Born on a cursed Friday the 13th in 1939, T.J. Cloutier never considered himself an unlucky guy. He was athletically gifted, playing baseball, football, and basketball through high school. The Texas native had a short stint as a professional football player in the Canadian Football League, but was forced to retire after a knee injury. The end of his competitive sports career marked the beginning of an incredible poker career. He is considered by many professionals as one of the most gifted poker players around. Cloutier has six World Series of Poker bracelets, in the 1987 limit Omaha, 1994 Omaha eight-or-better, 1994 pot-limit hold’em, 1998 pot-limit Omaha, 2004 seven-card razz, and 2005 no-limit hold’em events. He also won the 2004 Festa al Lago main event and the 2003 Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic. He has more than $5.7 million in tournament winnings, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame last year. Away from the table, Cloutier spends time with his wife and six children.