Russ Hamilton

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**Russ Hamilton**
Russ Hamilton
Nickname(s)	None
Hometown	Las Vegas, Nevada
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)	1
Money finishes	8
Highest ITM main event finish	Winner (1994)
World Poker Tour
Titles	None
Final tables	None
Money Finishes	2

Russ Hamilton is a professional poker player.

Hamilton moved from Detroit, Michigan to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1984 for better weather. He opened a burglar alarm business and was very successful at gambling, including betting on basketball and playing poker.

Hamilton won the main event of the 1994 World Series of Poker, taking a $1,000,000 prize. Because it was the silver (25th) anniversary of the WSOP, he also won his weight in silver, over $26,000. During the later stages of the tournament, the crowd at Binion's was cheering for "Big Russ" to win, since, weighing in at over 300 pounds, he was by far the largest of the players at the final table and would therefore win the largest prize.

Hamilton doesn't travel to play a lot of poker, mainly playing in the larger tournaments. He says since he has already won the WSOP, he doesn't play to win a title anymore, just to get money, and so he will frequently offer to split prize money with other players instead of taking an all-or-nothing risk.

Hamilton routinely plays high stakes golf against other amateurs. He can shoot in the seventies, exceptional for an amateur.

Hamilton was also a bookie and oddsmaker in Detroit.

As of 2006 his live tournament winnings exceed $1,310,000.