Russ Floyd - A Man With His Priorities in Order

I recently happened upon Russ Floyd at the Las Vegas airport, as we both were en route to the World Poker Challenge at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nevada. If you are not sure where you have heard the name Russ Floyd before, let me remind you that Russ took first-place honors last year in the inaugural WPC limit hold'em event. Thus, he was designated as the host for the opening limit hold'em tournament this year, and he was very impressive in his welcome speech. First, he asked the audience for 30 seconds of silence in honor of the fallen resulting from the Sept. 11 disaster. He then went on to express his hope that 2002 would be the year that we see an end to dealer and player abuse. The crowd applauded. That is when I wanted to get to know Russ better (not to mention the fact that he is a good-looking gentleman who insisted on carrying my luggage through the airport).

Russ' poker skills earned him first place in this year's first WPC no-limit hold'em event. He demonstrated a cool, calm, and collected demeanor throughout the final table, and played fearlessly. The day after his victory, we met in Chevy's for the following interview:

Linda Johnson: That was a very moving speech you gave when you hosted the first event.

Russ Floyd: The tragedy really hit home with me. I had been to New York just one month prior to Sept. 11 to celebrate my 30th birthday, and had been awed by the World Trade Center. A close friend of mine had a relative who was killed in the building. Life is jaded; we get so upset when someone pulls a two-outer on us, while people are out there killing each other. I was hoping to get players to think about poker and put it in perspective. I also hate abuse and wish management would do something to stop it. Players should not be allowed to disrespect and abuse dealers and other players.

LJ: What is your poker background?

RF: I have been playing for about four years. I haven't played too many tournaments, but I've done well so far. I finished 12th or better in five of the seven tournaments I entered.

LJ: What is the secret to your tournament success?

RF: (Joking) Put them on a hand you can beat and then call. Actually, I think I read people well. Sometimes I call with two deuces, and other times I can fold top two pair.

LJ: What do you do for a living?

RF: I work for Fox Sports Network doing production work. I work about 25 hours a week and am responsible for what you see on the screen. I also deal and play poker part time.

LJ: That's right, last year you came to the tournament as a dealer. What happened?

RF: I entered a satellite for the first event and got lucky and won it. I parlayed that into $47,000 by winning the event. After that, I told the tournament supervisor that I preferred to play but would deal if they needed me. They never needed me, so I played the entire tournament.

LJ: How did that major win affect your life?

RF: When I returned to Houston, everyone teased me about being some great big poker player. They all wanted to beat me. When you have six people chasing you all the time, it is hard to win a hand. I also had to learn how to say no to people asking for loans or to be staked. It amazes me that people who don't even know you ask to be staked. They tell you what great players they are, yet they are broke. It doesn't equate.

LJ: What do you do when you aren't playing poker?

RF: I like sports, especially golf, skiing, basketball, and football. I also enjoy spending time with my son, Austin. He is a great kid, and I hate being away from him. I didn't meet my father until I was 18. I don't want my son to grow up that way. My boy turns 2 next week and I'm going to go home and buy him everything I can. It is important to me to be a great father to my son.

LJ: What are your goals?

RF: I applied to be an FBI agent and received a call telling me that I will probably be going to the Academy for training soon. And, of course, I will keep playing poker part time.

I enjoyed speaking with Russ and found his philosophies to be very uplifting. Good luck in attaining your goals, Russ.

Now, let's play poker!

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