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Hasan Habib was born April 19, 1962 in Karachi, Pakistan. At age 18 Habib went to America to study business at the University of Redlands, where he started playing poker. In 1985 he began playing poker as a cash game specialist, and started playing the tournament circuit in 1998.
Hasan Habib's most memorable performance was in 2004 and 2005, when he finished 2nd and 3rd in respectively, in back-to-back final table play in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship Events. Habib recounts the things he achieved on April 14, 2004 as his biggest poker accomplishment. This was when he took home $1,372,223 when he placed 2nd in the Bellagio Five Star World Poker Classic, $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em in Las Vegas. Habib said after his win, "Money may come and go, but the gold bracelet is something I will always cherish."
Habib prefers tournaments because he has better turnouts there and enjoys them more, but he plays in both tournaments and side games. In tournaments, he likes to play the No-Limit Hold'em, while in side games he likes to play the Omaha Hi-Lo.
"Soft-spoken, mild-mannered, but fiercely competitive" was how Allyn Jaffrey Shulman of Card Player Magazine described Hasan Habib. Barry Greenstein though, had told Hasan that "he has the perfect style of game, because he is unpredictable and fearless." At the same time, Greenstein had that Habib was "dangerous" and "volatile." Daniel Negreanu and Hasan Habib were first and second respectively in Card Player's 2004 Player of the Year ranking.
It hasn't always been easy for Habib. Habib recalls, when he had to scrape together $25 a day for a room at Crystal Park. Now he owned three homes, one WSOP bracelet, and a newfound confidence. In 2000, he made a name for himself in tournament play by making the final table at the main event of the World Poker Open in April, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in May, and the Tournament of Champions in July.
Habib currently resides in Downey, California.
Fun Facts:
- Was the Pakistan 14-and-under National Tennis Champion.
- He once owned a nationwide chain of video stores.