Ram Vaswani
Encyclopedia
Ram Vaswani is an English
professional snooker
player, turned professional poker
player and the youngest member of The Hendon Mob
. He resides in Finchley
with his wife Jackie and daughter Hollie.
Following a brief snooker career, Vaswani became a regular on the poker circuit, and due to his involvement in Late Night Poker
, he also became one of the pioneers of poker on television
. He is the first (and to date only) person to reach 4 European Poker Tour
(EPT) final tables. The latest being at Monte Carlo 2007 (eliminated first, on the first hand) one of those final tables bought a win, the Dublin Season 2 (2004) event. He won his first World Series of Poker
bracelet in 2007, in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout event.
His other televised appearances include a win in the Poker Nations Cup
, and runner-up in finishes in two more televised events.
lifestyle, regularly playing truant
to play when he was 13 and 14. At the age of 18, he played professionally for 2 years before realising that although he was making a comfortable living through the game (he once managed to make 3 centuries
in one match, and achieved a 147 break), he was spending more time gambling than practicing, and he was unlikely to break through into the top players in the world. (Vaswani's younger brother Sunit did break through in the snooker world, finishing 2nd in the race for the 2001 English Amateur award. Vaswani has since acted as his manager.)
. Their teacher stopped them playing, so they ended up playing for sweets
instead. Vaswani has long considered seven-card stud
to be the most skilful poker variant, and built up his early poker knowledge playing the £100 game at the Victoria Casino on Edgware Road.
Vaswani met Joe Beevers
in Luton
when placing bets on dog racing and they later set up a private poker game together. It was in one of these games that they met both Barny
and Ross Boatman
. Together, the four became known as The Hendon Mob and became regulars on the Europe
an poker tournament
circuit. In the first published article on The Hendon Mob, journalist Victoria Coren
publicised Vaswani's nickname The Looks, referring to his claimed status as the best-looking of the group. Soon after, Vaswani began using the nickname Crazy Horse, sharing his nickname with the Lakota leader Tashunca-uitco
.
Vaswani and the rest of The Mob were invited by Nic Szeremeta
to appear in the brand new Late Night Poker
television series. Vaswani appeared in each of the show's 6 series, reaching the series 2 Grand Final and the series 4 and 5 Semi-Finals.
Vaswani's first major tournament win happened at the HFl 5,000 LIDO tournament at the Master Classics of Poker tournament in Amsterdam
in 1999. At the time, this was Europe's most prestigious tournament, but he was broke and had to borrow money off Joe Beevers to stake in a cash game to build up money for the entry fee.
$3,000 no limit
Texas hold 'em
event won by Erik Seidel
. The next year he had a 3rd place finish in the $2,000 limit
hold 'em event, and a 2nd place finish in the $2,000½ hold 'em - 1/2 seven-card stud
event. He made three final tables in the 2004
, with his best finish being 3rd place in the $3,000 no limit hold 'em event. In 2007
, Vaswani became the first (and to date only) member of the Mob to win a WSOP bracelet
, winning $217,438 in the $1,500 limit hold 'em shootout event. The following year
, he made the final table of the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Lo Split event, finishing 7th. His most recent WSOP cash was in the Main Event of the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe
, where he finished 15th and earned £40,481 ($66,738 at the time of the event).
Vaswani has also made 4 final tables on the European Poker Tour (EPT). In the first season
, he won the Dublin event and finished 2nd to Noah Boeken
in the Copenhagen
event. In the second season
, he finished 5th in Deauville
. He also made the final table of the Season 3
Main Event, where he finished 8th. His EPT final table tally is double the next best total, held several other players, including Marc Karam
, Marcel Lüske
and Noah Boeken
(The record belongs to Luca Pagano
, who has made 6 finals tables).
His other major tournament victories include:
Vaswani was also a quarter-finalist in the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship
, runner-up to Harry Demetriou
in the 2004 Victor Chandler Poker Cup, and a finalist in the pot limit
hold 'em Gaming Club World Poker Championship
.
He finished runner-up in the 2005 William Hill Poker Grand Prix, following a bad beat
against eventual winner Phil Laak
. However, commentator Lucy Rokach
repeatedly laid claim to him being the best player in the 64-player field, that included former World Champion Scotty Nguyen
and WSOP bracelet winners Donnacha O'Dea
and Brian Wilson
. (Simon Trumper
has also referred to him as "the best tournament player in Europe, especially in No Limit.")
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings are exceed $3.2 million. His 15 cashes at the Las Vegas WSOP account for $846,229 of those winnings.
Vaswani appeared in Late Night Poker Masters in late 2006 on Channel 4
, in the same heat as season 6 champion Peter Costa
and Willie Tann
, but did not progress.
Vaswani has written over 20 articles for The Hendon Mob's website, and a poker lesson for Matthew Hilger
's site internettexasholdem.com.
Vaswani regularly plays $100–$200 no limit hold 'em online, and is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
. He has also played $200–$400 pot limit Omaha
on the site, where he has won pots in excess of $160,000.
hobby. Joe Beevers has indicated that Vaswani will often have $100,000 in his pocket one day; but it will be gone the next. Vaswani has indicated he is not too concerned about the outcome of bets he makes, so long as he has made the right decision in each case. He is also a keen golf
er, and has had large financial upswings and downswings as a result of wagering on his game. Also, during the 888.com Poker Nations Cup, Vaswani made numerous large wagers with the Swedish team, and staked large amounts of money on Chinese poker
, which he considers to be a game of pure luck.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player, turned professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and the youngest member of The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob
The Hendon Mob are a group of four professional poker players from London, England:* Joe Beevers* Barny Boatman* Ross Boatman* Ram VaswaniThe name of the group was first publicised by the Evening Standard newspaper in September 2000....
. He resides in Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
with his wife Jackie and daughter Hollie.
Following a brief snooker career, Vaswani became a regular on the poker circuit, and due to his involvement in Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
, he also became one of the pioneers of poker on television
Poker on television
Poker television programs had been extremely popular, especially in North America and Europe, following the poker boom. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years...
. He is the first (and to date only) person to reach 4 European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
(EPT) final tables. The latest being at Monte Carlo 2007 (eliminated first, on the first hand) one of those final tables bought a win, the Dublin Season 2 (2004) event. He won his first World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
bracelet in 2007, in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout event.
His other televised appearances include a win in the Poker Nations Cup
Poker Nations Cup
The Poker Nations Cup is an international poker tournament, televised on Channel 4 from March 2006 onwards.The series is commentated by Jesse May and Barny Boatman. Padraig Parkinson covered for Boatman in preliminary match 2....
, and runner-up in finishes in two more televised events.
Snooker
Vaswani grew up in Finchley, where his first major game was snooker, where he lived a hustlerHustling
Hustling is the deceptive act of disguising one's skill in a sport or game with the intent of luring someone of probably lesser skill into gambling with the hustler, as a form of confidence trick...
lifestyle, regularly playing truant
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
to play when he was 13 and 14. At the age of 18, he played professionally for 2 years before realising that although he was making a comfortable living through the game (he once managed to make 3 centuries
Century break
In snooker a century break refers to scoring 100 points or more within one at the table, without missing a shot. The player does this by potting and alternately. Scoring 100 points over the course of a whole frame is not a century, as it must be done during one turn at the table...
in one match, and achieved a 147 break), he was spending more time gambling than practicing, and he was unlikely to break through into the top players in the world. (Vaswani's younger brother Sunit did break through in the snooker world, finishing 2nd in the race for the 2001 English Amateur award. Vaswani has since acted as his manager.)
Early years
Vaswani, of Indian origin, began playing cards from the age of 9, and at the age of 12, he organised a low-stakes poker game with friends on a trip to WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Their teacher stopped them playing, so they ended up playing for sweets
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
instead. Vaswani has long considered seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
to be the most skilful poker variant, and built up his early poker knowledge playing the £100 game at the Victoria Casino on Edgware Road.
Vaswani met Joe Beevers
Joe Beevers
Joseph "Joe" Charles Beevers is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob....
in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
when placing bets on dog racing and they later set up a private poker game together. It was in one of these games that they met both Barny
Barny Boatman
Barny M. P. Boatman , is an English professional poker player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob...
and Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.-Acting:...
. Together, the four became known as The Hendon Mob and became regulars on the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
circuit. In the first published article on The Hendon Mob, journalist Victoria Coren
Victoria Coren
Victoria Elizabeth Coren is a British writer, presenter and champion poker player. Coren writes weekly columns for The Observer and The Guardian newspapers and hosts the BBC Four television quiz show Only Connect....
publicised Vaswani's nickname The Looks, referring to his claimed status as the best-looking of the group. Soon after, Vaswani began using the nickname Crazy Horse, sharing his nickname with the Lakota leader Tashunca-uitco
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
.
Vaswani and the rest of The Mob were invited by Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta
Nic Szeremeta is a poker player of mixed English/Polish descent, noted as a former editor of Poker Monthly magazine, and creator of the popular Late Night Poker television series -Early Life:Nic's father, who used to play draw poker himself, was a rear gunner who went missing during World War II.He...
to appear in the brand new Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series. Vaswani appeared in each of the show's 6 series, reaching the series 2 Grand Final and the series 4 and 5 Semi-Finals.
Vaswani's first major tournament win happened at the HFl 5,000 LIDO tournament at the Master Classics of Poker tournament in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1999. At the time, this was Europe's most prestigious tournament, but he was broke and had to borrow money off Joe Beevers to stake in a cash game to build up money for the entry fee.
The WSOP and beyond
Vaswani first finished in the money of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) event in the 20012001 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
$3,000 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
event won by Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel
Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.In 2010, he was inducted as a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
. The next year he had a 3rd place finish in the $2,000 limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold 'em event, and a 2nd place finish in the $2,000½ hold 'em - 1/2 seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
event. He made three final tables in the 2004
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
, with his best finish being 3rd place in the $3,000 no limit hold 'em event. In 2007
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
, Vaswani became the first (and to date only) member of the Mob to win a WSOP bracelet
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
, winning $217,438 in the $1,500 limit hold 'em shootout event. The following year
2008 World Series of Poker
The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold...
, he made the final table of the $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Lo Split event, finishing 7th. His most recent WSOP cash was in the Main Event of the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe
2009 World Series of Poker Europe
The World Series of Poker Europe is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside the United States. Since 1970, participants have had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the World Series of Poker...
, where he finished 15th and earned £40,481 ($66,738 at the time of the event).
Vaswani has also made 4 final tables on the European Poker Tour (EPT). In the first season
European Poker Tour season 1 results
- EPT Barcelona :* Casino: Casino Barcelona, Barcelona * Buy-in: €1,000* 1-Day Event: Saturday, September 18, 2004* Number of buy-ins: 229* Total Prize Pool: €229,000 * Number of Payouts: 27...
, he won the Dublin event and finished 2nd to Noah Boeken
Noah Boeken
Noah Boeken is a Dutch professional poker and Magic: The Gathering player.-Magic:In the 1997 Pro Tour Chicago, Boeken finished in 15th place, and later 32nd at Pro Tour Mainz...
in the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
event. In the second season
European Poker Tour season 2 results
- EPT 2 Barcelona :* Casino: Casino Barcelona, Barcelona * Buy-in: €4,000* 2-Day Event: Friday, September 16, 2005 to Saturday, September 17, 2005* Number of buy-ins: 327* Total Prize Pool: €1,300,000...
, he finished 5th in Deauville
Deauville
Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...
. He also made the final table of the Season 3
European Poker Tour season 3 results
- EPT 3 Barcelona :* Casino: Casino Barcelona, Barcelona * Buy-in: €5,000 * 4-Day Event: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 to Saturday, September 16, 2006* Number of buy-ins: 480* Total Prize Pool: €2,304,000...
Main Event, where he finished 8th. His EPT final table tally is double the next best total, held several other players, including Marc Karam
Marc Karam
Marc Karam is a Canadian professional poker player. In addition to playing in major international poker tournaments he makes his living playing online poker at various stakes against a wide range of opponents....
, Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske is a Dutch professional poker player. He finished 10th in the 2004 WSOP main event and as of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000 USD...
and Noah Boeken
Noah Boeken
Noah Boeken is a Dutch professional poker and Magic: The Gathering player.-Magic:In the 1997 Pro Tour Chicago, Boeken finished in 15th place, and later 32nd at Pro Tour Mainz...
(The record belongs to Luca Pagano
Luca Pagano
Luca Pagano is an Italian-born poker player who finished third place in the Barcelona Open, a European Poker Tour event, in 2004. He has placed in the money in multiple EPT events since then...
, who has made 6 finals tables).
His other major tournament victories include:
- £500 pot limit seven-card stud, European Poker Classic 2000
- €5,000 European Hold'em Championship, Euro Finals of Poker 2002
- £500 pot limit seven-card stud, Poker Classics 2003
- £500 no limit hold'em, Midland Masters 2003
- Poker Nations CupPoker Nations CupThe Poker Nations Cup is an international poker tournament, televised on Channel 4 from March 2006 onwards.The series is commentated by Jesse May and Barny Boatman. Padraig Parkinson covered for Boatman in preliminary match 2....
2006
Vaswani was also a quarter-finalist in the 2003 World Heads-Up Poker Championship
World Heads-Up Poker Championship
The World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an annual elimination-format poker tournament of one-on-one no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.The event has run since 2001 and...
, runner-up to Harry Demetriou
Harry Demetriou
Charidimos Demetriou is a British poker player.-World Series of Poker:Demetriou first became known in poker circles for his 3rd place finish at the $2,000 no limit Texas hold 'em tournament at the 2002 World Series of Poker won by Layne Flack...
in the 2004 Victor Chandler Poker Cup, and a finalist in the pot limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold 'em Gaming Club World Poker Championship
The Gaming Club World Poker Championship
The Gaming Club World Poker Championship was held at the Merrion Casino Club in Dublin, Ireland during 2004.The international field included 6 World Champions together with numerous other professionals and celebrities.The tournament was competed in...
.
He finished runner-up in the 2005 William Hill Poker Grand Prix, following a bad beat
Bad beat
In poker, bad beat is a subjective term for a hand in which a player with what appear to be strong cards nevertheless loses. It most often occurs where one player bets the clearly stronger hand and their opponent makes a poor call that eventually "hits" and wins...
against eventual winner Phil Laak
Phil Laak
Philip "Phil" C. Laak is a professional poker player, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour title, a World Series of Poker bracelet and has appeared on numerous nationally-aired television shows.-Early life:...
. However, commentator Lucy Rokach
Lucy Rokach
Lucienne "Lucy" Rokach is an English professional poker player from Stoke-on-Trent. She was born in Cairo, Egypt and is now regarded as one of the top female players in Europe...
repeatedly laid claim to him being the best player in the 64-player field, that included former World Champion Scotty Nguyen
Scotty Nguyen
Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...
and WSOP bracelet winners Donnacha O'Dea
Donnacha O'Dea
Donnacha "The Don" O'Dea is an Irish professional poker player. In his youth he was a swimmer, and represented Ireland in the 1968 Olympics. He was also the first Irish swimmer to swim 100m in less than one minute...
and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson (poker player)
Brian "Rookie" Wilson is an American real estate developer and poker player, originally from Rockford, Illinois, now based in Fort Myers, Florida....
. (Simon Trumper
Simon Trumper
Simon Trumper is an English professional poker player from South Kensington, London, England. He is chiefly noted as the winner of Late Night Poker series 2 and runner-up of series 4...
has also referred to him as "the best tournament player in Europe, especially in No Limit.")
As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings are exceed $3.2 million. His 15 cashes at the Las Vegas WSOP account for $846,229 of those winnings.
Vaswani appeared in Late Night Poker Masters in late 2006 on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, in the same heat as season 6 champion Peter Costa
Peter Costa
Peter Costa to Greek Cypriot parents is a British professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada.He is most well known as the winner of the sixth series of the popular Late Night Poker television series during his time living in the United Kingdom, where he defeated Austria's Jin Cai Lin in...
and Willie Tann
Willie Tann
Willie "The Dice Man" Tann is an English professional poker player.Tann was born in Singapore and came to England to study law in the 1960s.Tann has numerous nicknames on the poker circuit...
, but did not progress.
Vaswani has written over 20 articles for The Hendon Mob's website, and a poker lesson for Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger
Matthew Hilger is an American professional poker player and author from Atlanta, Georgia. He also operates his own poker-related website.-Early years:...
's site internettexasholdem.com.
Vaswani regularly plays $100–$200 no limit hold 'em online, and is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
. He has also played $200–$400 pot limit Omaha
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
on the site, where he has won pots in excess of $160,000.
Other gambling
Vaswani has been described as "an avid gambler who 'would bet on anything that moves'". This has led to him being known for having a fluctuating bankroll due to the variance in his sports bettingSports betting
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...
hobby. Joe Beevers has indicated that Vaswani will often have $100,000 in his pocket one day; but it will be gone the next. Vaswani has indicated he is not too concerned about the outcome of bets he makes, so long as he has made the right decision in each case. He is also a keen golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er, and has had large financial upswings and downswings as a result of wagering on his game. Also, during the 888.com Poker Nations Cup, Vaswani made numerous large wagers with the Swedish team, and staked large amounts of money on Chinese poker
Chinese poker
Chinese poker, also Pusoy , is a card game that has been played in the Asian community for many years...
, which he considers to be a game of pure luck.