Tournament Warrior: Wynn Tournament Director Ray Pulford Makes Second Straight Deep Run in Five Diamond

By Sean Chaffin

As the bubble burst on Day 3 in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, Ray Pulford was among those making the money. The feat marks two straight cashes in the event for Pulford, who finished ninth in Season XVI for $107,119.

While he was pleased to be running deep again, Pulford was a bit frustrated later in the day with how things had been going after the second break in the day. Things may have been frustrating at the tables, but Pulford had high praise for the tournament.

“I wish I could catch a couple flops today,” he said. “I haven’t won a pot in the last two hours. It’s a little rough. This is such a great event, there’s not much else to say. You get to play deep the whole time.”

Pulford should know. When not playing in poker tournaments, he’s usually running them as tournament director at the Wynn. Originally from Chicago and Wisconsin, he’s lived in Las Vegas since 2007.

“I played poker in college for two years, put myself through school, and then moved out here to play for a living,” he says. “I did that for several years and then moved into working in the poker industry and worked my way up from there. It’s not a bad life.”

Pulford started out as a clerk in the table games pit area, assisting with player credit. After getting his foot in the door, he moved to poker room list attendant six months later before ultimately moving up to tournament manager after only dealing for a brief period to get some experience.

Married for two years, the Pulfords now have their first child on the way. Pulford used some of his vacation time to give it a shot here at Bellagio. His wife apparently approved of his decision.

“She’s okay with it as long as I do well,” he says with a laugh.

Poker players have been known to criticize structures, amenities, and other aspects of a tournament on occasion. Pulford empathizes more than most with tournament staff running an event.

“However there are things that still drive me crazy as a player,” he says. “I see it from both sides.”

That experience on both sides of the table has aided him in his role at the Wynn.

“I think that’s a huge benefit, that I’m one of the few that actually do play and play all kinds of events – anywhere from $300 to $10Ks,” he says. “I play everything, and I think that’s really important. I’m hoping I can make another deep run this year, we’ll see.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.

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