David Bach Biography

David Bach Poker
2009 50k H.O.R.S.E. Champion

Many people may not know about David Bach. Perhaps his most recognizable feature was his nickname “Gunslinger”. A man from Athens who was born Springfield, MO. He is a 37 year-old poker player. Before starting His poker career he used to be a professional blower and also earned a degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia. Both of which he says have helped his game tremendously. “In bowling, you have to control your body and your mind at the same time. In poker, you only have to control your mind. So, all that training of controlling the mind and body helps make the pressure of poker much easier”.

Now the “Gunslinger” has become part of not only the media poker world but also part of the poker elite by winning the $50,000 WSOP H.O.R.S.E tournament. This tournament is widely considered the “true” Main Event amongst the professional gamblers of the world. Just three other people have laid claim to this prize. The late Chip Reese won the inaugural tournament in 2006, Freddy Deeb won in 2007 and Scotty Nguyen bashfully took down the title in 2008. In 2009 David Bach joined the select few to win this sought-after tournament. To win it he had to take down a field of 95 players. This may seem a trivial amount of people when compared to the WSOP Main Event which is in the thousands but the 95 player field consisted of the very best players in the world. To even have a chance to take it down you would have to be a prolific player in all the poker formats; Omaha, Razz, Stud and Omaha Eight or Better, not just Holdem. The final table was a who’s who of the poker world that included Gus Hansen, Erik Seidel, Huck Seed and Erik Sagstrom. Bach finally took down the title after the marathon twenty-hour final table by defeating John Hanson heads up; netting him a cool $1,276,802 as well as the title of the best all-around player in the world.

Although some would argue that he has no major exploits to speak of in the online poker arena Bach has been playing poker professionally since 1996; where he started in home games around the Atlanta area. His results in live tournaments over the years certainly fit the bill of a poker pro. With over thirty deep finishes in major events for over a decade he can never be thought of as a fluke. His first major deep finish was as early as 1997 when he finished 13th in the WSOP 7 Card Stud tournament. Every year since then he has consistently cashed in a number of major tournaments ranging from; 2nd place in the WPO No Limit Holdem tournament winning $51,143 in 2003; 3rd place in the WPT Limit Holdem tournament in 2006 which was good for $132,420 and in 2008 coming 11th in the same tournament he won this year; the $50K H.O.R.S.E tournament for a $159,840 payday.

Over his prolific career Bach has a total of eleven WSOP cashes which include 5 final tables. As of 2009 Bach has earned close to $2.5 million from the tournament circuit. Though he may lack the “star-power” of someone like Phil Ivey or Doyle Brunson; one thing can be said of David Bach; he is a tournament grinder; in every sense of the word. And a modest one at that. “It hasn’t even sunken in yet,” Bach said to the WSOP after his H.O.R.S.E win. “Especially this tournament. This is Chip Reese’s tournament. It means the world to win.”