Prior to getting involved in the poker tournament circuit, Rose was a mathematician and project engineer in the Air Force.

[3] He went on to win a WSOP bracelet in the 2003 seniors' no limit hold'em event, defeating a field of 377 opponents to take home the $130,060 first prize.

[7] However, Rose's biggest accomplishment was winning the inaugural WPT "Battle of Champions" event, which was televised on NBC in 2004 on Super Bowl Sunday.

Rose defeated all the winners of the 1st year's WPT events including Howard Lederer and Gus Hansen.

[9] Rose also made the final table of the first ever Professional Poker Tour (PPT) event, finishing in third place at Foxwood, Ct. in 2004.