Raj Patel

Hometown
Rockey Hill, CT

Total Winnings
$1,332,320

Before ever meeting Raj Patel, a good poker player could guess how he made his money. After all, one in every five hotels and motels in the United States is owned by somebody with the same last name. However, that's about the only thing you'll be able to pick up on him. He dresses younger than his age (he's in his late 40s). What's more, there are a lot of people who were convinced he'd never see the outside of a hospital, let alone the final table of a World Poker Tour event.

Years ago, Patel suffered such grave injuries in a motorcycle accident, it looked like he might not survive. He spent six weeks in a coma. The recovery from his injuries took years to heal. When he found his way back into the real world, Patel made a decision to live every day as if it were his last. On one of those days, he caught a WPT episode on TV and was intrigued. He called up a poker playing friend and asked for a quick primer on how to play the game. Before long, Patel was a regular at Foxwoods Resort and Casino's poker room.

It had only been a year or so into his new hobby that Patel made the final table of a $5,000 buy-in event at Turning Stone Casino. It earned him a little more than $20,000. However, it was his final table finish of the World Poker Tour Foxwoods that cemented his place in poker history. While he's not yet become a household name, players are keeping an eye on Patel. He's already made his living. He's already cheated death. Now, all he has left to do is play poker, and it looks like he's doing pretty well at that, too.