When it comes to pure versatility, David Williams surely deserves a special level of respect among his colleagues on the professional poker circuit. After all, how many players can claim to be not only a world-class student in the game of poker but also in the game of Magic: the Gathering? It may be difficult to assess with any high degree of certainty which game Williams is more skilled at and such an endeavor would ultimately be a waste of time. The bottom line is that he is a tremendously entertaining competitor to watch in either event.

As with many fortunate young players, David Williams had a great stroke of luck in finding a mentor through which he was introduced to the game of poker. This teacher was none other than Marcel "The Flying Dutchman" Lüske. Certainly, we can only wish that we were all treated to such a masterful teacher and clearly the result of this tutelage upon Williams' poker skills was momentous. In 2004, he gained access to the World Series of Poker via an online satellite. Surprising just about everyone, he made it to the final event, where he finished second. As you undoubtedly know, the main prize that year when to another amateur who had gotten to the big show via a satellite, none other than Greg "Fossilman" Raymer. Despite failing to capture the big prize, David Williams still earned $3.5 million for his showing, which made history by being the largest sum ever earned by an African-American in a World Series of Poker main event. Just a year earlier, Phil Ivery had set the record, probably not expecting that it would be shattered before twelve months were out.

But David Williams certainly was not satisfied to stop with that history-making achievement. He finished second at the Borgata Open World poker Tour event, collecting $573,800 and in March of 2006 make his second World Poker Tour final table where he finished fourth and pocketed $280,000.

You should not expect David Williams, despite these huge winnings, to turn his back on Magic and focus exclusively on poker in the future. He has stated with clarity that he will continue to play both games competitively. It will be fascinating to see if he is able to maintain a high level of play on both sides of this equation, but if we have learned anything from David Williams thus far it is that he rises to any challenge placed before him. And, if life as a professional gambler should ultimately not work out, he has a pretty solid backup plan in place, earning a degree in economics at Southern Methodist University. It seems even a magician, at least a smart one, knows it's a good idea to keep one foot planted in the real world.