Ever since he was five years old, Russ Hamilton has been following the gambling money. Introduced to the game by his father, he was making a pretty good living by the time he was in high school playing card games and running football pools. While attending college for a degree in electrical engineering, a conversation with a professor made him realize that he was making more money at cards than he ever would in the real world, …

Jay B. Heimowitz (born December 26 1937) is an American poker player from Bethel, New York. Jay was one of the original players that helped establish the Mayfair Club as a premier poker house. He started playing poker for baseball cards at the age of 9. He went on to join the U.S. Army; by the time he left the service at age 21, Heimowitz had won approximately $10,000 playing against his fellow servicemen. Heimowitz used this money to invest in a beer company, …

Vince Burgio is an American professional poker player based in West Hills, California. Burgio is a graduate of the University of Missouri. He moved to California in 1976 to set up a construction business and began playing poker tournaments regularly in 1987. Burgio came to note as the winner of the Best All-Around Player Award at the 1992 Four Queens Poker Classic. He first finised in the money of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 1992 in the Ace to Five Draw event.

Brent R. Carter is an American professional poker player from Treasure Island, Florida. Carter first finished in the money of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in 1991 in the $1,500 seven-card stud event. He won his first bracelet the same year in the $1,500 no limit hold'em event, defeating O'Neil Longson in the final heads-up confrontation. He won a second bracelet in 1994 at the $1,500 limit Omaha event.

John Spadavecchia is an American professional poker player from Lighthouse Point, Florida. Spadavecchia has been a regular on the poker tournament circuit since the 1980s, with his first finish in the money of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event coming in 1988 World Series of Poker in the $10,000 no limit hold'em main event where he finished 28th. He also finished 3rd in the same event in 1994.

O'Neil Longson is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. Longson first finished in the money at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 1991 in the $1,500 no limit hold'em event, where he finished 2nd to Brent Carter. He also cashed in the $10,000 no limit hold'em main event that year, finishing 12th. Longson was again close to winning a WSOP bracelet in 1992, finishing 2nd to Hoyt Corkins in the $5,000 pot limit Omaha event.

Robert Turner is an American professional poker player based in Downey, California. Turner is known for introducing Omaha hold 'em into poker-playing circles. He introduced the game to Bill Boyd who offered it as a game at the Golden Nugget Casino (calling it "Nugget Hold'em".) Turner began playing in the 1970s and has won a Best All-Around Player Award at least once per decade since.

Howard Goldfarb is a Canadian poker player, chiefly noted as the runner-up of the 1995 World Series of Poker (WSOP). At the time he was a 33-year-old land developer and businessman from Toronto. He made his first foray into poker in 1993, when he joined some friends for a game in one of Toronto's private clubs. As a recreational poker player, he had previously entered only a few major tournaments, one of which was the 1994 World Series of Poker championship event, …

Al Krux (born in North Carolina) is an American professional poker player now based near Syracuse, New York. Before turning to poker, Krux was a diamond merchant. He also once consulted with Native Americans about casinos and poker rooms. Krux has made the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 no limit hold'em main event on three occasions (6th in 1990, …

James Van Alstyne (born Columbus, Georgia) is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Van Alstyne grew up in New Orleans, LA and graduated from Ben Franklin High School. After high school, Van Alstyne attended Stanford University, where he learned to play poker. Van Alstyne used to be an engineer before becoming a professional blackjack player, using card-counting techniques to give himself an edge.

Steven (Steve) Dannenmann (born August 15 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a CPA from Severn, Maryland who gained notability for his success in the 2005 World Series of Poker, finishing runner-up to Joe Hachem in the Main Event in his first attempt. Arriving as a fresh face on the poker scene, during one WSOP segment he claimed to be merely "the fourth best player in his home game" prior to his entry in the Main Event.