Allen “Clever Piggy” Cunningham

This article was written by: Jannah Strat for Celebrity Poker Players

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World's best poker player Allen Cunningham is one of the top players in a new generation of multi-millionaire poker professionals. Ranked amongst the top five money winners of all time, Allen Cunningham has averaged almost one WSOP bracelet a year since 2000. Allen Cunningham was set for a career as a civil engineer when he discovered poker while studying at UCLA.

The Clever Piggy became a regular at local Indian casinos, improving his game as he slowly started to derive a good income from cash poker games.

At the table, Allen Cunningham's engineering background has led him toward an analytical approach to the game of poker. Allen remains quiet, controlled, and focused no matter what happens around him. This style has paid off for him, beginning around 1999 when he enjoyed his first professional success at the Bicycle Casino's Legends of Poker. That year, he was named "Best All Around Player" after reaching the final table in five events, including victories in the $300 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo tournament and the $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'em tournament.

Since taking his first poker tournament win, Allen Cunningham has cashed regularly, and began picking up major tournament wins on a consistent basis after 2001. Allen had another strong WSOP in 2005; reaching four final tables and earning his third bracelet for winning the $1,500 No-Limit Hold 'em tournament. His performance also earned him a brand new pick-up truck and the title of ESPN/Toyota WSOP Player of the Year. While Cunningham has won a number of high-profile events, his biggest cash prize was awarded for finishing in 4th place at the 37th World Series of Poker for which he received over $3 million.

Allen Cunningham won 2 prestigious poker tournaments in 2007, the Poker After Dark Mega Match, for which he earned $300k, and the National Poker League Las Vegas Poker Championship which earned him over $325k. Allen Cunningham’s live tournament winnings presently exceed $9 million.

Allen Cunningham puts his intellect to good use when playing poker and is more of an analytical than instinctive player. The key to his playing style is a combination of focus and psychological strength, enabling Cunningham to effortlessly shut out distractions while playing.

In 2008, Allen won the WSOP-C No-Limit Hold ‘em Championship at Caesars Palace and reached yet another final table at the 2008 WSOP, finishing fourth in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha/Hold ‘em tournament. In addition to his WSOP titles, Allen has also earned victories in the Ultimate Poker Challenge's $3,000 No-Limit Hold 'em tournament and at the $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'em event at the Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic.

Unlike many of the top ranked poker players, Allen Cunningham is an extremely versatile player and is a master of all the different poker tournaments. His WSOP bracelets reflect this, with wins in 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Draw, Texas Hold ‘em No Limit and Hold ‘em Pot Limit poker.

Allen Cunningham burst onto the poker scene back in 1998 as one of the young guns – along with Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Layne Flack, John Juanda, and others – who have collectively revolutionized the game of poker with their talent and ambition. A victory today would seal Cunningham’s place as perhaps the greatest player in the game today.