Ethan Ruby was born in Berkeley, California but grew up on the East Coast, finally settling in New York as an adult. During his youth, his grandfather taught him the basics of poker, but it was with friends in high school that he really began to play. His competitive side was evident in high school, as he played baseball there and extended that athleticism through to college on the baseball and hockey teams.

After college, Ethan was hit by a car. He sustained a severe spinal cord injury and was confined to a wheelchair. It was then that he needed to find a competitive outlet that made him feel that he was an equal in the field, and poker came back into his life. “You roll up to that table and the wheelchair doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s your mind against anybody else’s, and I like my odds in that situation.” As he continued to play poker in his free time, he furthered his already burgeoning career as an equities trader. And always looking for another challenge, he also began a clothing recycling business in Manhattan, began working part-time for a pedestrians’ rights organization called City Streets, and is dabbling in real estate.

For four years, Ethan and his brother-in-law began a charitable organization called Poker4Life, which raises money for several organizations, including the Buoniconti Fund which raises money for a paralysis cure. So far having raised over $200,000, the duo continues to organize benefit poker tournaments to raise funds for various charities. And with this came the chance of a lifetime – to play in a World Poker Tour event. He was invited to play in the 2008 WPT Invitational and made it all the way to the final table, finally finishing in second place for $50,000. Poker has indeed been good to Ethan, and Ethan turns that positive energy to worthy causes and the society in which he lives.