Raymond Rahme

Raymond Rahme Profile
	Nickname: Pokerstars Username: Web: www.pokerstars.com Birthdate: 1945 Tournaments Won: 1 WSOP Bracelets: 0 Total Winnings: $3,318,043

Raymond Rahme, along with Jerry Yang and Tuan Lam were the final three left in the 2007 World Series of Poker No Limit Hold’em main event. He was holding a K♠ K♥ and the flop was J♥ 8♥ A♦. The pot had swollen to over 35 million chips when Rahme went ‘All in’ with another 17.4 million. With Lam already folded, it was just up to Yang to make his play. He stood opposite Rahme and asked, ‘do you think I should call?’ Rahme looked almost amused at Yang’s obvious attempt to get a read on him and replied in a deep South African accent, ‘It’s your decision, you must decide what to do,’ making it sound like a piece of fatherly advice. Yang seemed unsure but with a massive chip advantage, called the bet and with A♣ 5♠ had the top pair. ‘Good call,’ Rahme responded, realising his game was likely to be up. But hope springs eternal and watching the turn intently, he called for a ten or queen of hearts. It was 3♠. Only a king would help him now but the river was a 2♦. However, Rahme looked content with third place and his prize of over $3million. He was smiling as he shook the hands of Lam and Yang and as he walked over to be congratulated by his wife and the cheering travelling support, he saw faces beaming only with pride. He had become the first man from the African continent to make the WSOP main event final table and his fans, who had come all the way from South Africa, were going to throw a party for him that night.

Rahme is married to Teresa and the couple have six children. Up until 2004 the family ran a successful bed and breakfast hotel until Raymond decided to retire. Having played 7-card stud regularly for the previous thirty years, he was initially sceptical about the new variation, Texas Hold’em, that was sweeping the world but with more time on his hands, he decided to give it a go. He had only being playing Hold’em for two years, by the time, as a sixty-two year old, he won his staggering prize in Las Vegas. It had never been in his mind to enter the WSOP but in June 2007, he finished in fourth place in the All Africa Tournament. He had scraped into the lowest position that would win an entrance into the WSOP main event, expenses paid, and his WSOP finish helped put the Swaziland-based Piggs Peak Hotel and Casino on the map.

Rahme was offered and accepted a place on Team Poker Stars Pro and has since cashed in tournaments in Australia, San Remo and Monte Carlo. He seems to have a stoic attitude to the game and when he was asked about a hand which knocked him out of the San Remo EPT event, he laughed and replied, ‘I played bad.’ He had called an ‘all in’ with an Ace Two against pocket aces. When not travelling the world for poker tournaments, Raymond spends the majority of time with his large family though he can be found online at Pokerstars.com under the name of ‘Ray Rahme.’ He also finds time to frequent Piggs Peak Casino and in May 2008, played outstandingly to win his first tournament, the All African, the one that set him on the road to success. ‘This is my best tournament so far,’ he said afterwards. And Rahme’s tournament winnings of $3million plus aren’t bad for someone who says poker is ‘just a hobby.’ 

You can play online poker with Raymond Rahme at Pokerstars. Check out our Pokerstars Marketing Code for a sign-up bonus of $50 - or you can download Pokerstars here.

Raymond Rahme Tournament Wins
	Event* Date Position Winnings All Africa Tournament Swaziland 31st May 2008 1st $125,000 All Africa Tournament Swaziland 11th Feb 2008 3rd $38,275 38th Annual WSOP Event #55 - WSOP Championship 17th July 2007 3rd $3,048.025 All Africa Tournament Swaziland 8th June 2007 4th $20,000

You can play online poker with Raymond Rahme at Pokerstars.

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