Ray Rahme

Ray Rahme is the all time leading cash winner in South Africa from poker.  Ray started his amazing career with a 4th place finish at the may 2006 All Africa Poker Tournament where he won a seat into the World Series of Poker Main Event.  Ray then finished a staggering 3rd at the WSOP Main Event collecting just over 3 Million Dollars and world wide fame.  Ray has since proved his brilliance by winning 3 Local tournaments and cashing in other International events such as, the Aussie Millions and the EPT event in Monte Carlo.  Ray is a great ambassador for poker and South Africa.

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Profile

Name: Daniel Lamberti
Age: 29
Fave tournament: Emerald
Best/biggest win: Came 2^nd at the February 2010 Emerald Tournament
Favourite hand: AA
Toughest competitor: there are a few good players but I don’t mind who I play against
Number of cashes: 6
Earnings to date: N/A
SA Player Ranking : 16^th
Player’s Facebook/Twitter page urls: Twitter: Daniel_Lamberti

General:

Q: What's your day job?
A: I am the Brand Manager for the Samsung Mobile Phones division

Q: Got any qualifications?
A: I have a BCOM and BCOM Honours in Marketing

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Ruimsig on the West Rand of Johannesburg

Q: What do you get up to when not playing poker?
A: Play sports and go out

Q: What car do you drive?
A: BMW

Q: Do you have any superstitions?
A: If I have done well at a tournament I like to park in the same place the next time I play. It worked at Gold Reef and Emerald for my back to back final tables.

Q: Ever been arrested? If so, for what?
A: No not yet 

Q: Any special talents?
A: good at any sport I play

Q: If you had 3 wishes what would they be?
A: 1. That I become the first South African to win the WSOP in Vegas
2. That Man United win the treble this season
3. That there would be no more people going hungry in the World

Q: Stranded on an island with a pack of cards and 3 people, who would you want them to be?
A: Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu

Q: What's your favourite music/band?
A: R and B

Q: iPhone or BlackBerry? / Apple/PC?
A: None of the above – definitely a Samsung phone. PC rather than Apple

Q: What’s the last book you read?
A: Lance Armstrong’s Autobiography

Finish this sentence : “Right now, I could really use a holiday.... “

Poker:

Q: What's your craziest poker story?
A: Playing at All Africa, big pot with two players in the hand. Once the river was dealt the first player (who had full house bet) and the 2^nd player (who had 4 of a kind) just smooth called and did not raise.

Q: What do you prefer, live/online tourneys?
A: Live

Q: Where did you learn to play poker?
A: At a friends house

Q: Favourite place to play poker?
A: Emerald

Q: Do you live off of your poker earnings?
A: No

Q: What poker tips can you share?
A: Patience is key and don’t play levels you uncomfortable with.

Q: What do you enjoy more cash games or tournaments?
A: Tournaments

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about you?
A: That I am only tight aggressive

Q: What’s playing on your ipod while you’re playing poker?
A: Either R & B or chilled lounge music

Ryan Dreyer, the #1 player on the BLUFF SA Poker Player Rankings, started out in the small stakes poker games, but quickly became a well known face in the poker industry when he started being the lead commentator on the All Africa Poker Channel.  Ryan has show his poker skill time and again, by having big cashes at the 2007 Sun City Million Dollar Poker Tournament and then shortly after that, was runner up at a Poker Ace Event and then had a 4th place finish at The Carousel tourney held in Jan of 2008.  Ryan then went on to cash in his first WSOP event finishing 55th in the 7 card stud HI-LO 8 or better event in 2008 before returning to home claim Africa’s biggest Title, the 2008 Sun City Million Dollar Poker Tournament where he beat Dermot Sweeney Heads up for the title.  Ryan is also the editor of BLUFF Magazine SA.

Ryan Brauer has always showed and immense talent for poker. He had an unbelievable 2007, where he cashed at the Aussie millions, picking up $33,000 he then was Runner up at the All Africa to Peter Vermaas and went on to win a Bellagio Cup event in Las Vegas where he won a further $150,000.  Ryan had a quiet 2008 but 2009 has started with a bang.  He won the first tournament of the year, the Emerald Poker Series where he picked up over R400, 000.  Look out for Brauer to be jumping to the top of the rankings. Ryan most recently ended around 500th position in the WSOP '09, cashing $25,027.

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