Platinum Pass Victory Dance: Ramon Liriano Discusses Poker Life, Winning Huge PokerStars Prize
Ramon Liriano was in disbelief on Sept. 29 after securing one of the biggest prizes in poker. After becoming eligible for a PokerStars freeroll, the player from Union City, New Jersey, won the event and secured a $30,000 Platinum Pass.
“I’ve had a couple decent scores throughout the years, one for $13,000, another for $17,000, but the Platinum Pass was definitely one I got a little excited for,” Liriano says. “I was dancing around after the win.”
The victory dance celebrated a win that brought a complete $30,000 tournament package to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC). The event is set for Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 in the Bahamas and Stars has rewarded players around the world with the honor.
Playing for pennies to scoring a PokerStars Platinum Pass
Liriano’s massive win came via a leaderboard finish in the New Jersey Championship of Online Poker (NJCOOP). Landing a qualifying spot meant an appearance in a freeroll with a Platinum Pass up for grabs..
The PSPC is set for the Baha Mar Resort in Nassau. The event features a unique mix of pros and recreational players with a shot at a massive payday – as well as a nice vacation in the Caribbean. With his win, Liriano earned:
- $25,000 PSPC buy-in
- six nights hotel accommodations for himself and a guest in a five-star hotel
- flights and airport transfers
- $1,900 in spending money
- unique Platinum Pass winner experiences during the event
i cant belive it lmfao @PokerStarsUSA pic.twitter.com/VjwNcaD6wP
— ramon liriano jr (@LirianoJr) September 30, 2022
A full-time poker pro, Liriano has found a mix of success online and live. He started in home games playing for loose change among friends.
“My friend Yogi brought me to a 25-cent/50-cent house game and just kept playing and learning,” he says.
That eventually led to a nice score in one of his first live tournaments. In 2015, Liriano entered the Parx 300 Big Stax and finished in third for $50,000. He has been grinding professionally ever since.
Winning a WSOP Circuit ring online
Along with a Platinum Pass, Liriano’s trophy case also includes a World Series of Poker Circuit championship ring. Using the name “Foldemup” on WSOP.com, the New Jersey grinder won an Online Circuit Series event in August 2021 for $14,158.
Earlier in the year he also took down a March Mayhem event for $16,794 after topping a field of 441 players.
With a padded bankroll, Liriano was ready to hit Las Vegas for the WSOP over the summer. That didn’t result in any major scores, but he did find three cashes in a week:
- $500 Housewarming (June 2) – 536th for $3,735
- $1,000 NLHE Freezeout (June 9) – 134th for $2,773
- $1,500 MonsterStack (July 10) – 405th for $3,610
Overall Liriano has $82,325 in WSOP lifetime winnings.
Prepping for a Platinum Pass getaway
Liriano is now preparing for the biggest event of this life. He’s upped his study habits and continues to play multiple days a week.
“I watch a lot of hours of training videos from Upswing Poker and Raise Your Edge,” he says. “I also use software like PioSOLVER, ICMIZER, and Pairrd.”
In the meantime Liriano isn’t letting the tournament get to his head. He tries to stay grounded and is playing some small live events around Philadelphia.
When it comes to his tournament approach, this Garden State online player prefers sticking to the general premise of his WSOP username “Foldemup.” That’s some of his best advice for other players.
Liriano notes: “Hero folds are better than hero calls.”
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