By Matt Clark
If you made a betting line coming into Day 3 of the Season XVI WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship of who would be the last WPT Champions Club member standing, Season IV winner Victor Ramdin was not a favorite. Yet, Ramdin made it through to Day 4.
Ramdin outlasted Aaron Mermelstein, Brian Altman, and three other WPT winners on Day 3 to give himself a chance to win title number two.
The New Yorker took some time away from poker in recent years to tend to family matters but confirms he is back to playing full time. Ramdin cites this event as his official revival.
“This tournament signifies the return of Victor Ramdin to poker full time,” Ramdin announced. “I was playing for the last couple years, but very little. My budget did not allow me to play what I like to play because I have bigger issues in my life. Poker is second the last two and a half years. As of today going forward, this tournament signifies the return to poker first. The ‘Ramdin Express’ is going to be back.”
Ramdin cites his partnership with a new backer as the major component to his comeback. With his 14th-place finish in Florida, Ramdin is up to seven cashes in 2018. That’s as many as Ramdin notched for all of 2017.
“To be honest with you, to start my year, I met a really positive gentleman that inspired me a whole lot, from Canada,” Ramdin told WPT.com “He started backing me and since this guy came aboard it’s been all magic for me. I think I have cashed in 75 percent of the tournaments I’ve played this year. I’m feeling it and I have good expectations for any tournament I play this year. It’s all positive for me right now.”
Hard Rock and the Florida heat inspired Ramdin to make the trip down the East Coast.
“It’s freaking horrible in New York, right?” Ramdin said. “I wanted a getaway from all that crap to the sunshine in Florida.”
A familiar presence at Borgata in Atlantic City, Ramdin sees a similarity between the two properties.
“The value of this tournament is extremely good,” Ramdin said. “It’s only $3,500 to buy-in, they have a big guarantee, and I’ve seen in the past, between Hard Rock and Borgata, they always seem to make their guarantee. I love guaranteed tournaments. If you hit, you make a nice score.”
Ramdin was on the short stack for most of Day 3 and showed pride in his accomplishment to make it to Day 4. For most of Monday’s play, Ramdin dragged below 20 big blinds. He hung to survive and earned tens of thousands over a series of pay jumps.
“I’m very happy the way I am right now,” Ramdin said before Day 4. “If I was to bust, it’s not the end of the world. I’m very happy to have gotten this deep. What I’m more proud of in this tournament is the fact that I played for five and a half hours between 15-18 big blinds. That’s a big accomplishment for the ‘New Ramdin.’”
The ‘New Ramdin’ is back in grand fashion and ready to take on whatever comes next after his deep run at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
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