DraftKings Senior Product Analyst Stephen Rose Looking to Bloom at the WSOP
The 50th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) kicks off today with $500 buy-in Event #1: Casino Employees Event. The tournament is open to those who either work in casinos or in the gaming industry, and thanks to their sportsbook in New Jersey, DraftKings personnel are permitted to play.
They’ll be well represented in their first year of eligibility as a team of six players traveled from the East Coast to compete for the summer’s first bracelet. PokerNews caught up with each DraftKings employee – one of which is already a WSOP bracelet winner – talk about the opening event of the 2019 WSOP.
Stephen Rose
Age: 30
DraftKings Position: Senior Product Analyst
One year ago, Stephen Rose joined DraftKings as a senior product analyst who focuses on their casino product inside their sportsbook app.
“I mostly spend my time analyzing the effects that product changes have on our casinoperformance, and making predictions about the impacts that future product changes will have,” he explained.
Rose grew up and went to high school in Worcester, Massachusetts and attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where he completed a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, as well as an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
A competitive swimmer for 14 years, Rose is an avid water skier and enjoys wakeboarding.
“My main hobby right now is Underwater Hockey, which I play twice a week and will be attending the National Championships in Orlando in June,” he said. “I’m also a scuba PADI Divemaster which is a professional rating, but sadly I haven’t been diving in over a year.”
So, where does poker fit in? It all started with his card-loving family and then during his college years from 2006-10 he played low stakes online as well as some cheap dealer’s choice games with college friends. He’d soon find himself playing in the Eastern Poker Tour league, at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in Connecticut, and now will be competing in his first-ever WSOP event.
“I have never really been a tournament player,” he admitted. “I have been out for the WSOP before, but I mainly spent my time at the cash games with a few small side tournaments sprinkled in.”
While he once played poker for a living, he now finds working for DraftKings has actually had a positive impact on his game.
“Honestly my game has probably gotten a little better since I left it as a pro, now that the emotional weight of needing to win to make a living has been lifted,” he said. “I will probably play a lot more once the Encore Boston Harbor opens up in June.”
While he hopes he’ll be the last player standing among the DraftKings team, he’s not underestimating his coworkers.
“Of the six of us playing, I’d have to put my money on Asad. He probably has the least lifetime poker experience out of all of us but at this point he is by far the most passionate about learning the game. He is plowing through all of the learning material he can get his hands on and is very responsible with his bankroll. I don’t see him blowing his stack early and think he has the best
shot at winning a last-longer bet.”
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,000
-1,200
|
-1,200 |