2010 World Series of Poker November Nine Profile -- John DolanFlorida Pro Among Most Experienced Players Remaining |
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Coming into this summer, John Dolan had quietly racked up nearly $1 million in tournament winnings over his career. In July, he had no choice but to accept the limelight as he made the main-event final table with more than 46 million in chips.
The humble Florida pro is in excellent shape to take down the 2010 WSOP and win nearly $9 million this November. With so many chips and so much experience, he is easily one of the favorites to become the newest world champ.
Michael Mizrachi and John Racener might be the two most well-known pros at the final table with their notable live success, but Dolan has won more than his fair share of tournaments, from victories in the Monday $1K on Full Tilt for the $100 rebuy on PokerStars (both for more than $90,000 each) to live wins at the Gulf Poker Championship and Winter Bayou Poker Challenge (both for more than $30,000 each).
Although only 24, he’s already been playing for five years and is now looking to secure his place in poker history.
Prior to becoming pro, Dolan worked at a few restaurants to make ends meet and even dealt the game in a small poker room in his home state. Just three years ago, he was playing in the $500 casino employees event at the World Series, where he managed a 91st-place finish for a min-cash of $771. It was his first in-the-money finish in Las Vegas.
Now, with a bunch more WSOP cashes to his name, Dolan is sitting at the final table of the biggest poker tournament in the world.
“Everyone’s ecstatic and thrilled,” Dolan said about his friends and family upon his big score.
At one point in time, Dolan’s family was less than thrilled with his infatuation with the game. After a great start to his online career, Dolan dropped out of college at Florida State to pursue the game professionally.
“My parents had what I would assume to be the standard reaction. They weren’t very supportive, they told me I needed to finish school, and that it was a bad decision. And you know, they were definitely right,” said Dolan. “I was too young, I was 19 at the time…I hadn’t had enough success to just expect this to work out. It has worked out, but I’m obviously very fortunate.”
Dolan said that he wants to go back to school, but has admitted that he’s said that before without following up on it.
“I’ve said that actually many times [about going back to get my degree], so I guess we will see after this if I’m just full of it or not,” said Dolan, who studied business at Florida State.
Dolan begin playing poker with friends about five years ago after a childhood full of sporting events.
“I played sports growing up, baseball and football,” said Dolan. “I was a normal kid, I liked video games, Madden, stuff like that.”
This summer, Dolan entered approximately 15 WSOP events and cashed in three tournaments — his best result (after the main event, of course) was a sixth-place finish in one of the monstrous $1,000 no-limit hold’em fields for $82,804. He outlasted the vast majority of a field of 3,102 in that tournament, only to outdo himself in the main event. The 7,319 players in the 2010 main event makes it the second-largest live poker tournament in history, with only the 2006 WSOP ahead of it.
Dolan is excited to resume play in November, but admits he could’ve gotten luckier with his final-table seat draw.
“I do kind of have an unfortunate seat. I’m in the three seat, and the only person with more chips than me is to my direct left. So it’s not my dream scenario,” said Dolan. “But I’m not worried about it.”
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