Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer Profile

Greg Raymer Poker Profile

Greg "Fossilman" Raymer was born in 1964 in Minot, North Dakota and was an Air Force brat. He lived in Lansing, MI until he was 11 years old, then moved to Florida and Missouri, where he finished high school. Greg received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Missouri, an MS in Biochemistry and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota. He was a patent attorney in Chicago and later a corporate attorney with Pfizer, until he won the WSOP in 2004.

While in school in Minnesota, Greg made extra money by playing blackjack as a card counter at the various Indian casinos in the state. When he got his first job in Chicago, there were no readily beatable blackjack games available. While looking for a blackjack game, he found a poker game, and played for fun. Greg had already learned the basics of the game while in college playing in nickel-dime-quarter games in his fraternity and with all of his friends in grad school and law school. Fortunately for Greg, one of the first books on poker that he found was The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, which helped a lot to lay the groundwork for all his future poker education. While in Chicago, Greg mostly played 3-6. In San Diego, he moved up from 3-6 to 10-20 and occasionally 20-40. He also started to learn big bet poker in the 3,5 blind pot-limit holdem games in Oceanside, and also learned tournament poker at this time. In CT, Greg moved up from 10-20 to 20-40 to 150-300, and gained a reputation as one of the best local tournament players at Foxwoods.

The trademark "lizard eye" sunglasses that Greg wears were purchased at Disneyworld on a family vacation just prior to the WSOP events in 2002. Greg thought it would be a funny joke to put them on in the middle of an important hand. However, instead of making everyone laugh, the glasses freaked out his opponent and caused him to fold. Since then he has found that some of his opponents are very uncomfortable playing against him because of the glasses. Precisely why you will still see Greg wearing them during major tournaments.

Greg got the "Fossilman" nickname from players at the Oceanside Card Club in San Diego. He had purchase an othoceras fossil to be used as a cardholder. Many other players liked the fossil, so Greg went to the rock and mineral show where hed purchased the original one and bought several more to sell for a profit, thereby helping to build his poker bankroll. You can purchase authographed fossils from Gregs website.

Player stats:

2011: 3rd place PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $5,000 8 Game Championship
2011: 4th place PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $550 Fiple Draw
2010: 92nd place EPT London Main Event
2010: 11th place The River Guaranteed $3Million Poker Series $2,000 No Limit Hold’em
2010: 6th place The River Guaranteed $3Million Poker Series $300 No Limit Hold’em
2010: 37th place WSOP $2,500 Seven Card Razz
2010: 102nd place NAPT Deep Stack Extravaganza $5,000 No Limit Hold’em
2010: 13th place NAPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller
2009: 3rd place WSOP $40,000 Anniversary Event
2009: 4th place PokerStars Caribbean Adventure World Cup of Poker – Team Event
2008: 11th place WSOP $2,500 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw
2008: 9th place NBC National Heads Up Championship
2007: Winner PokerStars World Cup of Poker Barcelona No Limit Hold’em Team Event
2007: 14th place WSOP $50,000 HORSE Championship
2007: 4th place WSOP $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better
2007: 6th place WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Stud
2007: 131st place WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em
2007: 6th place Poker After Dark II Week 11 WSOP Champions II
2006: 5th place WSOP $5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw
2006: 63rd WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em
2005: 6th place Grosvenor World Masters £250 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
2005: 25th place WSOP Main Event
2005: 6th place WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em
2005: 86th place WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em
2005: 3rd place British Poker Open Final
2005: 33rd place WPT 5 Star World Poker Classic $25,000 Main Event
2005: 32nd place WPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event
2004: 5th place WSOP Tournament of Champions
2004: 4th place Gaming Club World Poker Championship €5,710 Pot Limit Hold’em
2004: 2nd place BARGE $50 Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball
2004: Winner WSOP Main Event
2003: 13th place New England Poker Classic $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Championship
2003: 14th place New England Poker Classic $300 No Limit Hold’em
2002: 9th place World Poker Finals $2,000 No Limit Hold’em
2002: 3rd place World Poker Finals $300 No Limit Hold’em
2001: 12th place WSOP $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo Split Eight or Better
2001: Winner New England Poker Classic $100 Seven Card Stud
2000: 3rd place World Poker Finals No Limit Hold’em
1999: 5th place Orleans Open $300 Limit Hold’em
1999: 3rd place New England Poker Classic $220 No Limit Hold’em
1998: 2nd place World Poker Finals $500 Limit Hold’em
1998: Winner Super Saturday Hold’em Tournament Lake Elsinore $100 Hold’em
1997: 8th place Hold’em Mania, Oceanside Limit Hold’em
1996: 7th place Octoberfest, Lake Elsinore Omaha Hi/Lo


Greg and his family relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2005.

Visit Greg Raymer's Website