A common lament among the American public is that we simply don’t pay our teachers enough to educate the next generation. Perhaps if we had compensated them better though, the sport of poker would have missed out on Dewey Tomko.
Runner Up In 1946, Tomko was brought, kicking, screaming, and betting into world. Before his 18th birthday he was winning money playing poker in Pool Halls of Pittsburgh, PA. In fact, while most kids were sweating it out, working at Taco Bell to pay for college, he was riding an inside straight all the way to a degree from Salem College. This 35 year veteran of the game of poker has often had the problem of always being a bridesmaid, but never quite making it to bride status. Until the year 2005 his most notable accomplishments included finishing as a runner up in the 1982 World Series of Poker main event, behind Jack Strauss and then coming in another frustrating second to Carlos Mortensen in 2001. The Winterhaven, Florida resident also finished just behind the winners in the WSOP 2003 Five Diamond World Poker Classic and in the Costa Rica Classic. 2005, though was a year when he wouldn’t have to take second place to anyone in the WSOP. On February 2, 2005 Dewey took first place, and the bracelet, at the World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit-Harrah's Rincon. The road to WSOP gold has been a long one.A Family Affair Life settled into a normal middle class groove after college. He took a job as a kindergarten teacher, married, and raised kids of his own. He did not get back into serious competitive poker until his son, reputably a poke protege in his own right, talked his dad into giving tournament play another run. The rest is history. Dewey’s current poker goals go beyond money, and he wishes to see the game as a family affair. He is looking forward to the time when he faces off against his own flesh and blood at the final table of a WSOP event.Related Links:Mortensen vs Dewey TomkoJack Strauss vs Dewey TomkoExperience ShowsArticle of the Day Archive
