Frank Rusnak

Hometown
Chicago, IL

Birthday
November 1

Total Winnings
$247,234

Frank Rusnak is a tall drink of water. At 6'5", his height gives him a boost in his hobby of basketball. He plays several times a week at his local YMCA. Rusnak loves basketball, but he spends much more time on his other hobby of poker. Before he became a winning poker player, Rusnak attended Northern Illinois University. While he was there, he did some work for the Chicago Sun Times. After graduation, Rusnak made his living as a writer for the paper, covering high school sports and news.

Rusnak started playing poker with friends in college. He says it took him a while to catch on to Texas Hold 'em. Rusnak began researching the game in books and online. He says "Harrington on Hold 'Em Three" helps him keep the basics of the game fresh in his mind. Rusnak admits he's obsessed with poker. When he's not working or playing cards, he's studying the game. Eventually, all that research paid off for Rusnak. He won two seats into the 2006 World Series of poker, including one to the main event. He says he's made some decent cashes online and in Vegas, but his first big win would come at his second World Poker Tour event.

Rusnak played in the WPT event at Foxwoods in November 2006. He made it deep into the first day, but he didn't cash. A few months later, Rusnak won a satellite into the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the last possible opportunity. It was the only chance he had to satellite in, because all the other satellites were on Saturdays, and he had to work then. Rusnak turned lucky scheduling into cold hard cash in the Caribbean. He placed sixth in the PCA, winning more than $247,000.