Mel Judah

Mel was born in India on October 8th, 1947. He is known in the poker world as “The Silver Fox” and shares that name with Peter Costa. Judah has been playing poker since the age of 14 when he use to watch his father play. The first game his father taught him was 5-Card Stud. He has come a long way from the early days when he was a hairdresser. Judah believes that being a hairdresser helped him to develop the psychological skills needed to understand players better.

Judah has proven himself over a long period of time to be one of the best talents Australian poker has ever produced. He has earned an image of being a very tight player and he says this has both its positives and negatives. It can be helpful when trying to take pots down, but it is more difficult to get others to call when you are on a big hand. The respect he has acquired over the years has resulted in him being asked to be the director of the European Poker Masters tour. He is now the co-owner and tournament director of the World Poker Championship in Dublin, Ireland. To have a better understanding of how Judah earned the respect he has today, it is important to see that results earn respect.

• Cashes: 126
• Total Winnings: $2,976,866
• First Place Finishes: 13
• WSOP Bracelets: 2
• Age: 60

Results

• WSOP – 1989 – $1,500 7-Card Stud Winner. US$130,800
• WSOP – 1997 – $5,000 7-Card Stud Winner. US$176,000.
• He has had 37 cash finishes in the WSOP to date.
• WPT – 2003 – Legends Event – Winner – US$579,375.
• Judah has prize money which is over US$2.9million.

His consistency over time and his ability to achieve results on a regular basis truly makes Mel Judah an Australian poker icon. His conservative play shows that you don’t have to be super aggressive to win in poker. The lesson that his father taught him at a young age was to lose the minimum and win the maximum. This is a very simple rule but a great way to think about poker. A rule that Judah has always adhered to and helped in his development as a true poker professional.