Background
Tomko was born and raised in Glassport, Pennsylvania., a suburb of Pittsburgh.
Tomko was born and raised in Glassport, Pennsylvania., a suburb of Pittsburgh.
He began playing poker profitably as a 16-year-old in Pittsburgh pool halls which allowed him to finance his education. He worked as a kindergarten teacher for several years, but often played poker through the night. After Tomko realised that poker was more profitable than his job, he invested a sum of his winnings into businesses while choosing to play poker full-time and leaving his full-time job.
The next day he went back-to-back, winning the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with re-buys event.
In addition to his WSOP success, Tomko has made two World Poker Tour (WPT) final tables. He finished runner-up in the 2003 Five Diamond World Poker Classic ($552,853) and in fourth place in the Costa Rica Classic ($14,650)
Tomko has played every WSOP Main Event since 1974 which is currently the longest active streak.
Tomko took third place in the 2005 WSOP Deuce-to-seven lowball event worth $138,160. He finished in 7th place earning a $343,200 payday.
As of 2010, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,960,000.
Just over half of his tournament winnings, $2,641,573, have come at the WSOP. He is a 2008 inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame. World Series of Poker Bracelets
Tomko is married with three children. Tomko is an excellent golfer, spending much of his time on the golf course when he is not playing poker.
He has played with many of his fellow high-stakes poker players like Doyle Brunson, Philosophy Ivey, and many others
Rick Reilly chronicles a day with Dewey on a golf course in his book Who"s Your Caddy. In it, he contends that Tomko is not interested in competition if there is not a wager riding on lieutenant
Dewey is just as good a gambler on the golf course as he is sitting at a poker table. He notes that many Professional Golf Association professionals will refuse to play him for money.Dewey has now opened Dewey"s and sports grill in Orlando Florida, it open"s officially on 2/4/2014.
On National Broadcasting Company"s Poker After Dark, Greg Raymer noted that pro golfer Rocco Mediate has said that if he had one person to putt for his life, it would be Tomko.
Tomko is chiefly noted as the runner-up in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 no limit Texas hold"em main event in both 1982 (to Jack Straus) and 2001 (to Carlos Mortensen) Besides his success in the main event, Tomko has won three WSOP bracelets, all in different variations of poker, in addition to various other tournament wins throughout his career. Tomko won his first WSOP bracelet in 1979 in the $1,000 Number Limit Hold"em event. At the 1984 WSOP, Dewey won two bracelets. First he won the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event.
