About Ram Vaswani

Ram Vaswani was already playing poker successfully at the age of 12. He was on a school trip to Wales and organized a penny-ante game with friends, his object being to win money for candy. He describes his play at the time thusly: "I was picking up on everyone's tells and it wasn't long before I was cleaning up." A trip chaperone, however, put a damper on the fun by telling the kids that they couldn't play for money. Ram then talked his friends into playing for candy. He says: "When the teacher walked in again, he looked straight at me knowing I had cleaned up the night before, and he gave me a big smile before leaving us to finish our game."

Ram Vaswani is a member of the famed Hendon Mob. To his fellow mobsters, Barney and Ross Boatman and Joe Beevers, Ram is known as "The Quiet One." On the tournament circuit, however, he is called "Crazy Horse" because of his tendency to waver between careful and erratic play, depending on the circumstances of the hand. And, in an Esquire Magazine article, Ram was given yet another name, "The Looks," in reference to his handsome appearance.

Ram has done exceedingly well in tournaments and has begun to see the pros and cons of the ever-expanding playing fields. He thinks that, while the number of players who enter such international events as the World Series of Poker make for huge payouts for the winners, surviving the huge field to make it to a final table is tough.

Ram has had a number of big tournament victories. He won the Dutch Master Classics in 1999, the European Superbowl in 2000, and the French Championship in 2002. In 2003, he placed first in the Midland Masters No-Limit Hold'em event as well as in the Poker Classics Pot-Limit Seven-Card Stud event. In 2004, he made three final tables at the World Series of Poker, placed second to Harry D. in the Victor Poker Cup, and won a 93,000 Euro pot at the Merrion Casino in Dublin.

Ram believes that poker falls firmly in the category of sports. His advice: "Train for major tournaments by exercising and practicing your moves."

Trivia

• Youngest member of the Hendon Mob
• Former snooker player
• Manages his brother's snooker career