Ronnie “RoNasty” Bardah was born in Easton Mass. and moved to Brockton, Massachusetts, when he was four years old. He started playing poker by wagering baseball cards since he was 12 in Junior High School and eventually started off his professional poker career in 2003. His passion for the game can be proved by a 33-day 20/40 and 40/80 Limit Hold’em grinding session in Borgata.

Bardah has been able to realize his poker playing dreams by getting a deep run in the 2010 WSOP Main Event where he secured 24th place, bagging $317,000. His first cash in a tournament came in 2004 in a small $500 No Limit Event at Foxwoods, and he has had multiple cashes every year since.

Ronnie’s parents are originally from Israel but currently live in Boston, yet he often visits Israel since most of his family still lives there. He also has an older brother and a younger sister with whom he enjoys spending time when he can.  At the age of 14, Ronnie’s ambitions were to make money on his own and so he started doing paper routes for a few weeks after which he started working for McDonalds. He worked there for less than two years before moving on to work as a Layaway Manager for Walmart, where he worked for 18 months.

After graduating from High School he went to a little Community College and took up Liberal Arts Transfer, but dropped out during his sophomore years. Bardah started playing poker at home with his father where they either played 5-Card Draw or Criss-Cross. By the time he reached the ripe age of 17, he got a fake ID done by one of his classmates and went to the Casinos to play Black Jack and other games.

“Most kids learn poker playing online. I learnt by playing $5 sit and go’s in the basements of Brockton with my friends.”

Ronnie, being an all-around poker player, has never had a favorite game as such; nevertheless, he admits that he enjoys playing cash games as well as Multi Table Tournaments and considers his friend Brent Keller as one of his favorite players, praising his game strategies and tournament talent.  Ronnie’s talent for playing Limit and No Limit Hold’em are indeed exceptional, making him a formidable player in a wide variety of poker game variants.

In July of 2005, he got a 3^rd place in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em Event, cashing $13,385. Ronnie’s game improved subsequently and since then he made multiple cashes across the Northeast, including in tournaments in Atlantic City and Foxwoods. His playing has also stretched out to tournaments in Las Vegas, Biloxi, and New Orleans.

“In this poker world there’s a lot of filth and a lot of things you’ve got to dodge. I have a lot of people that are friends of mine. I formed a big team of friends; almost like a poker family.”

One of his most notable achievements include a 1^st place in the 2012 WSOP where he won a WSOP bracelet and first place prize of $182,008.

“I broke down in tears, you play poker for this long and you play a lot of tournaments and when you see the bracelet you think, maybe someday it will be yours, it feels great and I’m still nervous. Especially in Vegas, to win a bracelet, there’s no asterisk next to it. The structures are great. You’re playing with the best in the world.”

This was Ronnie’s first WSOP final table and third WSOP cash. It was also the first time that he got his hands on the bracelet after playing professionally for over nine years.

“Tough neighbourhoods made me who I am and gave me the strength and courage to excel in the WSOP. It gave me a lot of street smart and prepared me to take on anybody in poker.”

He enjoys singing, dancing, beat boxing and of course playing poker, especially in South Florida. In order to fine-tune his health, he practices boxing occasionally to keep fit. With casino winnings of $754,445, Ronnie is looking forward to winning another final table and another bracelet in the upcoming games.