James Richburg is a 53-year-old professional poker player originally from Long Beach, California, but currently residing in Henderson, Nevada. Unlike most current players on the pro circuit, Richburg is not a big fan of No Limit Hold’em, and prefers Limit and mixed games. Richburg, who has been playing poker professionally for the last 27 years, feels that the recent popularity of No Limit Hold’em allows the best players to win all the money, while the newer and inexperienced players end up with losses. Richburg has won two World Series of Poker bracelets and yearns for another so he can dedicate one to each of his three children.
James Richburg’s first recorded World Series of Poker participation was in 1991, when he made the final table and finished 2nd in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Split event, taking home $53,100. He managed another runner-up performance at the 1996 Legends of Poker in Los Angeles, where he came away with $10,700 in the $500 Omaha Hi/Lo event. At the 28th World Series of Poker in April 1997, he finished 27th and 11th in two $ 2,000 Omaha 8 or Better events, earning a total of $7,476.
After a few quiet years, Richburg’s WSOP dream run began at the 37th World Series of Poker in June-July 2006. He started off with an 81st place performance in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em event followed by a disappointing display in the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em game, where he finished 102nd. He made up for those, however, with his first World Series of Poker bracelet win in his third event, the $1,500 7 Card Razz. Despite being one of the less popular games on the poker circuit, the event saw 409 entrants, with a $558,285 prize pool to play for. In a marathon final table that continued through the night and long after the hundreds of spectators had vacated their seats, Richburg outlasted runner-up Carlos "The Matador" Mortensen, to win the event in the wee hours of the morning, and with it the winner’s check of $139,576.
The following year at the World Series of Poker was another lucrative affair for California native. Coming into the H.O.R.S.E event after a bad outing in the 75 Omaha game, where he lost $13,000, he put all his remaining money - $2,500 to be exact - into the event. In a field of 32 competitors with a prize pool of $78,600, it took another marathon effort before James Richburg tasted victory, winning his second WSOP bracelet, and with it his highest ever tournament cash of $238,881.
By comparison, Richburg’s 2008 visit to the World Series of Poker was a quieter affair, finishing 15th in the $2,000 Omaha Hi/Lo event and 9th in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, with total earnings of $26,664.
Unlike many modern-day players, James Richburg is unfazed by the bright lights and fanfare that poker has attracted in recent years. “I don't care about money and I don't care about publicity. I don't care about anything really, I just play,” says Richburg, who has amassed earnings of over $520,000 in his career spanning two decades.