Stuart Paterson

Stuart "'The Donator" Paterson was born in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, but considers himself American. His parents moved to Boca Raton, Florida, when he was an infant so he could benefit from the higher level of education available in the United States of America. Aged 17, Paterson was involved in a car accident that left him paralysed and wheelchair bound. His love for life was unaffected and he enrolled at Florida State University where he earned a degree in Business Management.

Paterson earned his fortune as a gambler, with a good eye for sports betting. He placed most of his wagers online and after one successful day at the bookies he went to their card room with his winnings and tried his luck at the poker tables. He lost heavily that day but he vowed that he would return to the table to prove himself.

Over the years he continued to play, funding himself out of his sports betting whilst he struggled to earn any meaningful sums of money from his card play. He eventually began to move up the stakes and soon began testing himself on some of the internet's most reputable sites, eventually finding his way to the Full Tilt Poker to play against some of the game's top professionals. Whilst playing on this site he got to speak to the top players and became good friends with some, most importantly the Mizrachi brothers - Robert and Michael - who tutored him and vastly improved his game.

He cashed in his first major tournament in 2004 when he was playing No Limit Hold 'em at the Glasgow Masters Poker Challenge. By the end of 2006 Paterson had finished in five cash places in live events, as well as numerous online tournaments, each time playing No Limit Hold 'em.

After his success in Scotland he moved on to greater things and entered the World Poker Tour. He placed in the third season and won just under $50,000. He followed that up the next year with two cash finishes in the WPT including a $110,000 in the Borgata Poker Classic.

His most recent foray into the tournament world came in the 2006 World Series of Poker when he sneaked into a cash spot in the No Limit Hold ‘em event finally won by Allen Cunningham. Paterson plans to one day leave the poker table and use his winnings to fund his own business, putting his degree to good use.

When he is not at the table playing cards he still enjoys watching sports. He is an avid follower of American football and basketball and a huge fan of his local teams, the Dolphins and the Heat.