Paul Darden

Poker Life

Paul Darden, born in 1968, is a professional poker player living in New Haven, Connecticut with live tournament winnings (as of 2008) exceeding $2,000,000. Most people know him from his appearances on the World Poker Tour where he won an event during season one.

Paul learned how to play poker at age from his father who had a poker club in New Haven. After playing more serious games when he got older, Darden met Phil Ivey in Atlantic City and Ivey became Darden's mentor as well as encouraged Paul to take up No Limit Hold 'em and play in the World Series of Poker.

Darden is known primarily as a 7-card Stud player and his sole bracelet came in the 2001 WSOP $2,500 Limit 7-Card Stud Event where he won $147,440. His biggest payout was the $300,000 prize he earned in 2005 for finishing 5th in the Party Poker Million tournament during season 3 of the WPT. He also cashed in the Main Event in 2003 and 2005.

Despite having 16 WSOP cashes, 6 WPT cashes, a first-place finish at both the WPT and WSOP, and a long poker resume, Darden has not had many huge pay days or outstanding poker accomplishments.

Personal Life

Before becoming a professional poker player Paul was a nightclub owner and music promoter in his hometown. He was accused of murder at the age of 15, due to mistaken identity but was acquitted. Darden looked at poker as a chance to turn his life around.

COMMENTS:

how in the F did he get on this page? the man aint won chit

headlessman1964 on December 31, 2006

Man Law!

bad_dog76 on December 14, 2006

All criminals should be barred from the casinos!.
........................MAN LAW ?

????? on October 29, 2006

I think this guy stole my stereo. Picture on his drivers license is the ace of spades

bad_dog76 on August 11, 2006

ex-gangbanger...beat murder charge...probably finances other
types of activity....part owner of "Watusi-Jungle Room"

????? on November 25, 2005

hey how 'bout y'all fizzools stizzop stealin' mah dizzises.

JetsFan315 on August 20, 2005

twizzle on the shizell

snoop on August 9, 2005

ok ill help you get your rap career started heres the adress of the recording studio 1233 rumrill road san pablo, ca 94222 i got some new talent coming up one is mc homeskillet and the other up and coming star is 99 cent (he got his name from the 99 cent store so no biting from 50 cents name )

Paul Darden on August 9, 2005

hey any up and coming rap stars who ride motorcycles read this dudes story this will teach you guys a lesson when im in my infiniti g35 coupe going 90 mph please dont ride your crotch rocket in front of me and stick your legs out or stand on your seat because if you fall and i run over you im not going to stop peace in the middle east

Paul Darden on August 9, 2005

"Posted by: To JetsFag on Jul 28, 2005 - IP=211.28.185.105 Yeah f u drug deala. I'm gonna be dealt AA while u git 27o, now try n bizzle me tha bitch - who cares `bout tha cards! Sure bet high pre-flop, i'll raise it n u call. Flop is A J 6 n u represent an ace, good luck wit tizzle! I'll fuck'n bust yo "play tha man" ass so bad . I started yo shit and i'll end yo' shit. Coz i have tha cards, nuttin' on earth u can do ta win that pot."

Chill as I take you on a tripsee u need the cards to beat me.

JetsFan315 on August 7, 2005

if u get the cards u can win but u need skill to bluff and u dont have that

JetsFan315 on August 7, 2005

that things messed up cause i gizoogled it

JetsFan315 on August 7, 2005

Nobody Cares Calvin.its Too Bad You Didnt Die In The Crash,but Then Again,i Like The Fact That You Are In A Wheelchair.hopefully Any Children You Have Will Also Have A Horrible Accident And They Can Roll Up Next To You In Their Wheelchairs.then After A While I Hope You Die In A Fire.you Little Bitch,coming On Here Begging For Sympathy.what A Douchebag.

MACK IS GOD on August 6, 2005

one of the best stud players

Unregistered on August 6, 2005

HEY PAUL, IF U HAVE ANY MAJOR LABEL CONTACTS, U CAN GET 20% OF THIS DEAL..IF YOU GET MY ARTISTS/LABEL A MAJOR LABEL DEAL, OVERDOSE MUZIK INC. WILL GIVE YOU 20% OF THIS DEAL.. HELLO, MY NAME IS CALVIN SCHEXNAYDER,I HAVE PROPOSAL FOR YOU AND YOUR LABEL...I,VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE BEFORE MY ACCIDENT,I,M DISABLED NOW!, BUT AFTER MY ACCIDENT, I ESTASBLISHED MY INDE LABEL. THE NAME OF MY LABEL IS,OVERDOSE MUZIK INC.I HAVE 3 ARTISTS SIGNED TO MY LABEL, BOBBI BLAQ, RHYME4REASON, AND SHAKE AND YOUNG BOOG IS COMING ON BOARD SOON..I JUST WANT TO GET THEM A MAJOR LABEL DEAL, BECAUSE I HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR THEM AND THEY STUCK WITH ME THOUGH THIS NIGHTEMARE.. BUT I,M STILL TRYING TO DO THIS! BUT MUST NOW STOP AND OFFER THEM TO TOP BIDDER..I WAS IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT, WHERE THEY HAD TO SAVE MY LIFE ON THE OPERATING TABLE. I HAD MULTIBALE HEAD TRUMA,WHERE I BROKE EVERY BONE IN FACE, A BROKEN JAW, A BROKEN NOSE, BLIND IN MY RIGHT EYE, AND MULTItABLE STROKES ON THE OPERATING TABLE, WHICH LED TO THE RIGHT ARM BEING USELESS..I,M IN A WHEELCHAIR AND CAN,T WALK...BUT STILL TRYING. I,M NOT GOING GIVE UP ON LIFE..IF YOU WANT TO CHECK MY ARTISTS OUT GO HERE: [url]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/overdosemuzik[/url] or here, [url]http://www.overdosemuzik.info[/url] contact calvin at, 559 276 1737.. please! consider my offer.thank you,calvin schexnayderOVERDOSE MUZIK INC.

calvin _schexnayder on August 5, 2005

darden cant lose. if he doesnt get you on the poker table, then he'll rob you in the parking lot.

Unregistered on August 3, 2005

This Guy Is The Shizass Grove Street Rules

Carl Johnson on August 1, 2005

Yeah Boyeeee!!!

RODNEY O AND JOE COOLIE on August 1, 2005

Well this guy says he plays the man although i never saw him try any bluffs, he just put his chips in with good cards.. didnt call other raises, all-ins unless he had something himself. so his strength looked like a load of bullshit.

Unregistered on July 29, 2005

last poster, see Chris Moneymaker section and read the last post but every time it says "ivey" replace it with darden in this situation.

JetsFan315 on July 29, 2005

yeah the cards matter, but so does the player. and besides, ur saying that i would get shit and u would get the the nuts,thats not skill, cause if i tried to bluff u, u would have flopped something. ur supposed to play both the cards and the player. oh and something can beat the cards, bluffing, ever heard of it, thats called playing the man whenever u bluff, but u wouldnt know that cause the only way u can win is with the cards. and y would i keep 7-2 exactly?

JetsFan315 on July 28, 2005

Yeah. I'm gonna be dealt AA while u get 27o, now try and beat me the player - who cares about the cards! Sure bet high pre-flop, i'll raise it and u call. Flop is A J 6 and u represent an ace, good luck with that! I'll fucking bust your "play the man" ass so bad. Because i have the cards, nothing on earth u can do to win that pot.

To JetsFan on July 27, 2005

stole my car radio...

he still on July 23, 2005

ur supposed to play ur opponent, not the cards every pro says that.

JetsFan315 on July 20, 2005

What really annoys me about this guy is his apparent strength - "play my opponenets hand, not mine. i know what my cards are etc". Ive only ever seen him at one final table, and he was playing his own cards whenever he got KA or a pair basically. Just got nice cards whenever he increased his stack basically, only when others also got almost as good cards like QA for example. Like someone else said, its easy to do well when u get the cards.

Unregistered on July 19, 2005

His brother Chris Darden lost the OJ case

Unregistered on July 16, 2005

my bad about the 45 suited hand, i saw it last night. but he still is not lucky.

JetsFan315 on July 10, 2005

Paul darden is far from a bad player. u say he is lucky, i would say unlucky with his infamous 45 suited. and also, he has made many WPT final tables and he is a good, aggressive player. i have also never seen such a gangsta player, lol.

JetsFan315 on July 6, 2005

Moose. I was on four final tables this weekend on pokerstars and I am consistently ranked on that site. I make money playing. Of course I never commented on Paul's play, just his ass, so disregard this message.

loser on May 8, 2005

i just think this is all Very funny. half the people here complain about how "fake" and "lucky" paul daraden is. to this i may add, how many tournaments have they won? how many final tables have they made?do they actually Make money off of poker? not many people can say they do. Paul Daraden may not be on Every final table, but he is a good player and can probably take EVERY CHIP of all the people in this thread that have criticized him for being "lucky" or average at best.

mooseboy84 on May 5, 2005

I Have To Say Paul Is A Great Player But, A Guy Who Plays At Foxwoods Once And A While "sammy" Is A Better Money Player Somebody Sponser This Guy Hes A Card Magnet.

HARRYFISH on March 26, 2005

its funny how ppl take time to hate....
no comment really...if u see someone darden or anyone (moneymaker for example) u dont know shit...u can call them lucky but you only see a small percentage of the hand they played in a tourney....Darden is good. period...not as good as say phil ivey and company but good....why are people still posting?

Unregistered on February 28, 2005

I busted his ass with a KJ at the Commerce casino. 1060.00 buy in NL tourny. Hey Paul what did you have?????????????

Nick "the kid" Vertucci on February 21, 2005

The ghetto version of Teddy KGB. Take it how you like.

Eric on February 11, 2005

Howard Lederer folded AQ of hearts before the flop against this guy's raise. He must be good.

Henry on January 25, 2005

Well of course he is. But I'm just saying that he's on the pretty lucky end of the sepectrum. Pros like Chip Reese for example, are on the fairly unlucky when it comes to tournament poker. The game's a little easier when you get the cards. He makes good plays when he gets them though.

Chad on January 25, 2005

chip reese hasn't faired very well in tourney play..but hes the best cash game player ever..so h probably does pretty well for himself lol...theres more to poker than tourney play we see on espn and wpt....

iveyfan05 on January 25, 2005

true.

Unregistered on January 25, 2005

Hey iveyfan05, he OWNS nightclubs for a living! I'm not saying he's a bad player, he just catches cards consistently. How could you possibly lose in that situation? Ivey's a great player. Paul Darden comes nowhere close to his skill.

Unregistered on January 23, 2005

...and by the way, cash games are moslty luck and patience. He's not as good at tourneys because he has no balls when it comes to NL tournament style play. It's a little easy to buy in to a $25K tourney when you are already rich from owning nightclubs and you have $25K to spare. Do your homework, iveyfan05!

Chad on January 23, 2005

he owns nightclubs,yes ,most if his income comed from poker..the sentence "he catches cards consistently " is a joke....good players know how to win with bad cards....i never said he was a phil ivey...he may never be that good.all im saying is hesa pretty good player

iveyfan05 on January 23, 2005

Paul Is An Ok Pro At Best. His Resume Sucks Hes Won A Few Lunch Money Tournaments And Thats It He Cant Stop Playing Right Now And Retire.phil Ivey Should Be Ashamed That One Of His Students Cant Win A Big Tourney.so I Guess He Got An F In Ivey Poker101.cash Games You Can Never Really Tell How Much A Guys Won But Tourneys Its Writen In Stone And Like I Said Hes Not Even In The Top 50 Tournement Players In The World.

BIG JOE on January 22, 2005

I played with this guy at the Harrahs in atlantic city. We were playing a 2000-4000 game of stud, and he was whipping our butts. I ended up with a thousand more than i came with just becuase he folded when i went all in. he is a great player who you will hear allot more about as the years go on.

James Bines on January 22, 2005

so you are saying he makes A LIVING at poker being lucky???? he must be the luckiest guy in the world......to get lucky every time he plays wow.........what are you an idiot??????? hes phil iveys student....ivey wouldnt waste time with the guy if he didnt have any talent...he has been doing well in cash games, not so good in tourneys.....hes a pretty good player...maybe we will hear more in 05....oh yeah chad stfu

iveyfan05 on January 21, 2005

I've seen this guy play and he is all luck. All he does is catch cards and make a small bluff every once and a while. I wish I was that lucky.

Chad on January 4, 2005

what? he doesnt have his own Rap Label? man what a poser.

Chris moneyfaker on December 25, 2004

Yeah, he plays way too tight when he is short stacked. He's good, but I can never imagine him winning a tourney though.

Chad on December 2, 2004

think ive seen him on badboys of poker WPT he plays like a little ***** when short stacked .

richardeum on November 22, 2004

Thank you, also i like to mention paul darden was one spot away from making the television taping of the world poker tour at the bicycle casino last year, finished 7th. Im not on his nuttz buddy i can see that he is a great player and class act so go do your research like i told you before and stop bad mouthing people for there opinions

pokerstar18 on September 7, 2004

You are either ignorant or racist if you can't see that Darden possesses real talent. And it takes talent to see talent, and if you don't see it then you are a weekend player, don't forget where you parked! You don't make it to the final table of the WPT and finish 45th out of who knows how many in the WSOP, and win a bracelet if you rely on big hands only. And being a World Series of Poker champion? It's not about winning it all, anybody can do that, it's about being consistent.(P.s. He wasn't calling with a 4,5 suited, he was calling with a flush draw, he knew Haverson didn't raise pre-flop on two clubs, so it didn't matter what the numbers on his cards were.) Notice, I did not offend anybody directly and have not called anybody out. Late

PTesseneer (Phil Tesseneer) on September 1, 2004

what difference does it make whether the guy was playing a low limit or high limit game. Just because he plays professionally does not mean he cannot occassionally enjoy a low limit game. That is incredibly childish to think that it makes him less of a player simply because he doesnt want to play 50/100 that particular day. The guy that keeps posting about getting on or off nutz has only one agenda. Bash anyone that doesnt agree with him. Again, extremely immature and childish to say the least.

pokerface on August 30, 2004

Once again displaying your lack of common sense. You might notice, "truth", that Paul has won 1 WSOP bracelet and several other titles. As the gentlemen said. Do your homework before you start opening your mouth. Your claims are completely unfounded. Too easy for you to look up dude. You are making a complete ass out of yourself. So what he plays 5/10. BIIG DEAAL!

pokerface on August 30, 2004

Do my research??? I see him playing 5/10 all the time - get off his nutz

the truth on August 26, 2004

Darden is a class act, he has more than 15 min of fame. Paul Darden plays $75-$150 stud all the time, lucky chances winner, 2002 new england poker classic winner, and a string of second place finishes along with hundreds of other cashses do your research. Although he didnt make a big impact at this year's wsop neither did phil ivey, gus hansen, and other pro's. great player end of story

pokerstar18 on August 17, 2004

Paul Darden is my favourite player, together with Phil Ivey and Juha Helppi. He plays great poker!

tntizzle on August 15, 2004

An honor to meet Darden? Kidd you got problems. Get off of his nutz - dude plays lo-limit poker all the time. If you lived and played in vegas you would see him all over playing 5/10. Dude got his 15 min of fame last year and people are all on his nutz - hilarious

the truth on August 2, 2004

hey deuceseven, poker is a game played by regular everyday people..normal everyday people dont dress in suits and ties you idiot! this is poker not some dam beauty pageant you f***ing flamer!!! and by the way, i met paul at the taj last summer and went up to him and shook his hand and let him know that it was an honor to meet him..he even asked what my name was and asked how i was doing at my table and wished me luck on my future endeavors..a true class act..so stop hating..i saw tj cloutier too..man that guy is huge, a beast! he was in a stud tourney tho so i didnt bother him.

The Kidd on July 30, 2004

For the people talking about his 54, you dont play the cards you play the players and their moves. If you have a feeling go with it. He's a good player, stop hating

fresh on July 19, 2004

Gorgeous Man! Sneaky Player.. Paul if you're reading this e-mail me.. if ya single! ;)

Sexxybbwnva on July 4, 2004

Darden is the man. Hold Em isn't even his best game yet he still does much better in Hold Em than any of the losers who are criticizing him for calling with 54s.

RickJames on June 18, 2004

could you tell me what glasses Paul is wearing lately while he plays. thanks.e-mail address is [email]pam@uptownvision.com[/email]

Unregistered on May 18, 2004

I believe they're Revos...very hip. Send me an email and I will hook you up with a pro-deal. My wife is a sales rep...saack2001@yahoo.com

Raiden Fox on May 18, 2004

played with Darden at Horseshoe Tunica--------tight player, rather intimidating, and why was he sitting 10-20, when a live 200-400 game was eight feet away, short roll??

jackten on May 16, 2004

by the way, I have no illusions about my place in the poker universe, the few times I have had the privilege of sitting with a big time pro, I have let them dominate me, still learning after 20 years. Enjoy all your posts.

jackten on May 16, 2004

Wow! My question is how many of you people talking smack about Paul have your name listed on the column to the left? I only saw one if it was in fact really Lederer. When your name is listed with his, then talk.

Fyrfytr998 on April 21, 2004

I have no problem with any of the players dress at all. That's one of the things that really sells the tour and it's players. There is no professional decorum. No boring shirt and tie looking all corporate and stuffy. Just regular people playing poker at high stakes. I enjoy watching Helmuth in his jacket and hat just as much as I enjoy watching some of the others in a jacket and tie. Paul brings his own style of play and clothing to the table like the rest of them. Phil Ivey sometimes wears a jacket and shirt. Other times he may be wearing a B-Ball jersey. It's GREAT!! Relax and enjoy the personalities and the great play. Tuxedo's at the final table? Yyyyuuuuuuuck! B-O-R-I-N-G and waaaaaaaaaaaay too conservative for a game that is anything but.

Pokerboy on April 5, 2004

well paul...you thought you were just playing poker!...seems that there are a few dumb a**es that think their blind opinion means something....well maybe they do mean something....ignorance perhaps?i'm not sure how anyone can make such negative judgements about somone they don't even know...based on his poker playing? :(anyway, if your ever in victoria BC, I would love to play poker with you...maybe for dinner ;)wishing you well and all the happiness in what you do :)take care,tanya

queen-bee on April 3, 2004

anyway Chris Darden's performance on the WPT was spectacular...he had Chris Bigler running in circles. One of his faults is hes too conservative...rarely will push in all his chips on a bluff...this is strange considering he learned from Ivey...in conclusion I'd like to say the Kangol furry cap he wore at the WPT was hideous..i think all players should be mandated to wear tuxedos (ruffled breast with platinum cufflinks) at all telivised final tables...bring some decor and ambiance to the game...dont wear a darn windbreaker and hat that looks like it was just sat on to the final table like phil hellmuth.

DeuceSeven offsuit on April 1, 2004

Although I do not agree with Paul's call with the 45s he said he thought the other guy was on a resteal and thus he realized he would only be a 10% underdog, even against AK! (obviously a resteal would not be attempted with a serious pair) And this may be an accurate assessment, you never know. Maybe Haveson had been stealing all day or had been protecting his blind and Paul picked up on it. Paul was, no doubt about it, on a rush as well so maybe that was just a cover up for him to play a pot with a deceptive hand with the momentum and a chance to make a lot of chips if he flopped a hand. If he still stuck with the idea his opponent was restealing it's possible maybe his opponent is on a draw as well right (not flush of course or the call would have been pathetic), so when Paul makes a flush draw he says what the heck and calls since he is already invested. NOTE: I do not like the call, I said that, but I believe these are a couple of reasons Paul MIGHT call--I've seen worse plays.

Gman on March 25, 2004

Paul darden is a great seven card stud player, he still has improvments to make in his hold em game though. I also want to meet paul, hopefully i can go up to vegas for the wsop and meet some of the great players there.

pokerstar18 on March 23, 2004

Bitch Please he obviously was the world champion of seven card stud in 2001 dumbass

Dan on March 17, 2004

Paul is good, but not as good as you guys think. He needs a good hand to win big pots, he doesn't have the instincts to ever be a world champion!

howie on March 9, 2004

Seriously calling on 45 is unreal the guy has balls and knows he needs to make plays like this to win people that say he was an idiot must play only AA, KK, QQ, JJ, or AK

dan on March 3, 2004

this guy is a genius you guys obviously just watch WSOP on ESPN but if you watch him play stud i tell you this he has one braclet and that is just a start

dan on March 3, 2004

Paul Dardin looked like he was high durin wsop

Cracker on February 28, 2004

Not my favorite player but he seems descent. Everyone wants to b*tch about this guy is lucky vs. this one having skill. Well I say Paul is the luckiest of them all.

civil66 on February 23, 2004

great player, 45 suited not a great calll but he was going of of instinct

dollarbills99 on February 20, 2004

simply horrible, the guy called a big bet with 45suited versus three over cards, with only a four flush? Come on. Horrible. Stick to the nightclub thing,

rookie on February 12, 2004

Will Paul be in Vegas on March 30th at the Reno Hilton. I am going there and would like to meet him.

Dona / Coach D / brstrnr on January 31, 2004

I just played with Paul at Foxwoods... a great player and a class act

andrew-mindfiremedia on January 25, 2004

Wondering if anybody knows how to get in touch with Paul ... would like to talk to him for an article....

jcooper on January 25, 2004

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