Gavin Smith

Gavin Smith

Nationality
United States
United States
GPI Rank 7,447
Total Live Earnings $163,091
The Hendon Mob Data provided by The Hendon Mob

Biography

Gavin Smith is a Canadian professional player best known for winning the most prestigious poker trophy, the World Series of Poker bracelet in 2010 as well as the World Poker Tour Championship event in 2005. That same year Smith collected the WPT Season IV Player of the Year honors. With $6 million in lifetime tournament winnings Smith ranks among the most winningest Canadian players alongside Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel, Michael Watson and others.

Intro

Smith was born in 1968 in Guelph, Ontario. He started playing poker in 1994, but it wasn't until 1999 that Smith won his first tournament. His first victory came in December of that year when Smith took down the $500 No-Limit Hold'em event at the World Poker Finals in Mashantucket. He took home just over $14,000 for his win. Then a year later he won another World Poker Finals event and tournament earning started to slowly pile up for Smith. His first major win, however, came only five years later when Smith came out victorious in a WPT Mirage Poker Showdown $10,000 Championship event for more than $1.1 million in cash.

Background

Gavin Smith grew up playing cards with his father. They mostly played cribbage and rummy which got Gavin accustomed to gaming. He discovered poker with the help of his co-workers at the age of 26 and got hooked to the game. Before that Smith used to work in a golf course and drive a cab, but poker changed his life forever. He soon started working as a dealer in a casino and in 1998 established his own poker club. Smith started traveling the American tournament circuit in the early 2000's and has been doing it ever since.

World Series of Poker

Smith made his World Series of Poker debut in 2003 by cashing more than $3,000 for the 16th place at the $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split event. The next year he made a deep run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event eventually finishing the tournament in 52nd place and taking home $45,000 in prize money. Then in 2006 Smith was rewarded with a cash prize of more than $200,000 after he placed 11th in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship. However, his true moment of World Series glory came in 2010 when Smith outplayed the field of 506 players in the $2,500 Limit/No-Limit Hold'em event. Not only did Smith collect almost $270,000 in prize money, but also took home the prestigious WSOP bracelet.

Gavin Smith's Top 6 WSOP Results

YearEventPlacePrize
2010$2,500 Limit/No-Limit Hold'em1st$268,238
2007$1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em2nd$155,446
2005$1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em10th$16,260
2005$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em10th$24,090
2009$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.10th$23,777
2006$50,000 H.O.R.S.E.11th$205,920

World Poker Tour

Next to the World Series bracelet, in Smith's poker trophy collection lies the WPT Championship trophy which he won back in 2005 at the Mirage Poker Showdown. In the final battle for the WPT title Smith outplayed none other than the five-time WSOP bracelet winner and a WPT champion Ted Forest. That same year Smith made another final table at the WPT championship event. He did the same in 2006 and 2008 increasing his WPT record to one title and four final tables.

Gavin Smith's Top 5 WPT Results

2005Mirage Poker Showdown $10,000 Championship1st$1,128,278
2008North American Poker Championship C$10,000 No-Limit Hold'em2ndC$612,427 ($542,129)
2005Bellagio Festa Al Lago IV $10,000 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship3rd$327,610
2006Gold Strike World Poker Open $10,000 Championship4th$173,052
2007Gold Strike World Poker Open $10,000 Main Event19th$17,137

Other Achievements

In May, 2005 Smith won the $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at the Mirage Poker Showdown in Las Vegas for $155,880. Then one year later he lost the heads-up play to Peter Feldman at the WSOP Circuit Harrah's New Orleans Championship event for a cash prize of almost $300,000. Just two months after, in July 2006 Smith took down the World Pro-Am Challenge event at the Poker Dome Challenge in Las Vegas for half a million dollars. In 2008 and 2009 Smith won three televised Poker After Dark events collecting $120,000 for each win. Then in January, 2010 he bested the C$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the Canadian Poker Tour Fallsview, Ontario for more than $180,000.

Sponsorship

Smith used to represent the Full Tilt Poker online poker site and was a member of Team Full Tilt.

Did you know?

  • Smith is known for making numerous crazy prop bets with his friend and colleague Joe Sebok with whom he co-hosted the PokerRoad Radio.
  • Another well-known poker pro Erick Lindgren used to stake Smith in the early stages of his career.

PokerNews Covered Events

Event Place Prize
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #70: $400 Colossus No-Limit Hold'em
1687th $880
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #54: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold'em
331st $7,200
2020 WSOP.com Online Bracelet Events
Event #4: $500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo
74th $1,061
2020 WSOP.com Online Bracelet Events
Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em
218th $677
2019 World Series of Poker
Event #3: BIG 50 - $500 No-Limit Hold'em
965th $2,202
2018 World Series of Poker
Event #6: $365 GIANT No-Limit Hold'em
823rd $699
2017 World Series of Poker
Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship
612th $20,411
2014 World Series of Poker
Event #58: $1,500 Mixed-Max No-Limit Hold'em
113th $2,947
2014 World Series of Poker
Event #41: $1,500 Six-Handed Dealer's Choice
25th $3,880
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #50: $2,500 10-Game Mix (Six Handed)
28th $5,805
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #46: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low 8-or-Better
32nd $6,899
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #36: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
83rd $5,555
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better
7th $34,268
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 61: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
96th $62,021
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 50: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em
54th $17,360
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 28: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Four-Handed
58th $5,169
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Six-Handed
29th $13,722
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
87th $5,295
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mixed-Max
38th $10,984
Epic Poker League Event #1
Main Event
5th $154,260
2011 World Series of Poker
Event #56: $1,500 No-Limit Hold��em
12th $46,209
2011 World Series of Poker
Event #36: $2,500 No-Limit Hold��em
65th $9,625
2011 World Series of Poker
Event #24: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
16th $13,368
2011 World Series of Poker
Event #20: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
289th $1,914
2010 World Series of Poker
Event #44: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em
1st $268,238
2010 World Series of Poker
Event #35: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship
9th $38,424
2009 World Series of Poker
Event 25 - $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8-or-better
23rd $6,434
2009 World Series of Poker
Event 21 - $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
10th $23,777
2009 World Series of Poker Circuit - Tunica
$5,150 Circuit Championship Main Event
10th $14,718
2008 WSOP Circuit Event - Rincon
$5,000 Circuit Championship Event
6th $35,340
2007 World Series of Poker
Event 55 - $10,000 World Championship No Limit Holdem
592nd $20,320
2007 World Series of Poker
Event 26 - $5,000 H.O.R.S.E.
21st $9,024
2007 World Series of Poker
Event 4 - $1,500 Pot Limit Holdem
2nd $155,645

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