World Poker Tour

Billy Baxter

Birthplace
Augusta, Georgia

Birthday
September 21

Total Winnings
$220,122

Billy Baxter is one of the names in poker that everyone knows – or should know. While he may not appear on television as often as other players, he has been a pioneer in the game in many ways and is still going strong in his late 60’s. Billy actually got his start in gambling when he was 14-years old, as he discovered pool halls and the art of hustling. He eventually took his skills to the poker tables in local taverns in Augusta, Georgia, when he was 18-years old, though he wasn’t a winning player at first and had to overcome his poker losses with pool hustling money. But he soon learned how to win at poker, played at higher stakes, and even co-owned a casino called the Paisley Club. He won full ownership of the club from his partner but eventually closed it due to police pressure. Police also crushed a makeshift casino he ran hears later, and he served time in jail for those offenses.

After Billy’s honeymoon in 1975, he and his wife moved to Las Vegas, where he honed his game and met players like Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Stu Ungar. During that first year in Vegas, he won what would be his first of seven World Series of Poker bracelets, this one in the $1000 deuce-to-seven draw event. It was in Sin City that Billy did another prison term for gambling/sports betting, though upon his return to the tables, he made more money than ever before in poker. While his preferred game was deuce-to-seven draw, he matured with the game and learned all of its variations, including Texas hold’em.

All in all, Billy has had approximately 50 years of poker experience. Through those years, he has accumulated a total of seven WSOP bracelets and numerous other accomplishments. And though he has had several World Poker Tour cashes, it wasn’t until March 1st, 2008, that he finally made an appearance at a WPT final table at the Invitational tournament where he finished in third place. But being the pro that he is – never losing his zest for poker – he had a stellar month of April where he won two preliminary events at Bellagio’s Five Star World Poker Classic and final tabled another. In all of his years, he has made over $2 million in tournaments alone, though his cash game and sports betting successes most likely overtake that number by quite a lot. One of the legends of the game and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, Billy Baxter will likely add more tournament successes to his resume in the years to come.