| Year | Tournament | Result | Prize | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | WSOP $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha | 1st place — 1st bracelet | $96,000 | WSOP Bracelet |
| 2003 | WPT World Poker Finals, Foxwoods | 1st place — record prize at the time | $1,089,200 | WPT Title |
| 2004 | WPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure | 2nd place — runner-up to Gus Hansen | $290,065 | Runner-up |
| 2004 | US Poker Championship, Taj Mahal | 3rd place | $181,390 | Final Table |
| 2005 | WSOP Tournament of Champions | 2nd place — runner-up to Mike Matusow | $325,000 | Runner-up |
| 2006 | WPT Legends of Poker | 3rd place | $381,540 | Final Table |
| 2007 | WSOP $2,500 NLH 6-Max | 1st place — 2nd bracelet, beat Terrance Chan HU | $515,065 | WSOP Bracelet |
| 2008 | WPT Gold Strike World Poker Open | 2nd place | $458,267 | Runner-up |
| 2008 | WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic | 6th place | $216,175 | Final Table |
| 2010 | WPT Southern Poker Championship, Biloxi | 1st place — 2nd WPT title | $739,486 | WPT Title |
Hoyt Corkins is known as one of the most soft-spoken and well-mannered players in the circuit – and also among the more aggressive. Besides the popular moniker “Nightmare,” he has garnered quite a few nicknames in his time; for example, he was called “Mr. All-In” by the famous “Poker Brat” Phil Hellmuth, “Cowboy” because of the cowboy hat he always wore to the tables, and “The Westworld Cowboy” by actor and World Poker Tour (WPT) commentator Vince Van Patten. “Westworld” is a science fiction Western movie released in 1973.
Hoyt Corkins took the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Championship in 1992 in the Pot-Limit Omaha Event. This win gave him his first bracelet and $96,000.
After a long hiatus, he bagged a major victory in the World Poker Tour (WPT) event at Foxwoods in 2003, where he took home $1,089,200. He also finished second to Gus Hansen in the WPT at PokerStars.com’s 2004 Caribbean Adventure. The affair earned him $290,065, though Corkins admitted he was sick when he attended this event. These are only a few of his notable finishes in various tournaments.
The moniker “Mr. All-In” was not quite a compliment. Hellmuth gave Corkins this when he finished third at the 2003 WPT. When Corkins was interviewed by Shirley Rosario of Poker-babes.com, Corkins only had good things to say of Hellmuth. He even added that Hellmuth deserved to finish higher than third place.
Corkins was born in the more rural parts of Glenwood, Alabama. He started playing poker at the age of 19, when he started getting lessons from his father, who hosted weekly cash games. He observed his father’s play and how the other players reacted to it.
Corkins continues to be a major force in the world of poker. In November 2005, he finished second to Mike “The Mouth” Matusow in the WSOP Tournament of Champions free roll. The win got him $325,000. This brings his live tournament winnings total to over $2,125,000 as of 2005. To date, he has also finished tournaments in the money seven times.
Besides playing poker, Hoyt Corkins is in charge of sixty head of cattle in Alabama. He is also a member of Poker Royalty, a consultancy firm that deals with poker tutorials and arranging poker-related events. As of the time of writing, the latest news is that Corkins is engaged. He maintains two homes: one in Las Vegas and one in Alabama.
The Ear Plugs, the Hat, and the Table Presence
Poker players are creatures of habit, and Corkins’ habits are distinctive. He often wears ear plugs during live poker tournaments to prevent other players’ chatter from affecting his game. While some players use table talk as a weapon, Corkins removes it as a variable entirely — a small but revealing window into how methodically he thinks about eliminating noise from his decision-making.
The cowboy hat, meanwhile, is more than a fashion statement. It’s a consistent piece of psychological armour — an identity that opponents see before they ever see a hand he plays. Being immediately recognisable at a table carries its own kind of weight.
Life Beyond the Felt
Corkins has always maintained a life that extends well beyond poker rooms. Away from the circuit, Corkins has sixty head of cattle to tend in Alabama and also has a home in Las Vegas. He was also a member of Poker Royalty, a consultancy firm handling poker tutorials and event organisation.
The cattle ranch isn’t just a quirky footnote — it reflects a genuine groundedness that separates Corkins from players who live and breathe only poker. He has spoken in interviews about the mental reset that comes with a different kind of daily work, and it may well be part of what kept him competitive across such a long career.
What Poker Enthusiasts Should Take From Hoyt Corkins
For anyone studying the game seriously, Corkins’ career offers several lessons worth sitting with:
Patience is a strategy, not a personality trait. Corkins was willing to disappear from tournaments for over a decade and come back stronger. At the table, that same patience translates into waiting for situations rather than forcing them.
Aggression works best when it’s quiet. The “Mr. All-In” nickname missed the point. Corkins wasn’t reckless — he was calculated. He moved all his chips in because he understood when the math and the read justified it.
Composure is a competitive edge. Across a career that spanned rivals like Hellmuth, Hansen, and Matusow — players who wore their emotions openly — Corkins consistently projected calm. Opponents couldn’t find a button to push because there wasn’t one.
Hoyt Corkins is the rare poker player who made noise by staying quiet. In a game full of Nightmares, he was one of the most enduring.