Ramdin Triumphs at Foxwoods

Victor Ramdin pocketed over $1.3 million for his first ever victory on the World Poker Tour this weekend at the Foxwoods Poker Classic. Easily the most recognizable name at the table, he overcame a deficit of over a million chips going into the final table to take the title.

Ramdin quickly took the chip lead, eliminating two players within the first 18 hands. His first victim was Bruce Kater, who moved all-in with A-10, only to get called by Ramdin and his A-Q. No help sent Kater to the rail. Feeling in a dominating mood, Ramdin then used his Pocket Rockets to dispatch John Russell, who “only” had A-J.

For close to three hours following the first two eliminations, Ramdin and Ed Jordan passed the lead back and forth a few times before Alex Jacob joined the party, soaring to the front of the pack. He kept that lead for most of the remaining tournament leading into his heads-up match with Ramdin, largely in part to his knocking out both Larry Klur and Jordan.

At the beginning of their one-on-one competition, Jacob held about a 1.5 million chip lead and actually doubled it within the first ten minutes. But all of a sudden, the tide turned as Ramdin went all-in with his 9-9 against Jacob’s A-K. Ramdin hit his set on the flop and won the coin flip to take the lead.

Two hands later, it was over. Just as his hands dominated Kater’s and Russell’s earlier, he once again gave his opponent long odds to overcome, A-J versus K-J. Jacob never found his King and Ramdin grabbed the WPT crown.

Originally published April 11, 2006