Rami Hammoud reaches World Series of Poker final, bringing home $1.75 million USD

Rami Hammoud, BSc 13, was ready to leave Las Vegas. He came with $20,000 in cash and was down to his last dollars.

“I was just so ready to go home,” he says.

Then he ran into a fellow Montreal poker player, who urged him to reconsider leaving before the World Series of Poker Main Event. Hammoud recalls thinking: “If he has confidence in me, then maybe I should, too.”  

Hammoud stayed and went on to reach the final table of nine players, finishing sixth and winning $1.75 million USD in August — despite having no intention of becoming a professional poker player.

A competitive edge

His passion for the game began at 15 when he learned that his English teacher, Matthew Schnarch, played poker. During a school trip to New York, Hammoud and his friends convinced a reluctant Schnarch to teach them the rules. They were all in.

Poker remained a hobby, but the competitive mindset it fostered soon found an outlet elsewhere. At Concordia, where Hammoud studied actuarial mathematics with a minor in finance, he made a bet with his friend Christopher Migirdic, BA 13, that he could graduate with straight As.

“I spent a dubious number of hours at the Concordia Library,” he jokes. Hammoud won the bet and graduated with a 4.15 GPA.

This tenacious work ethic has guided Hammoud through his education, during the highs and lows of poker, as well as finding the right career path.

After graduation, Hammoud worked at TD Insurance for five years, but eventually realized the role wasn’t the right fit. Seeking work that aligned more closely with his interests, he joined Playtika as a data analyst.

“They had a free-to-play mobile game called the World Series of Poker,” Hammoud explains. “I ended up working 70 to 80 hours a week with no overtime pay, but I was so happy at work for the first time.”

He has maintained that enthusiasm in his current role as analytics director at a Roblox studio. Yet nothing in his career had prepared him for eight days of competition in Las Vegas, where players could spend up to 12 hours a day at the tables to reach the final.

To keep himself focused, Hammoud adopted a coping strategy. Each morning, he would check out of his hotel and leave his luggage at the concierge. He would only book another room if he advanced to the next day. His mantra was simple: “I have a flight to catch.”

As the tournament progressed, Hammoud found himself increasingly in the spotlight. Cameras surrounded the players, and he admits he was initially very nervous. But being interviewed and followed by ESPN gave him a new perspective and assurance in what he was capable of.

That conviction was also bolstered by his entourage, which included childhood friends and many fellow Concordia graduates who travelled to support him.

“I'm at the age where the only times we’re all together under the same roof is for weddings and funerals, so this was pretty amazing,” he says.

Just two days after the tournament, Hammoud was back at work and settling into his usual routine.

“The money will be invested,” he says. “It won’t fundamentally change how I live my life, but the confidence I gained will.”