Jim Ramm: Poker Pioneer, Visionary and Dreamer Reveals the Trials of His Poker Journey

A lot gets written about the “face” of any industry, which in poker world is represented mostly by players. However, the cogs that actually run this machinery are mostly unsung heroes, with little information about their contributions known by the public in general.

In this feature, we speak about just one such poker-entrepreneur, whose has played a pivotal role in the emergence of the game in India. One who never really got his due, be it glory or the success of profit for his efforts.

We speak about Jim Ramm (cover image), poker-passionista, entrepreneur and a dreamer with a soul, who refused to compromise, no matter what life threw his way.Jim’s story is a poignant one and speaks of the pain a man underwent, when nothing seemed to go his way, either due to the fates or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jim played a very important role during the formative years of poker in India, but he has never been acknowledged for the same, nor did he reap the rich rewards for his struggle and efforts.

Today, Jim is settled in Sri Lanka, where he is finally able to run a venture according to his vision and see it slowly take shape.From the casinos of Goa, to Sri Lanka, in this story, we bring you one man’s fight for his dream and a rightful place in the industry of the game, in this part of the world.

Jim’s poker journey began when he returned to India, long before the Casino Pride era in Goa took off. It was a time, when poker was hardly known in India and he recalls, “I had returned to India in mid-2008 for my US resident visa formalities and whilst waiting for the tedious & lengthy processes to conclude, I started missing the live poker house games I played in South Carolina.”

A wait that was boring, had him seeking poker and he explains the situation in India then, “Being from Pune, I started my search for poker players & house games happening in my vicinity and later the whole city. I couldn’t really find any. My search expanse extended gradually and spread pan India. I slowly realized that though there were quite a few poker enthusiasts in India at that time playing cash games along with scattered pockets of poker low stake groups, it was still just a drop in the ocean compared to what my estimates forecasted India should have.”

Jim was naturally shocked at the situation and adds, “Whilst in the US I used to imagine the Indian circuit to be highly potential based on the sheer size and gambling psyche of Indians. The absence of “Poker’s” influence in India was a rude shock to me. Surely there were no organized groups or leagues or any one single common platform where poker players could connect to, and surely no platform or concept of organized tournaments under any brand existed.”

This scenario prompted Jim to start his own series, “I started IPRT (India Poker Ranking Tour & Tournament Series), at that time to get poker players that I had met in the due course of my investigation, to connect with each other on a common platform.”

Jim goes on to describe this first attempt and recounts his first meeting with the late Phil Sanders,“I went to Goa and met up with the management of Casino Royale (now Deltin Royale) and nearly confirmed it as a venue for the first IPRT event. They liked my concept and approved my IPRT league future plans. During the same time, Mr. Phil Sanders had contracted Casino Pride to run the poker tables there. We met during my Goa visit and after sharing each other’s ideas and experiences, I immediately decided to go along with Mr. Phil. I bonded with him the first time we shook hands. We both had the same vision for the growth and direction of the poker industry in India.”

This was a first in India and Jim describes the anxiety of being a pioneer, moving into a new zone, “Our deal was simple. IPRT would be the exclusive tournament organizer in Casino Pride Goa and in exchange Casino Pride would be the exclusive IPRT venue partner in Goa. During those days the fear was there about holding such an event due to the vagueness in the Indian Gambling laws. Even sending out an invitation for a poker game was scary. I took a calculated risk as the venue was a licensed casino and thus was born the first home-grown poker platform of India – IPRT.”

History unfolded that day and Jim beautifully relates the feelings of watching that landmark moment, as he says, “Less than 30 young players from across India assembled at the Casino Pride jetty as much as 3 hours before the casino gates opened. Those days, casino timings were 6 pm to 6 am in Goa. For most of those players it was the first time on a felted poker table, leave alone getting inside a casino. I could feel the nervousness and also the hidden excitement of each and every player that day. I will never forget that. Most of them trembled when they handled the chips on the table, sheepishly trying to cover up their awkwardness. But it was a great experience, and even greater thrill, for all participants. I am sure all those players still remember that first experience fondly.”

After that opening, Jim had his first brush with success and tells us, “Casino Pride poker room started getting busier with IPRT players’ support and within a month of the first IPRT event their cash tables started churning profits. A vast difference after a couple of months of table-less nights!”

However, good things often do not last long and Jim learnt that the hard way, when his efforts were washed away by a new situation. He remembers that first disappointment and says, “After two IPRT events my dear late friend, Mr. Phil, decided that IPRT will not be the exclusive group to hold poker tournaments at Casino Pride and thus I decided that I would part ways with him. Mr. Phil had planned to move to Casino Royale in a few months with me being his local partner. But since I had backed out, he went ahead with another partner to Casino Royale.”

Unwilling to give up without trying, Jim made the effort to strike out again. He approached new venues and did get the chance, but clearly, the tide was not in his favor. Jim found himself overrun by operators with tall promises and sleek tongues. His pain and disappointment are evident, when he tells us, “Amidst all this, I approached the owners of Casino Pride and was awarded the contract to run the poker room there which was christened Poker Zone. We were making reasonable profits and slowly growing but I guess I lost out to “bigger” promises and “bigger” offers made by “bigger” guys to the growing “bigger” Casino Pride. The owners found this “bigger” more lucrative rather than the “smaller” Jims voice, with promises of a sustained organic growth with a futuristic plan for the Indian poker industry.”

A man who had been there, when there was nothing, now suddenly found that he was no more welcome. The trauma saw Jim feel the helplessness of his situation as he emotionally recounts, “I guess it must have sounded too distant at that time and my voice too frail. Thus, I had to move out which I did. I cleared out in less than 24 hours.”

He sums up his last stint in Goa and says, “I was welcomed to Casino Carnival, where I started the Clubs Card Room. Casino Carnival somehow did not become the favourite amongst poker players for many reasons and it was indeed a tough job getting it going for the time period we did. The owners were great people and supported us fully though.”

It was here that Jim finally met with destiny, which led him to Sri Lanka.“During a short period after that, I was invited to Sri Lanka by Casino Bellagio Colombo to look at the prospects of starting a poker room there, which I eventually did called Jims Room.”

Jim’s new start in Sri Lanka however, was not as promising as he had expected and he had to move from there as well. He remembers, “Jims Room at Casino Bellagio Colombo was doing relatively well, but being a smaller casino, area-wise, the management did not renew my contract as they wanted more gambling tables on their gaming floor. Casino Bellagio eventually did away with the idea of a poker room altogether and presently does not have a card room.”

The initial months were tough and Jim’s struggle is evident, when he recalls, “I moved over to MGM Casino in Colombo after that, a much smaller venue attracting mostly local players. My old friend Mr. Steve Khan took up the challenge to manage the room for me but eventually gave up as it was too much of a fight getting even a table started every day.”

The poker-scene in Sri Lanka was dull and Jim had his work cut out, as he explains, “When I had first started in Colombo, I had tapped into and made friends with a few local players before opening the card room. I joined them in home games. I found them quite excited about the prospect of having a poker room in Colombo where they could play every day. I did get good support from many players who till date are in touch with me. And some of them are real good players and excellent human beings.”

It was a difficult time and Jim faced the issues of being a pioneer once again in a new place,“After the first 6 months of operations, trying to get a table going daily became a task as we needed to have some overseas players on the tables to start a game regularly. Locals were burning out and with a very small pool of Sri Lankans we had to depend more and more on Indian players. Providing flights, hotel stays and transportation to majority of the players, realistically, was not viable. During that time period Sri Lankan casinos did not have much of an exposure in India and we had very few walk-in clients, unlike today.”

Tied by circumstances, Jim could not even return to the U.S.“As I had given up my resident visa for the US because of my involvement in the poker business, I couldn’t go back to South Carolina immediately and I did not have the stamina to try for the residency again. So I stayed back in India.”

True to the spirit of entrepreneurship, Jim next looked at other options and kept up his search for success, but again, luck deserted him.“I continued my touch with the casinos in Goa, Sikkim, Kathmandu and Colombo as an agent. I also tried an online poker venture with some partners who unfortunately were not from the gaming business (they were from the lottery industry) and did not understand fully the dynamics of the online poker industry. I pulled out from there due to their lack of support and failure in keeping up to the terms of our contract.”

And then when it seemed that all was over, a new opportunity took him back to Sri Lanka.“I got an opening with Casino Marina Colombo, a new casino and one which I found to be a great venue. It is one of the latest additions to casinos in Colombo and probably has the largest floor space. Above all, the location, across from the Indian Ocean is just out of the world with its beautiful sunsets! The management contracted me to operate the poker room there which I am doing till now. I am hands on and settled in Colombo, totally dedicated to Jims Room.”

Today, Jim is settled in this southern paradise and even after all the strife, his passion for making a venture work on his terms remains undiluted. He tells us,“We have a giant competitor in Colombo at another casino but we are confident that we will establish ourselves as a favorable alternate venue in Sri Lanka for poker enthusiasts. I feel we at Jims Room will take a little longer to get fully established due to my pig-headedness regarding operational strategies, like strongly believing in not having any house players, etc., but surely we will get recognized in the due course.”

Jim is one of those rare breeds of entrepreneurs, who refuses to compromise on his style of functioning and though he believes it to be his “weakness” he still retains the positivity of making it through.“We at Jims Room are hell-bent on providing the best services to all our guests and hopefully this will make up for my other operational rigidities, over a period of time. The difference will be noticed by players, I am sure of that. Our professionalism and ethics will over-shadow our “weaknesses” and will become our strengths and make us grow and appreciated in time to come.”

His passion and optimism shines through, as he talks about his new home and its attractions.“Sri Lanka is a great alternate destination for poker players as recently the local casino industry has gotten noticed in the Asian region and the foot-falls are gradually increasing. The post-card picture beauty of the country is breathtaking and the sublime nature and the cleanliness of the place admirable.”

Ever the business-minded man, Jim talks about the exclusive features that Sri Lanka has to offer players and says,“There are 7 cities in India (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Madurai, Kochi & Bangalore) having direct flights to Colombo and with us offering packages with free flights, 5 star hotel stays, complimentary FnB, drinks, cigarettes, transportation, sight-seeing, massages, spas & “more”, makes it a great offer, something that should be taken advantage of!”

“Moreover, Colombo is now a destination where poker players from India can get an opportunity to play with fresh faces…”new blood”, specifically players from the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and the other South East Asian countries, ” he adds.

Jim excitedly updates us on the latest at his new venture and adds,“Recently we were hosts to the Noble Aces tournament (NAPM–1) which attracted a substantial number of poker players from India and locally. We have the” Battle of Colombo” (a cash game weekend) happening 25 to 27 September and “The Big One” (a charity tournament) during the same time period. Participation in these events is by invitation only.”

Speaking about upcoming events, he carries on,“We regularly have some great promotions for our cash tables at Jims Room and the month of September will see even bigger and more exciting offers. Surely the rake structure I introduced or rather lowered many years ago in Goa, to 3% (from the existing 5%) with a cap of Rupees 5000 is still followed at Jims Room in Colombo till now. Only here it turns out to be even sweeter, as the cap of Rupees 5000 is in LKR which equates to INR 2500 only!”

Jim’s dream may have had a difficult and painful journey, but he has stuck to it steadfastly, as he reminisces with a sad echo,“Since the start of my poker voyage in India many years ago, hand in hand with Phil Sanders, I have kept my promise of delivering the most affordable and fair gaming platform to poker players. This was both Phil’s and my dream. But many things changed during this journey. People changed. Friends changed. Commitments changed. Goal-posts changed. Even lady luck favored the aggressors!”

Despite that regret, Jim clearly has not changed inside, as he believes he is still the same entrepreneur, who once sat by the Goan riverside, with a million dreams in his eyes.“Jim remained the same foolhardy person with the same vision he had seen one sunny day, with a friend, over a cup of coffee, at the Marriott at Goa, overlooking the Mandovi!”

While Jim may rue the fact that he has not changed, there are few people in life, who have the courage to stay true to their vision and fight on, regardless the circumstances.

In life, dreams may not always translate exactly the way we dream them. But, dreams rarely stay alive in the history of time, it is the passion, effort and courage that a person displays to follow a dream that remains talked about.

We wish Jim all the best in his future endeavors and hope that all his dreams come true.