Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, David Sklansky attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, but dropped out after only a year. He then got a job as an actuary and quickly became extremely proficient in the field. Upon discovering a faster way to do the required calculations of his job, he took the methods to his boss who then promptly dismissed them.
In Al Alvarez’s book “The Biggest Game in Town”, Sklansky expressed his displeasure over the situation with his boss, saying, “I knew something no one else knew, but I got no recognition for it.” It was then that David realized the workforce wasn’t for him, so he turned to poker. “In poker, if you’re better than anyone else, you make immediate money. If there’s something I know about the game that the other person doesn’t, and if he’s not willing to learn or can’t understand, then I take his money.”
On the tables, Sklansky proved his talent in the 1982 World Series of Poker by winning two events: $1K Draw high and $800 Mixed Doubles. A year later, he picked up his third bracelet, winning the $1K Limit Omaha event for $25.5K. In 2006, he recorded his biggest live tournament score when he finished third in the WPT Borgata Poker Open for $419K. All told, Sklansky has over $1 million in live poker earnings.
Despite his prowess on the felt, David Sklansky is more widely known as the foremost poker author in the world. Published in 1976, Hold’em Poker is regarded as the first true poker book. Often collaborating with other authors like Mason Malmuth and Ed Miller, other important works by Sklansky include “Hold’em for Advanced Players”, “Poker, Gaming, & Life”, “Sklansky on Poker”, “Small Stakes Hold’em: Winning Big with Expert Play”, “Theory of Poker”, “Tournament Poker for Advanced Players”, and “No Limit Hold’em: Theory and Practice”.
Currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, David Sklansky still regularly participates in tournaments and cash games all over the world.
