Background
Bartholdi moved to Las Vegas at the age of 18 alongside his father, who worked as a poker dealer.
Bartholdi moved to Las Vegas at the age of 18 alongside his father, who worked as a poker dealer.
Bartholdi was a hustler from an early age. Known as "Gambles", he used to sell cigarettes to his classmates at school and was eventually expelled for fighting. As the next nearest school involved much travel, he did not go and concentrated on obtaining a General Educational Development instead.
He began playing despite being underage, first concentrating on stud poker and later on Texas hold "econometrics
He turned professional at the age of 21, but lost much of his profits due to poor bankroll management and playing blackjack. He ended up taking a job as a poker dealer to supplement his income.
Later, Bartholdi felt he had let the group down when losing $4,000 while tilting in online poker and left the group. However, he maintains that they all remain friends.
In 2004, Bartholdi built a new bankroll from a $50 bonus up to $250,000, however lost it again due to his ongoing bankroll management issues.
Cassidy and Bartholdi swapped 50% with each other for the World Poker Tour (WPT) season 4 $25,000 no limit hold "em championship event. He also made the final table of the WPT Battle of Champions IV event shortly after. As of January 2015, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,200,000.
Bartholdi met Dutch Boyd at the 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP), who invited him to become a member of the poker playing group known as "".
