Editing Dave Ulliott (section)

==Poker career==
Ulliott was introduced to gambling by his parents, who played poker with him during his childhood. At 16, he learned how to play [[Brag (card game)|three-card brag]] after frequenting Hull's Fifty-One Club casino.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=6 April 2015 |title=David "Devilfish" Ulliott Passes Away |url=https://www.flushdraw.net/news/david-devilfish-ulliott-passes-away/ |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=Flushdraw.net}}</ref> By the time of his second marriage, Ulliott had begun organising poker games in the back of his pawn shop.

In late 1990, he met Gary Whitaker, a café manager from [[Wakefield]], at Napoleon's Casino in [[Leeds]]. The two became close, travelling together to poker games six nights a week. Whitaker often placed bets for Ulliott after he was banned from all [[William Hill (bookmaker)|William Hill]] betting shops. Additionally, Whitaker became Ulliott's driver and held a 10% stake in his poker action.<ref name="swimming" />

When Ulliott first travelled to London, he found the competition much tougher, forcing him to adjust his playing style. He credited this experience with greatly improving his poker skills. In private poker games, Ulliott sometimes brought a gun to ensure he could leave with his winnings, even firing it into the air on one occasion to scare off opponents who planned to rob him.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 September 2006 |title=Texas Holdem Poker – Interview With Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott |url=http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/interviews/dave_ulliott.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909150353/http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/interviews/dave_ulliott.php |archivedate=9 September 2006|access-date=25 September 2024 |website=texasholdem-poker.com}}</ref>

=== Poker Success and the Origin of "Devilfish" ===
Ulliott first gained recognition in poker tournaments in 1993, gradually honing his skills in tournament play. His breakthrough came in 1996 when he won £100,000 over a two-week period at The Vic in London, which encouraged him and his friend, Gary Whitaker, to travel to [[Las Vegas|Las Vegas, Nevada]], for the first time.<ref name=":2" />

Taking £10,000 with him, Ulliott maintained an even bankroll until he entered the $500 [[Pot-Limit Hold'em|Pot Limit Omaha]] event at the 1997 Four Queens Poker Classic.<ref>{{cite web |title=1997 Four Queens Poker Classic, Pot Limit Omaha: Hendon Mob Poker Database |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=19428 |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=The Hendon Mob }}</ref> During the heads-up match against [[Men Nguyen]], a large group of [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese-American]] supporters cheered for Nguyen, calling him "The Master." In response, Whitaker coined the nickname "Devilfish" for Ulliott, cheering, "Go on the Devilfish".<ref name="swimming" />

The nickname had been suggested earlier that year by Stephen Au-Yeung, who hosted a poker game Ulliott attended in [[Birmingham]]. Au-Yeung also sold Ulliott the domain name DevilFishPoker.com in 2005.

In the tournament, Ulliott reduced Nguyen's stack to a single chip. Despite Nguyen's protests, the [[Tournament director (poker)|tournament director]] insisted on taking the scheduled one-hour break. Ulliott famously told Nguyen, "We're taking the break, and in all fairness to you, I think you should go upstairs and think about your tactics." Ulliott eventually won the event, and the following day's headline read, ''Devilfish Devours the Master''. Despite the fame the nickname brought, Ulliott later downplayed the tournament's significance, claiming it only mattered because of his new moniker.<ref name=":2" /> Before that nickname, Ulliott was known as "Dave the Clock" because he once used a grandfather clock as a buy-in for a local poker game where a furniture dealer was presented.<ref name="mayarthendonmob">{{cite web |last=May |first=Jesse |author-link=Jesse May |title=Devilfish |url=http://www.thehendonmob.com/index.php?id=175 |access-date=4 September 2006 |publisher=[[The Hendon Mob]]}}</ref>

=== 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) ===
Ulliott arrived at the [[1997 World Series of Poker]] (WSOP) with $200,000, but lost it all in cash games and tournament buy-ins. He borrowed over $70,000 more, but lost that as well, damaging several relationships along the way. However, he managed to gather enough money to enter the $2,000 Pot Limit [[Texas hold 'em|Texas Hold'em]] event, where he eventually faced fellow Englishman Chris Truby in heads-up play.

In the final hand, Ulliott moved all-in with an [[Draw poker|open-ended straight draw and a flush draw]], while Truby held the top set. Ulliott completed his [[List of poker hands|straight]] on the [[The River (Poker)|river]], securing the victory and earning $180,310, along with his first and only WSOP bracelet. Whitaker, his close friend, and driver, leapt over the barricade to join in the celebrations. While press reports suggested Ulliott got lucky, in reality, he was a 54.5% favourite to win the hand when the money went into the pot.<ref name="1997wsop2kplhe">{{cite web |title=28th World Series of Poker – WSOP 1997, Hold'em Pot Limit |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=7807 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref> After the victory, Ulliott had his bracelet engraved with his newly famous nickname, ''Devilfish.''<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=27 April 2006 |title=David 'Devilfish' Ulliot |url=http://www.pokerlistings.com/david-devilfish-ulliot-817|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427172649/http://www.pokerlistings.com/david-devilfish-ulliot-817 |archivedate=27 April 2006|access-date=25 September 2024 |website=pokerlistings.com}}</ref>

Following his tournament win, Ulliott enjoyed a successful streak in cash games, netting between $10,000 and $20,000 daily for a two-week period. During this stretch, and upon the advice of his friend [[Mansour Matloubi]], he played a high-stakes heads-up Pot Limit Omaha match against [[Lyle Berman]], winning $168,000.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 September 2006 |title=World Poker Game News THE EXCLUSIVE DEVILFISH INTERVIEW |url=http://poker.sportinglife.com/News/story_64528.shtml|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907074007/http://poker.sportinglife.com/News/story_64528.shtml |archivedate=7 September 2006|access-date=25 September 2024 |website=poker.sportinglife.com}}</ref> By the end of his trip, Ulliott had amassed $742,000 in winnings, which he carried in duty-free bags along with Whitaker. Upon their return to their casino in Leeds, they were met with applause from their regular poker opponents.<ref name=":2" />

===Late Night Poker===
In 1999, Ulliott was one of 40 players to appear in the [[Late Night Poker series 1 results|first series]] of the ''[[Late Night Poker]]'' television series, the first poker show to use [[hole cam]] technology. He won his qualifying heat against a field that included Charalambos "Bambos" Xanthos and future [[Hendon Mob]]ster [[Ross Boatman]] to advance to the Grand Final.<ref name="lnp1-3">{{cite web |last=Butt, Robert |title=Late Night Poker series 1 heat 3 results |url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=415 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909023832/http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=415 |archive-date=9 September 2006 |access-date=5 September 2006 |publisher=[[The Hendon Mob]]}}</ref> Ulliott lead the final from the first hand (where his [[rank of hands (poker)#Flush|flush]] beat Surinder Sunar's pocket queens). During the event, he made [[rank of hands (poker)#Four of a kind|four of a kind]] against [[Joe Beevers]], eliminated [[Liam Flood]] and [[poker jargon#S|slow-played]] [[rank of hands (poker)#Three of a kind|three aces]] against [[Dave Welch]].This prompted commentator [[Nic Szeremeta]] to say, "I've never seen a hand played so well." Ulliott went on to win the heads-up confrontation against Peter Evans, and the £40,000 first prize.<ref name="swimming">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Des |title=Swimming with the Devilfish |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |year=2006 |isbn=1-4050-8952-0}}{{page number|date=September 2024}}</ref><ref name="lnp1-f">{{cite web |title=Late Night Poker Series 1, No Limit Hold'em - Grand Final |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=418 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref>

Ulliott's victory was watched by over 1,500,000 people and his character at the table was part of the reason for the renewal of the series, which went on to run for five more series, with Ulliott appearing in them all. Ulliott also made the final table in the [[Late Night Poker series 2 results|second series]].<ref name="swimming" /><ref name="lnp2-f">{{cite web |title=Late Night Poker Series 2, No Limit Hold'em – Grand Final |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=672 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref>

===World Poker Tour===
In January 2003, Ulliott won his biggest tournament cash prize in the [[World Poker Tour]] (WPT) [[World Poker Tour season 1 results|first season]] [[Jack Binion World Poker Open]]. Ulliott outlasted a field of 160 players, entering the final table with a 2:1 chip lead over his nearest rival, and taking first place and $589,175 after eliminating [[Phil Ivey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Fourth Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open, No Limit Hold'em Championship – WPT |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=11725 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref> Ulliott eliminated four of his five opponents at the final table, in a performance that commentator [[Mike Sexton]] has referred to as "still the most dominating performance in WPT history."<ref name="swimming" /> In the second season, Ulliott was also invited to the WPT Bad Boys of Poker Invitational, and finished on the television [[poker jargon#B|bubble]] of the Aruba Poker Classic.<ref name="wptbadboys">{{cite web |title=World Poker Tour – WPT Bad Boys of Poker, No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=16574 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref><ref name="wptaruba">{{cite web |title=2003 Ultimatebet.com Poker Classic II, No Limit Hold'em Championship Final Day – WPT |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=7532 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref>

In December 2007, Ulliott came in 3rd place in the [[World Poker Tour season 6 results|sixth season]] of the WPT [[Doyle Brunson]] Classic Championship Event earning $674,500.<ref>{{cite web |title=2007 Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, Doyle Brunson Classic – No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=29206 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]]}}</ref>

===Other events===
Ulliott came close to winning a second WSOP bracelet on numerous occasions, finishing second in events at the [[1998 World Series of Poker|1998 WSOP]] and [[2000 World Series of Poker|2000 WSOP]], and second at two more events at the [[2001 World Series of Poker|2001 WSOP]].<ref name="1998wsop3kplhe">{{cite web |title=29th World Series of Poker – WSOP 1998, Hold'em Pot Limit |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=7876 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref><ref name="2000wsop3kplhe">{{cite web |title=31st World Series of Poker – WSOP 2000, No Limit Hold'em |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1978 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]]}}</ref><ref name="2001wsop3kplomaha">{{cite web |title=32nd World Series of Poker – WSOP 2001, Omaha (pot limit) |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=3043 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]]}}</ref><ref name="2001wsop2kplhe">{{cite web |title=32nd World Series of Poker – WSOP 2001, Texas Hold'em (pot limit) |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=3047 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]]}}</ref> In two of these events, he was eliminated while holding aces.<ref name="sportinglife">{{cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Dave |title=The Exclusive Devilfish Interview |url=http://poker.sportinglife.com/News/story_64528.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907074007/http://poker.sportinglife.com/News/story_64528.shtml |archive-date=7 September 2006 |access-date=6 September 2006 |publisher=Poker. SportingLife.com}}</ref>

Ulliott represented his country in the [[Poker Nations Cup]], the [[PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup]] and the [[Intercontinental Poker Championship]] as well as the inaugural [[The Poker Channel|British Poker Open]], which had a strong American field in contention.

At the PartyPoker Premier League, he embarked on a rivalry with Phil Hellmuth, including one six-man game where Ulliott called Hellmuth's all-in bluff with A♠-8♠ against Hellmuth's <span style="color:red">7♥-5♥</span>, making him a better than 60% favourite. Hellmuth flopped the [[Nut hand|nut]] straight. Later in the same game, Hellmuth's pocket nines beat Ulliott's aces.

Ulliott's total lifetime tournament winnings exceeded $6,200,000.<ref name="stats">{{cite web |title=Dave Ulliott's profile on The Hendon Mob |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=236 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=[[The Hendon Mob Poker Database]] }}</ref> His 33 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,708,075 of those winnings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dave Ulliott |url=https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=259 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=WSOP.com}}</ref>