Annand "Victor" Ramdin

Victor Ramdin is a poker player who strives for success for two reasons. One is the love of poker and the desire to win, but the other is to enable him to give back to the underprivileged in his home country of Guyana. And he enjoys when philanthropy overshadows his poker accomplishments.

Annand Mahendra Ramdin was born on May 28, 1968, in Georgetown, Guyana. During his youth, his family decided to move to New York, which was where he – who became known as Victor – was raised. He took advantage of the American educational system and made his way through school and into the business world, eventually becoming an entrepreneur who owned a chain of stores in New York and operated as a real estate investor.

Poker entered Ramdin’s life in 2002 when he discovered people playing in a local bar. He decided to learn the basics, and he looked to friend Phil Ivey for some advice as well. He took such an interest in the game and in its multiple variations that he went quickly from home games to live tournaments, making the final tables of two events at the 2002 U.S. Poker Championship in Atlantic City.

He continued to play tournaments and made deep runs in two World Series of Poker events and one World Poker Tour Main Event in 2003, and he won his first tournament at the Orleans Open in Las Vegas by taking down the Omaha hi/lo Main Event. But it wasn’t until 2006 that he made his biggest score by winning the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic NLHE Main Event for $1,331,889. And he followed that up with an 11th place finish at the WPT World Championship weeks later for $146,460, then three cashes at the WSOP, and another deep run in the WPT Festa al Lago event. All in all, 2006 was his best year to date with over $1.6 million in live tournament earnings.

Ramdin was soon signed to a PokerStars sponsorship deal and began to play in events around the world, cashing in the European Poker Tour PCA and the Latin American Poker Tour in 2008, followed by four cashes at that year’s WSOP, one of which was the final table of a $1,500 HORSE event.

The poker pace slowed for Ramdin in subsequent years, partially due to business responsibilities, but he showed in 2011 that he was still a force on the tournament scene. He started the year with a cash at the PCA Main Event in the Bahamas, and while on the island, he won the $1,500 NLHE preliminary event. He then traveled to Los Angeles to play the Big Event at the Bicycle Casino in March, and he beat the tough field to win the $500,000 first place prize. He also cashed in the North American Poker Tour Mohegan Sun Main Event, European Poker Tour San Remo Main Event, and EPT Grand Final in Madrid.

Through it all, Ramdin has found a way to channel his poker winnings and generous spirit into a number of philanthropic efforts, primarily work in his home of Guyana. He had organized many trips, some with fellow poker players like Michael Binger, to help with medical needs for the poor of the country. He donates funds and his own time and effort to a team of doctors that perform necessary medical procedures, checkups, and surgeries to those who often receive no care. His passion to help those less fortunate has become obvious to the poker community and inspired others to provide aid as well.

Ramdin continues to pursue his passions for poker and charity work. With over $3.4 million in live tournament earnings in less than a decade, he is respected for his play and admired for his generosity.