Action Dan Harrington

Dan Harrington was born December 6, 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts and he has earned respect from fellow poker players for being a very successful "tight" player. It's ironic that his nickname is "Action Dan". When "Action Dan" makes a large bet, opponents who know him well will often be smart enough to fold.

Harrington won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event in 1995 for $1,000,000 and sat at three other final tables at the main event, placing 6th in 1987 for $43,750, 3rd in 2003 for $650,000, and 4th in 2004 for $1,500,000. The same year as his main event win, he also won a bracelet in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em event for $249,000 and the Seven-card stud event at European Poker Open in London. In 2007, he won the Legends of Poker for a prize of $1,634,865.

Harrington attended both undergraduate and law school at Suffolk university. During his time at Suffolk University, he was part of an MIT team that gained an advantage over casinos at roulette. Shortly after the MIT team disbanded he was part of a different one which specialized in blackjack.

As active as he has been in the stock market and in real estate, Harrington sees similarities between business and poker. "You don't win 100% of the time," he reminds us. "You do something adequate. You stay in the game, and you keep playing. You're going to win eventually."

Dan traveled to Vegas during the 80's to play poker with the prestigious Mayfair Club, alongside other greats such as Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel and Steve Zolotow.  Harrington is an authority and sporting veteran due to his extensive gaming experience. Doyle Brunson and Dan Harrington have both expressed their thoughts on the effect of aging on gaming prowess. Harrington says that attending the 7-day tournaments have become immensely draining for him. Brunson has said that young players these days have more energy and stamina to compete.

Dan Harrington  and Bill Robertie have authored two very popular books on poker, both by Two Plus Two Publishing: "Harrington on Hold'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments," volumes I, II and III. Harrington is currently in the process of writing two more books with Bill Robertie, both of which will tackle no-limit hold'em cash games. They are currently scheduled for simultaneous release in March, 2008.

• Harrington is a cousin to both professional golfer Padraig Harrington and NFL quarterback Joey Harrington.
• 1971 Massachusetts State Chess Champion.
• 1980 World Cup of Backgammon Champion.
• Former bankruptcy lawyer.
• Played poker against Bill Gates while Gates was at Harvard.