January 31 2012, Chad Holloway

In 2007, the amiable Raymond Rahme was introduced to the poker masses after making the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event, becoming the first person from Africa to do so. Rahme, then 62, the elder statesman at the final table, outplayed some tough competition on his way to a third-place finish and $3,048,025 prize.

Rahme, married with six children, still lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and continues to play poker, a hobby he has enjoyed for more than three decades, though he spent the vast majority of that time playing stud. So how did a 62-year-old retired bed-and-breakfast operator come to play in the WSOP? He actually won a travel package after taking fourth in the 2007 “All Africa Poker Championship”, the largest poker tournament ever held in Africa.

Since his final table appearance, Rahme has racked up some notable tournament cashes. In November 2007, he took first in the All Africa Poker Shootout Tournament for $15,038 and then won another All Africa Poker tournament in May 2008 for $142,371. In addition, he has other cashes from the Aussie Millions, European Poker Tour, WSOP, and WSOP Europe.

PokerNews caught up with Rahme at the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship to find out what he’s been up to since 2007 and how making the final table changed his life.

What have you been up to since your final table appearance at the 2007 World Series of Poker?

I had two and a half good years. I won all the major tournaments in South Africa, cashed in Europe, cashed in London, Italy, and Monte Carlo. Some very good cashes, but no wins, unfortunately, no final tables. Close to it though. I’ve had two Aussie Millions cashes, a 36th and 46th, and Europe also in the thirties, just missing the final tables.

I started to run a bit cold and I also slowed down on the traveling. I have a very big family. A lot of children, grandchildren, a big family, brothers and sisters, so I slowed down on the traveling to spend time with them. I had a bit of a break, about a year and a half. Played a little in between. I played the World Series Main Event, made it down to Day 4 or 5, that’s why I’m having a bit of a bad run. So I just slowed down with it and am starting again this year.

When you made the WSOP final table, did it result in any sort of “boom” in South Africa?

Yes, very much so. It’s still going well there, still big there. Since then there have been a couple of South Africans who’ve had good showings at the World Series like Warren Zackey, who finished took 22nd in 2009, and Konstantinos Mamaliadis, who took 13th in the Main this last year. So we’ve had a couple of good years.

The poker boom was not as big as Australia’s. We’ve only got a certain demographic of the population that plays, but it’s been good.

After your third-place finish, did you make any big purchases?

Just tiny investments. Some were good, some were bad. Properties have been bad, as you know, and I did invest in a bit of property. It’s been rough, but not damaging. That’s about it.

In 2007, they didn’t have the concept of the November Nine, which was introduced in 2008. Is that something you would have liked when you made the final table?

It’s got its pluses and minuses. I think, going into the final nine, I probably would have liked it. The pluses were that you had four months to negotiate deals, whereas I signed a deal when we were down to 37 players. They approached me and I signed then, so the deal I got wasn’t as lucrative as what they’re getting today [with the November Nine]. So that’s the pluses.

The minus is, as a poker player, if went deep and if I got to the November Nine, I may have wanted to play it out. You’re running hot, and you can continue running hot. Yes, it can change, but I thought I could continue running hot and go deeper. [With the November Nine] they have four months to check out the other players and see their style of play . . . To play to win, I think I’d like to play throughout.

What did your family think of your deep run? Were they in Vegas with you?

Only my wife was with me. I had a couple of relations based in Vegas, a lot of South Africans who weren’t family, but they were good to me. Back home, my family never slept. They are nine hours ahead of America, and the kids, my grandchildren, didn’t go to school, because they were watching the updates. My son-in-laws and daughters all sat up. They were very ecstatic.

You spent some time as a Team PokerStars Pro. What was it like being a sponsored pro on the circuit?

I was one for two years. It was very good, they were very good to me. I have no qualms with them. I think they were buckling down a bit, with the perks that they were giving, and maybe I wasn’t happy with it. At the same time, there was just too much traveling. You play ten tournaments abroad, and I was playing tournaments in South Africa, it just became a lot. I opted to go my own way. Also, you go to the same places all the time, and I decided I wanted to go to different places.

Speaking of different places, the Aussie Millions has become quite popular. How long have you been coming to Melbourne?

I’ve been playing this for maybe six years now, since 2007. The tournaments are unbelievable. You can’t say they’re better than the World Series, which gets 7,000 players . . . but outside of that, the Aussie Millions is one of the best tournaments in the world.

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January 12 2012, Brett Collson

Did you miss any of the tournament action around the globe on Thursday? Be sure to check out the PokerNews Live Reporting page for the latest updates from Melbourne, Los Angeles and the Bahamas. In other news, the Epic Poker League has partnered up with a European poker television channel, and Team PokerStars Pros are piling up wins at PCA side events. Read about those stories and more in this edition of the Nightly Turbo.

In Case You Missed It

Faraz Jaka was back atop the leaderboard after Day 4 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. Jaka was kind enough to join the PokerNews Podcast crew after a busy day at the tables.

Phil Collins had an incredible run at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, taking fifth place for more than $2.3 million. Collins joined the latest Strategy with Kristy podcast to talk about some interesting spots he encountered during the tournament.

The United States is inching closer toward an intrastate online poker platform. U.S. Digital Gaming’s Richard Bronson believes online poker will be operating in at least one state in 2012. Find out more in the latest edition of The Insiders.

In the recent Global Poker Index rankings, Jason Mercier remained at No. 1. Find out where Galen Hall landed after a huge climb in the rankings, thanks to his great start to 2012.

The 2012 Aussie Millions got under way with $1,100 Opening Event on Thursday. Read about the action in our Day 1 recap.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Aussie Millions will be hosting a Tournament of Champions during the festivities this month. Crown Poker officials gave PokerNews a rundown of what to expect.

The largest stakeholder of Wynn Resorts has sued the company to get access to its financial records. Inside Gaming has more on that story and the latest business news from the industry.

Only 17 players were left standing after Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Bicycle Casino Main Event. Brandon Crawford was leading the way with more than 2.2 million chips.

PokerStars Pros Cleaning Up the Side Events at PCA

There’s certainly no shortage of side tournaments running for players who have busted out of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. The PCA is hosting 41 tournaments in the Bahamas this month, and several Team PokerStars Pros have already found their ways into the winners circle.

On Wednesday, 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel outlasted a 158-player field in the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event to collect nearly $240,000. Duhamel had to weave through a loaded final table that included fellow Team PokerStars Pros Jason Mercier and Pius Heinz, as well as online superstars Keven Stammen, Laurence Houghton, Kenny Hallaert and Owen Crowe.

Duhamel’s predecessor, 2009 world champ Joe Cada, also won an event this week. Cada took down the $2,000 no-limit hold’em event for $175,000. It marked his biggest cash since his victory at the WSOP Main Event for $8.5 million.

Team PokerStars Online member Adrienne “talonchick” Rowsome won her first-ever live event by claiming victory over a 24-player field in the $1,000 Omaha 8/Stud 8 High-Low event. The part-time poker pro collected $10,900 after defeating Norway’s Iversen Torsten heads-up for the title.

Results from the PCA side events can be found at the PokerStars Blog. And, of course, PokerNews.com is your best source for the latest updates from the PCA Main Event.

Epic Poker League Hits TV Screens in Europe

Amid reports that it is in negotiations with a potential buyer, the Epic Poker League has announced a partnership that will bring the league’s televised action to millions of homes across Europe.

The EPL has teamed up with The Poker Channel Europe to broadcast more than 70 hours of Epic Poker tournament coverage to more than 30 million viewers in Europe and a global audience online.

“Expanding our television coverage into Europe is a step forward for building a global fan base for Epic Poker,” said Katherine Kowal, Vice President of League Operations and Programming for Federated Sports + Gaming. “Poker Channel Europe, with quality distribution and broad reach, will help us introduce our content to a very important market and audience.”

The Epic Poker League will make its official television debut on The Poker Channel on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. A full TV schedule with previews and programming details can be found at www.pokerchanneleurope.com.

Joe Hachem, Shane Warne Host Charity Event

The 5th Annual Joe Hachem and Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament will make its way to Crown Casino on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. during the 2012 Aussie Millions Poker Championship.

Players can hand over the $1,000 tournament fee to rub elbows with superstars in poker and sport, as well as a handful of celebrities expected to take part in the event.

In addition to Warne and Hachem, the list of attendees already includes the following: Tony G, Atlanta Braves pitcher Peter Moylan, television personality Fifi Box, poker player Clonie Gowen, boxer Jeff Fenech, and rugby players Brendon Goddard, Luke Hodge, Jason Akermanis, Jimmy Bartel, Dermott Brereton and Leigh Montagna.

The winner of the event will receive a Las Vegas High Roller package which includes an entry into the World Series of Poker Main Event. Two seats into the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event will also be awarded.

Proceeds from the charity tournament will go toward the Shane Warne Foundation, which raises money to help enrich the lives of children and teenagers in Australia.

For more, visit PokerNews.com.

Full Tilt Poker Releasing Player Information?

According to a recent thread at PokerNetwork.com, former Full Tilt customers have been receiving “snail mail” sent to addresses that only Full Tilt had knowledge of.

Selling customer data to third parties is a common practice in the business world. Advertisers use the data to better target consumers, and businesses use it for market research. Full Tilt Poker’s Privacy Statement states the that it uses each player’s personal for specific purposes such as age verification, providing customer support, statistical analysis and market research, and advertising and marketing activities.

It adds, “We may be required to disclose your personal information to third parties for purposes other than to support your customer relationship with us, such as in connection with a sale of our company, business or assets (including our associated customer lists containing your personal information).”

As we’re sure you’ve figured out by now, the timing of this coincides with the potential sale of Full Tilt Poker’s assets to Groupe Bernard Tapie. However, we have no confirmation that either company actually sold the FTP customer database to a third party.

Read the thread at PokerNetwork.com for more.

PokerNews Nominated for Affiliate Award

We were proud to learn this week that PokerNews has been nominated for an iGB Affiliate Award. PokerNews is up for an award in the Best Poker Affiliate category. The honor recognizes the poker affiliate that has excelled most in 2010-2011.

This year’s black tie event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, in London. More than 500 people from the iGaming affiliate community will be in attendance.

For a look at the other nominees, head on over to iGBAffiliateAwards.com.

Mercier vs. Deeb

Who’s a better mixed game player: Jason Mercier or Shaun Deeb? In the latest edition of Versus, Kristy Arnett caught up with both players to find out.

Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

Follow Brett Collson on Twitter – @brettcollson