Raymond Davis

Hometown
Downy, CA

Total Winnings
$403,728

Ray Davis was born in Fondulac, Wisconsin but raised mostly in Milwaukee. He joined the United States Army when he was 18-years old and was discharged after serving for four years in Fort Lewis, Washington. He stayed in the Northwest and settled in Seattle where he lived for about ten years, only moving to the Los Angeles area after the turn of the century. He supports himself and his son as a professional poker player. Ray's parents first introduced him to poker when he was eight-years old, and by his early teenage years, he was playing in home games with friends. After his stint in the Army, where he also played countless hours of poker during off hours, he began playing tournaments in Seattle in 1990 and found some success. He craved the competition and action that was supposed to be going on down in L.A., so he made the move and found just what he was looking for. He also befriended such players as John Bonetti, who became Ray's mentor, as well as Phil Ivey and Paul Darden who taught him a great deal about the game, including transitioning from his specialty in Omaha to the popular hold'em. Not only was Ray doing extremely well in cash games at the L.A. card rooms, he had taken a special liking to the tournament circuit. By 2002, he was cashing in numerous tournaments. His first two wins came consecutively in 2003 at the Hustler Open, followed up by another at Larry Flynt's Poker Challenge Cup two months later. His list of wins and cashes seems to go on and on, which is only an example of one man's determination to be successful. He has cashed in several World Series of Poker events, including the $1,000 SHOE event at the 2007 WSOP where he made the final table and finished in fourth place. There are also three World Poker Tour cashes on that resume, including his most recent tenth place finish at the 2007 Legends of Poker.