David Haddad “Hawk“

Hometown
Las Vegas, NV

Total Winnings
$98,375

David Haddad is a former stockbroker who moved to Las Vegas with his supportive wife Shirley and their 3 year-old son Leo. Haddad moved his family across the country to Vegas from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania specifically to play poker. David enjoys many competitive games such as soccer, chess and backgammon. Haddad used to play on the U.S. Backgammon circuit, and was ranked 11^th in the country in 1987. That’s where he met fellow poker pro, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak.

Haddad saw Phil Laak playing a World Poker Tour final table about three years ago and decided to learn how to play poker. He started playing hold’em in 2005 and found he had a knack for it. David felt that his background as a stockbroker helped him with the number crunching and managing the controlled risk on the felt. But it was his background in backgammon that he tapped into for the psychological strategy and strong emotional control that is required at the tables.

David likes to play poker online and takes his nickname from his internet handle. His favorite hand is 9-7 suited. It’s a small hand that can be wielded properly to bring down larger pocket pairs. He says mostly he can be found playing cash games at the Bellagio, but keep an eye on this savvy player - he may be spending time on the World Poker Tour soon!