Who is the Devilfish?

David A. Ulliott known as the "Devilfish" was born in Hull on 4th April 1954. Before his historic rise in the professional poker circuit he had a bit of a bad boy reputation. Pre-poker, Ulliott was part of a professional safe cracking team. (He is not the 9-5 kind of a guy). Eventually the strong arm of the law caught up with his exploits and he was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment at her majesty's pleasure in Leeds Prison, spending his 21st birthday inside.

A second stint in prison followed after a street brawl, this time the Devilfish was sentenced to 18 months. Inside he met a fellow bank robber named John. Together they planned to carry out a bank robbery once released. This proved to be a turning point in Ulliott's life. John was caught by the regional crime force. John's wife pleaded with Ulliott that a life of crime was a waste of life. It must have preyed on his mind because after he met his second wife he decided to turn his back on crime and focus more on his professional gambling skills.

In 1990, Dave "the Devilfish" Ulliott met up with Gary Whitaker, a cafe manager based in Wakefield, England. As journeymen, they traveled around the poker venues, playing five or six times a week. The Devilfish's poker career soon took an upswing as Whitaker became his full time chauffeur and a 10% stake holder in his poker. Ulliott was now rubbing shoulder with some of the top pro players such as John Shipley and Dave Colclough.

The devilfish continued to improve his game. In 1996 he won £100,000 over a fortnight period at the Vic. This success made his mind up for him and whitaker to try their luck in vegas.

In Vegas Ulliott entered a $500 pot limit Omaha event of the 1997 Four Queens Poker Classic. He ended up heads up with top pro and widely supported Men Nguyen. As the crowd cheered "Go on the Master" to Nguyen, you could hear the solitary but loud voice of Whitaker shouting on "Go on the Devilfish." Ulliott crushed his opponent, leaving him with a single chip before the final break. In true devilfish style he turned to Nguyen and said:

"We’re taking the break, and in all fairness to you, I think you should go upstairs and think about your tactics."

Dave Ulliott went on to win and the "Devilfish" was born.

The Devilfish traveled to the 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) losing approximately $270,000. After this disastrous start he managed to scrape another $2,000 for a buyin, to the pot limit Texas hold 'em event. He won the event after a close heads-up battle with Englishman Chris Truby. On winning the coveted WSOP bracelet he had his new nickname "Devilfish" engraved on it.

Outside of winning a world poker title, the Devilfish has had some fantastic results in cash games. He became a widely known face after winning the very first Late Night Poker tournament in 1999. He won in style and the game was viewed by over 1,500,000 people.

Ulliott has won over $5million in tournament prize money.

He is one of the true characters in poker, both on and off the felt.

Play on Dave "the Devilfish" Ulliott's site at DevilfishPoker.com Today!