Michael Gracz plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Michael Gracz has a history of changing the hand he’s been dealt. A fearless decision maker who knows how to get away from losing cards, he’s always plotting his next big move.

Gracz was born in Poland in 1980 during one of the most turbulent times in his country’s history. At the Gdansk shipyards, everyday Polish workers - electricians, pipe fitters, carpenters – were challenging the authority of the Soviet Union. Through their actions, restrictions started to lift, and Gracz’s family emigrated to the U.S. when he was only four. Since then, they’ve called North Carolina home.

Gracz’s passion for games and game theory began at a young age. He devoured every book he could get his hands on, always looking for extra insight and winning strategies. As a teenager, Gracz got a job at a game store to supplement his reading.

After college, Gracz waited tables for money and played poker at local casinos for fun. When he started making more money in a week as a poker player than he did in a month of waiting tables, it didn’t take long for the former business school student to figure out that he had to adjust his work paradigm.

Like he did when he was a kid, Gracz learned everything he could about poker. He watched tournaments on TV and dreamed of making it to a final table. When he was 24, a friend was impressed by Gracz’s natural talent and put up $5,000 for Gracz to enter the Trump Poker Classic in Atlantic City. It turned out to be a great investment. Gracz won the tourney and took home almost $300,000.

By this time, Gracz was working a sales job and playing poker on weekends, but once again, the allure of the felt was too strong. Deep down, he knew he had what it took to be a professional player, so he quit his 9-to-5 job. Luckily for Michael, the decision paid off quickly. Within six months, Gracz won a World Poker Tour title, a World Series gold bracelet, and more than $2 million. For his impressive debut, CardPlayer Magazine named Gracz the “2005 Breakthrough Player of the Year.”

Since then, Gracz has had a steady stream of poker successes, including making two final tables at the 2007 World Series. When he’s not spending time with his family, friends, and fiancé, you can find Gracz on the links or at the tables at Full Tilt Poker.