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James Davis - aka "JamesD282" and "hellopuppy"

I first learned poker in 2003, when a friend from high school told me you could actually play poker for money on the internet. I struggled for a year before finally reading Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, and then won a tournament for $3,000. I lost about $1,500 of that back before establishing myself as a winning Sit n' Go and limit Hold'em player. I played $5/$10 limit and $50 SNGs for 6 months before moving up to $10/$20 and $15/$30 limit. I didn't plan on playing poker for a living, but my college roommate talked me into taking a road trip to about 30 national parks right after we graduated. At that point, my then girlfriend still had a year of college, so I decided to wait another year before getting a "real" job. I played $15/$30 for about 8 months before moving into some of the highest games online at the time - $100/$200 to $300/$600 limit. I realized then that it would be in my best interest to stick with poker for a while.

My wife and I spent 3 months per summer from 2004-2006 volunteering at a summer camp in NJ, which made me feel like I had a more balanced life than I would have if I had just been playing poker. I think this was the key to helping me become a full time professional without feeling burnt out. I came back to the game with a renewed interest each fall. One such time was in the fall of 2005. I immediately went on the biggest monetary downswing of my career, but instead of feeling defeated, I decided to try and learn a new game. Party Poker started offering 10/20 No-Limit for the first time, and even though I had never played the game, it looked too soft to pass up. I had my biggest month ever - winning $160k, and NL has been my main game ever since. After that, I spent two years living in South Lake Tahoe, CA, and Steamboat Springs, CO, before finally settling in NJ where I reside today, playing $5/$10 - $25/$50 NL and $30/$60-$100/$200 limit.

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