Ron Rose - Avid Amateur

Ron Rose is a successful business entrepreneur who has a passion for poker, especially tournament poker. Rose is fairly new to tournament poker, having played less than two years. Earlier this year at the Aviation Club in Paris, he amazed everyone by winning three tournaments (2,500 francs pot-limit hold'em, 5,000 francs pot-limit Omaha, and 5,000 francs Omaha high-low) and the best all-around player award. Whether you are a top professional or an avid amateur, that feat was "fantastique"!

I sat down with Rose at the Tournament of Champions for an interview. You will see that the poker world is a better place with people like Ron Rose a part of it.

MS: Tell us about your business background.

RR: I am an entrepreneur and enjoy challenges. In my most recent business past, I have started businesses from scratch and then sold them once I've gotten them up and running profitably. (These businesses include two computer companies and an Internet company.) Before that I had a seat on the stock exchange in New York and owned my own commodities firm. Prior to that, I was a mathematician/project engineer in the Air Force.

MS: When did you start playing poker?

RR: I started playing poker at the age of 6. My entire family played, and when my grandmother took a break, that's when I was allowed to play her hand. By the age of 9, I was playing in most of the games. But, poker playing was only a Friday night event.

MS: You travel quite a bit. Do you prefer poker in Europe?

RR: I really enjoy the European poker tournaments because most of them are either pot-limit or no-limit. To me, those games are where you can use all of your poker skills. Limit poker is not as exciting because anyone can call you for a mere pittance, so bluffing is reduced. After all, what's poker all about?

MS: Which do you prefer, tournaments or live-action games?

RR: I enjoy the tournament action more than the live games.

MS: Obviously, you don't need the money, so you must be playing for the challenge and/or because of your competitive juices. Which is it?

RR: I play tournament poker to see if I can be the best at the game. When the results are in, I want to be at the top. It's the same way in business for me – to be at the top. So, you might say I'm very competitive and want to beat everyone at the game. I play for first place all the time, not second or third place or to get in the money.

MS: What are your goals as a player?

RR: First and foremost, I play for the enjoyment of the game, but my goal is to be the best tournament player that I can be. Naturally, like all poker players, I would like to win every event, but as we know, this wouldn't be a very realistic goal. Winning three events in Paris was my most gratifying experience to date. I continue to work on my game at each tournament, and someday hope that I'll mature enough to become one of the best tournament players around.

MS: Whom do you admire most in the poker world?

RR: The people I admire most are the folks who act like gentlemen at the table, such as Pascal Perrault of France and former world champions Chris Ferguson and Berry Johnston. When they lose, they are gracious losers. If we could only say that about all of us!

MS: What do you dislike about poker?

RR: I dislike those who abuse the dealers and others at the table. I also dislike those who get up from the table when their hand is alive and go elsewhere before their turn. That tells the folks ahead of them that they are out of the hand. It irks me, and I can't believe the number of players who practice this outlandish behavior and call themselves good poker players. And wouldn't it be nice to have consistent rulings?

MS: Do you see people like yourself, successful retired businessmen, getting into the poker world? How can we attract this type of customer?

RR: I believe that when many successful businessmen retire, they may play poker. These people are looking for something to occupy their time and something that's enjoyable and will stimulate their competitive nature. Poker meets both of these criteria. One way that we can attract the retired businessman is by having everyone behave at the table in a gentlemanlike manner. I believe that seeing unsuitable behavior is the number one reason why either a businessman or anyone else does not come back to the poker tables. Player behavior in Europe is much better than in the United States, which is another reason that I enjoy playing in Europe.

MS: Poker extends beyond age, gender, race, and religion. How can we market the game to everyone?

RR: Marketing poker is like marketing any other product. Have a good product and market it properly – with television exposure, the Internet, live tournament broadcasts on the Internet and/or radio, and so on. Then, let the viewers become involved with their favorite players just like tennis, bowling, boxing, and other sports do. Treat it like a sporting event. The media has brought all sports a long way from 30 years ago. Market tournament poker the same way.

MS: What do you see for the future of poker?

RR: Currently, poker is just starting as a sport. Just think how the Internet will propel tournament poker with the likes of events such as the PartyPoker Million, which will attract many new players. Next, TV will broadcast poker tournaments and create a poker circuit. Poker is here to stay. The future of poker is in the stars – way up there!

MS: Is poker viable for television?

RR: Yes, I believe poker is very viable for television. Tournament poker is very exciting.

MS: What can the poker industry do to get corporate sponsorship?

RR: I think that corporate sponsorship can be attracted only if we can show that poker tournaments have good viewership – and this can be done. As far as the gambling drawback, I think we can present poker as a game of skill and not a game of chance. This should appeal more to corporate sponsorship.

MS: Congratulations again for your performance in Paris, and thank you for sharing your views and visions of the future of poker.

RR: Thank you, Mike. I do believe that poker is about to enter an exciting age, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

It's players like Ron Rose who can make a difference in getting poker to the next level.

Take care.