot about poker?
We try to avoid talking about poker. In poker you are always trying to get the best of it. In relationships that can be a killer. So the key is not to bring your poker game home, because we have very different approaches to the game.
Marsha is an accomplished pro who has been doing it a lot longer then me
and has a proven track record over two decades. She taught me a lot about the game early on in my career when I was just "flying by the seat of my pants," as she would say. I have a lot more gamble to my play and Marsha plays a much more solid game. I take advantage of situations where Marsha relies a lot more on patience and trusting the cards she is dealt. When we talk about approaches to a hand these days we end up arguing about the correct way to play the hand. So, like in poker sometimes the best play is to fold, which is in this case just avoid the discussion all together. Still, she has my utmost respect and I'm sure that I have earned hers over the years of traveling together on the tournament circuit around the world.

If you could change 1 thing in poker tournaments what would it be?
To make it more audience friendly. The public is hungry to be able to view what's going on at the tables. At the 2006 Aussie Millions they were five deep on the rail trying to just catch a glimpse of the action. We need to embrace the public not rope them off. Have leader boards and high definition screens so that the public can see and track the progress on their favorite players throughout the tournament.

What poker players do you admire the most?
I respect a lot of the older generation who have won consistently over a long period of time. They have paved the way for what the game has evolved into today. People like my wife Marsha Waggoner, Eric Seidel, and Barry Greenstein are shining examples of people who have led our game out of the backrooms and into the limelight. They exhibit class, professionalism, and generosity.

What is your favorite casino?
The Belliago. It offers the most comfort with the highest limits, and the tournaments run by Jack McClelland have the best structures and offer the players the best value.

Playing poker, where is the favorite you traveled?
Amsterdam.

With so many tourneys these days, how do choose the ones you want play?
I like to choose places that are fun and where the tournaments offer the players the best value. Tournament structure, buy-ins, and an ocean view thrown in the mix never hurts.

With the amount of travel to follow the poker circuit how far advance do you book your flights, room and car?
It varies. I'm forever changing tickets and reservations due to to a a change of plans. Sometimes if I bust out early in a main event I just want to get out of town and have to make changes as I want to get home early to see my kids.

Besides poker what are some of your other hobbies?
I love to play golf. It's a great social game as well as being competitive while you enjoy a beautiful environment. I'm about a 9 handicap these days, but don't tell the guys I gamble with!

What movies, tv and radio shows have you been on?

Movies: Whiskey Riddles and Dandelion Wine
Deadly Diamonds
Soaps: Bold and the Beautiful

Poker Shows: ESPN – WSOP Main Event 2003-2005
Poker Royale - GSN (player and commentator)
Ultimate Poker Challenge - SYNDICATED (player and commentator)
World Poker Tour - Travel Channel Legends Of Poker
Caribbean Classic - Canada/Europe
Lingo - GSN for charity with Chuck Wollery
The Jim Feist show

Poker Radio: Bluff Radio
Larry Grossman “You Can Bet on It”
Ante Up! I-Tunes Poker Podcast

What's on your Ipod?
Kenny Rogers, Tim McGraw, Abba, Elvis, Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor, CCR

Who is your favorite actor?
Anthony Hopkins

What is your favorite movie?
It's a Wonderful Life

What current deals or sponsors do you have or are you working on?
I am sponsored and a spokesperson for SUN POKER. I also have a blog on the website and I write for Bluff Magazine. We will be working on many promotional radio and television shows this year. We have an RV that travels throughout the US on a grass roots campaign bringing internet poker to everyday people. It really is a party mobile and just an excuse to have fun, it's what I love about the site. We have plans to bridge the gap in the sporting world by having a presence at professional sporting events.

I will also be working on a promotion in which I will offer players who sign up at SUN POKER under my promotional code free on-line lessons.