Rick Rossetti of Linwood, New Jersey knows a thing or two about nailing things down. This 37-year-old roofing contractor nailed a December 2006 victory at the championship event of the Harrah's WSOP Circuit tour in Atlantic City. Rossetti's opponent, Alex Gomez had a massive lead and was clearly expected to win. Rossetti managed to pull off the victory after getting called on a bluff and making an unlikely inside straight on the river. Not too shabby for a roofer from Jersey. If he has not decided on his own poker personality nickname yet - he might want to consider calling himself the Viper - he struck and struck and brought the other guy down.
Rossetti's big win was the result of his persistent, aggressive raising and re-raising. He stuck with the same game tactics - never letting up his momentum or shifting gears. While Gomez was strongly favored to win - Rossetti proved he had the guts to own up to the challenge. The play was grueling and Rossetti simply did not flinch. Keeping his cool - Rossetti paired his king on the flop to seal the deal after eight intense hours of final table play. Rossetti might get to hang up his tool belt for a while - his Harrah's victory netted $368,096. A pre-tournament deal among the players resulted in his actual take-home earnings being reduced to $270,000. He also won a championship diamond and gold ring. The victory earned Rossetti a $10,000 spot in the 2007 WSOP. Rossetti has played poker for two decades. He prefers to play high-limit stud and mixed games. Prior to his win at Harrah's he has had cash finishes at Foxwoods and the Taj. He showed some major substance and aggression at Harrah's and now we can't wait to see him strike again during the 2007 WSOP.
