On the Road with Ram Vaswani

Hendon mobster battles the best in the world, and serious jet-lag.

Question: What is the tour like?

Answer: It is great; it is what I want to do. I love playing poker. It's good money now because of the boom. It can get pretty hard for the Europeans coming over to America. We come here like four to five times a year, and that's hard. I didn't get to sleep for three days when I came here; you do jet-lag a little bit. But I wouldn't give it up.

Question: Do you ever think of moving to the U.S. for the convenience of the tournaments?

Answer: Well, I still play a lot of tournaments in Europe, as well, but for the WPTs and the World Series, we come over.

Question: How many tournaments do you play a year?

Answer: Really, I play only the major events, the WPT. In Europe, they have the EPT (European Poker Tour), so I play those and the World Series… that's it.

Question: What is your favorite city to travel to for tournaments?

Answer: I like Melbourne in Australia. I went there three times. Again, it's a tough journey. It takes about a week to recover, but I do like Australia.

Question: What would you consider your greatest poker accomplishment?

Answer: I was European champion in 2000. It wasn't like a major event prize money wise, but just to be the European champion was great.

Question: How does poker affect your personal life and family?

Answer: I'm lucky because most of the time I'll bring my wife with me. I just had a little kid, and she'll be ready to come next year when I'm traveling. I get to spend a lot of time with them at home. If I'm not playing in a tournament, I play only online, but I will get to spend time with my family, so it works out well.

Question: What do you do for fun in your spare time?

Answer: I like to play sports: golf, tennis, anything to try to keep myself fit.

Question: How much does stamina affect you on the road?

Answer: Not much at all. I don't think it really figures in too much. Obviously, these days there are longer tournaments, but you are still playing only a certain number of hours a day. All the players are used to that, and most of the players, when they get knocked out of a tournament, will go and play in a cash game or in another tournament the next day.

Question: Do you feel it is a disadvantage for you to have to come over to the U.S. to play?

Answer: Yes. I came here three days before the (World Series) main event, and I didn't actually sleep for three days. I just got a little bit of sleep the last night. When you get jet-lagged, it is tough.

Question: Do you prefer tournaments at home or on the road?

Answer: I have to play the bigger tournaments, the bigger, the better. So, obviously we come over there for the WPT and the World Series, they are the main events.

Question: What does it cost to be on the tour?

Answer: It doesn't cost me anything because I've got a sponsorship deal. Otherwise it would cost a fortune. The point of playing tournaments is to make a profit in the long run. You see, the better players have a lot of results, making money at the tournaments. If you are a professional player, it shouldn't cost you anything. You should be making money.

Question: Who sponsors you?

Answer: Prima Poker.

Question: How does someone get started on the tour?

Answer: Well, anyone can get on the tour. People do call themselves professional players, but the thing is, anyone can play. You don't have to qualify or anything for an event. It's open to anyone.

Question: Do you go out during tournaments?

Answer: Not anymore. I am a bit old for that, going out. I used to, but I'm past that now. I'm a family man.

Question: Does it ever get old, being on the road and traveling?

Answer: The traveling… I've been playing poker for a lot of years now, so it's not exactly like it used to be. Now it's more of a work thing, but the traveling, once you get over the jet-lag, it's nice to go to the other countries, see the different people. It's a great life!

It is a great life. Not many people could afford to stay on the tour and net a profit, but Ram Vaswani does so even in the States, where he says he isn't as well known and therefore doesn't get the respect he does overseas. Still, Crazy Horse says you just have to take every hand as it comes and play the game as if it means everything, and yet nothing.

Not just anyone can call himself the European champion of poker, but Ram "Crazy Horse" Vaswani can, thanks to a big win back in 2000. Ram has had numerous poker successes in Europe, including 2002 Euro Finals championship at the Aviation Club de France, as well as in the U.S. In 2003 alone, he won six tournaments and made the final table 21 times. Not bad for someone who started out playing for candy on school field trips. He has five WSOP final tables under his belt, cashed twice in 2005's World Series and took fifth ($128,000) in the EPT French Open, bringing his tournament winnings to more than $1.8 million. Ram is also a member of the famous "Hendon Mob" with Barny Boatman, Ross Boatman and Joe Beevers, which boasts an Internet sponsorship deal for more than $1 million a year. Ram, 36, hits Vegas three or four times yearly and has big plans for the 2007 WSOP.