'There isn't a six-handed game I wouldn't sit in.'

You don't have to talk to Brian Townsend long before you get a sense of the confidence and drive that has catapulted him to the top of the poker pile. He might appear unassuming, even a little shy, but there's no doubting his all-consuming desire to be the best at what he does.

His well-documented rise through the ranks from a $0.25/$0.50 player just two years ago to a fixture in the highest games in the world is remarkable, but like most 'overnight' successes, his meteoric rise to the top masks continual and unending hard work.