Ryan Daut came into poker as many of the young players do today. He was an avid sports fan in his youth, and his tremendous interest in computer games like Starcraft led him to a community of friends who were beginning to look at online poker as an interesting option. Ryan was convinced by a friend that he could make money at the game, so he deposited $45 in an online account and began playing the small limit games. Being in college at the University of Richmond, then Penn State University pursuing a Ph.D. in Mathematics, a little extra money could – and did – come in handy. Though it took some time, he turned that initial deposit into $600 playing cash games.

It wasn’t by Ryan’s own hand that he became more involved in poker than he was; it was through a friend playing Ryan’s online account. He won a seat into the World Series of Poker, and since the account was in Ryan’s name, he suddenly had to learn no-limit hold’em and play the WSOP. Though he didn’t cash in that event, he realized what kind of excitement is inherent in tournament play and how much money can be won if the game is played well. In order to enhance his game, he and a friend became protégés of online pro Taylor Caby, one of the founders of CardRunners. This sort of weekly discussion about strategy seemed to take his game to another level.

In January of 2007, Ryan entered and won his first World Poker Tour event – the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas. Not only did he win over $1.5 million, but he garnered recognition from around the poker community. He followed that up only five months later with a 9th place finish at the WPT Mandalay Bay Poker Championship. And in December of 2007, he found himself at his second televised final table on the World Poker Tour – at the Doyle Brunson Classic. Though he finished in sixth place, he still took home nearly $200,000, but more importantly, he showed that he was no one-hit wonder and had the stamina and poker skills to stay in the game for as long as he chooses.