James Van Alstyne was born on August 24, 1968 in Columbus, Georgia and is now based in Las Vegas, Nevada. This professional poker player grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and studied at Ben Franklin High School. He then attended Stanford University, which is where he learned to play poker.
James Van Alstyne was an engineer, prior to becoming a professional blackjack player. He used card counting techniques to win at the tables and became so effective that he was eventually barred from many a casino. To protect himself from casino security personnel, James Van Alstyne wore a baseball cap. Interestingly, his baseball caps continue to be an integral part of his attire when he plays poker. After casinos began to amend their rules, his blackjack career came to an end, and he was forced to start playing poker.
James Van Alstyne is at his best when he plays Omaha 8s or Better. His track record shows that he has finished in the money three times in this event at the World Series of Poker during the years 1994 through 1998. In 1999, James Van Alstyne finished in 16th place in the WSOP $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em Main Event. During October 2004, he won the WPPA (World Poker Player Association) Championships of Poker and bagged $125,520 in prize money. Towards the end of the month, James Van Alstyne also won the first season grand final of the Ultimate Poker Challenge.
James Van Alstyne finished 7th in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Aruba Ultimate Poker Classic event, which took place in September 2005. He made his first WPT TV final table in the Season 4 Championship event, ranked 5th and added $439,475 to his bankroll. During the tournament, he played against Joe Bartholdi (another professional poker player from the same hometown as James Van Alstyne).
In 2006, he had a major breakthrough and won the Five-Star World Poker Classic - WPT Championship Season 4 WPT No-Limit Hold'em and earned another whopping $439,375. He continued amassing more dollars in 2007, including a $250,000 win from the No-Limit Hold'em Championship at the Bay 101 Shooting Star / WPT Event Season 5, which was held on March 16th. On June 19, 2008, he took part in the 39th World Series of Poker 2008 Event 37 - WSOP Omaha Hi/Lo World Championship 8 or Better and finished 21st, taking home $22,090.
James Van Alstyne is a music fan that often wears T-shirts sporting the name of his favorite artists while he plays poker. Some of his favorite bands are The Ramones, The Clash, and Echo & the Bunnymen. When it comes to movies, he says that David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is his favorite film.
