Todd Witteles
Todd Witteles is an American professional poker player.
| Todd Witteles | |
|---|---|
 Todd Witteles in the World Series of Poker | |
| Nickname(s) | Dan Druff |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 30[1] |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 88, 2010 |
Poker career
Witteles is primarily a cash game player. After four years in poker, he finally entered his first tournament at the 2005 World Series of Poker, where he played the $1500 Limit Texas hold 'em event. He finished in third place out of a field of 1,049 entrants, cashing nearly $116,000. As a gimmick, Witteles used a small Head & Shoulders bottle to protect his cards while playing, in reference to his online moniker "Dan Druff."
During the same World Series of Poker, Witteles played the $3,000 Limit Hold 'em event finishing first, earning a World Series of Poker gold bracelet and $347,385. Witteles set a World Series of Poker record, as no other player in history has finished better in their first two events.[2] He was also named CardPlayer Magazine's 2005 World Series of Poker Player of the Year.[3]
Witteles made two other final tables at the World Series. The first was in 2006, at $1500 No Limit Holdem, where he finished 4th. In 2013, he finished 5th in the $5000 Limit Holdem event. In addition, Todd barely missed WSOP final tables three other times, finishing in 10th place twice and 12th. He had two deep runs at the Main Event, finishing in 88th-place (out of 7,319 entrants) in 2010, and 128th place in 2019 (out of 8,596 entrants). Overall he has cashed 30 times at the World Series, and has cashed at least once there every year since 2005, despite playing relatively few events.
With over $553,000 in cashes at WSOP Limit Hold 'em events, Witteles ranks 12th all time on the WSOP Limit Hold 'em money list.[4]
As of 2018, his total live tournament winnings exceed $974,000.[5] His 30 cashes at the WSOP account for almost $825,000 of those winnings.[1]
Appearances in media
Witteles was a victim of the Absolute Poker/Ultimatebet "Superuser" cheating scandal. He and several other online players took part in uncovering and proving the cheating. This attracted enough media attention to where it became the subject of a story on the TV news program "60 Minutes", where Witteles was featured. The episode aired on November 30, 2008.[6] Witteles appeared on the front page of The Washington Post about the same matter.[7] On December 16, 2009, he appeared on CNBC to discuss the cheating. In the CNBC special, Witteles claimed that legalization and regulation of online poker was necessary in order to prevent future cheating scandals. He also appeared on a Blu-ray Extra attached to the movie Runner Runner, entitled House Of Cards: The Inside Story of Online Poker.[8]
In March 2008, Witteles was selected among eight other top online poker players to participate in ESPN's "Online Poker Think Tank."[9] In 2009, he was a guest broadcaster on ESPN360 for the final table of a World Series of Poker event.
Personal
Witteles has a son named Benjamin, born 2010.
In August 2018, Todd was afflicted by a chemical disorder in his brain which caused sudden and severe anxiety, depression, and anhedonia simultaneously, also resulting in an involuntary 32-pound weight loss in a matter of weeks. By early 2019, he was able to return mostly back to normal, and was able to play in the 2019 World Series of Poker.[10]
Notes
- WSOP.com profile
- World Series of Poker 2005 Event #36 Tournament Report Archived February 4, 2013, at Archive.today
- Card Player Magazine's 2005 World Series of Poker Recap
- World Series of Poker All Time Limit Hold 'em Money List
- Hendon Mob Poker Database: Todd Witteles
- 60 Minutes Preview for November 30th
- Washington Post Story about Online Poker Cheating Scandal
- Blu-Ray Review:Runner Runner
- ESPN Online Poker Think Tank, Week 1
- Todd “Dan Druff” Witteles on Right Track in Life and 2019 WSOP Main Event