Rich Muny

Rich plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Since being named to the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Board of Directors in 2007, Rich ‘The Engineer’ Muny has helped to spearhead grassroots internet poker advocacy efforts. Rich, who also volunteers as the PPA Kentucky State Director and writes a popular blog on poker rights, started playing poker at the height of the online boom in 2005. "I was drawn to the game by the growing online presence and the fact that it is a game of skill," he says. "I liked the fact that anyone willing to work hard enough can be a winner."

A mechanical engineer by trade, Rich spent most of his career designing jet engines. While cutting his teeth at the felt, he looked to one of Team Full Tilt’s members for inspiration. "Starting out, I found that Andy Bloch’s background as an engineer, and his methods of play, had a major influence on me," he says.

Rich built his bankroll carefully, balancing the stakes he played with his level of success. "If I found myself on a bad run, I reduced the stakes I played to properly manage my bankroll," he says. "If I was running good, I increased my stakes to levels consistent with my skill. Over time, I won significantly more than I lost."

Rich’s biggest live score to date came in May 2010, when he took the top prize on home soil at the Derby Poker Championship in Louisville, Kentucky for $18,000. Rich lives with his wife in Northern Kentucky and can be found blogging at biggovernment.com and playing poker online at Full Tilt Poker.