Julian Gardner plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Julian Gardner was born to play poker. The son of poker pro Dave Gardner, he learned to play when he was young, and developed skill as well as a true appreciation for the game. Clearly, poker was more than just a hobby – it was part of his life. As he got older, he decided to make poker his career. When he finished school, that’s exactly what he did.

In just his first few years as a pro, Julian reached an impressive 25 final tables in tournaments in his native England and all over Europe, including first-place finishes in the Netherlands, France, and Germany.

In 2002, Julian made his second trip to the World Series of Poker – and his biggest cash finish to date. He pushed to the front of a pack of well over 600 competitors to take second place in the WSOP Main Event. Not only did he earn $1.1 million, he became the youngest player ever to win $1 million in a tournament. Julian went on to finish in the money at the Main Event the following two years, making him the only player to do so in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Since his 2002 performance, he has cashed in an impressive 12 WSOP events.

Julian says that he prefers not to travel to tournaments unless he qualifies for them online. Apparently, this philosophy hasn’t slowed him down – he gets around. In addition to winning tournaments worldwide, Julian’s made appearances on Late Night Poker and was a member of the winning British team in the Poker Nations Cup. He is the co-author of the book The Secrets of Online Power Poker.

People used to say that he was following in his father’s footsteps, but at this point in his career, he’s the one blazing the trail for others to follow.