Ja Rule has had an illustrious career as one of the world’s most storied rappers. The New York rapper, now 38-years-old is a veteran of 9 studio albums, the last being his 2012 release ‘Pain is Love 2’. But in true bad boy fashion, Ja Rule wasn’t able to promote his last album because of a felony charge. In early 2012, Ja Rule was charged with the gun possession and sentenced to two-years in prison.

Ja Rule has never been far from trouble since he first took the music scene by storm in 1999 when he released his debut album ‘Venni Vetti Vecci’. Before his incarceration in 2012 he had some high-profile bust-ups with the likes of Death Row Records, whom he previously released music under. He also had well-publicized fallings out with Lil’ Mo, 50 Cent, Foxy Brown, Shady, Aftermath and G-Unit Records.

Some might say that it was only a matter of time before Ja Rule faced a lengthy prison sentence for a misdemeanor. But thankfully the Queens-born rapper has been getting his life back on track recently after teaming up with poker legend Phil Ivey.

You see, Ja Rule has always been a huge fan of table games – even during the early days when he was a new kid on the block he enjoyed hanging around casinos trying his hand at roulette, poker and blackjack. Although, he never competed professionally until recently when he had a chance meeting with poker legend, Phil Ivey and the two became close friends.

After playing many table games with Ivey and accompanying him to some professional tournaments, Ja Rule seemed to have a renewed focus in his life. Unlike his hip hop peers, Ja Rule didn’t frequent casinos, sipping on champagne – he was more frugal with his money learning how to play poker so that one day he could mix it with the world’s biggest stars alongside his friend Phil Ivey.

Ja Rule found his way into table games via a love for roulette and craps as reported by Bluff Magazine. These sorts of table games were made famous by Hollywood movies and the popularity further spiked when these games were launched online through the first online casino portal InterCasino in 1997. From these table games Ja Rule transitioned into the more competitive world of poker with Ivey by his side. And now most feel it’s only a matter of time before the rap superstar features in some high profile televised events.

For his fans, this must be a welcomed sight; seeing their beloved rapper getting his life back on track. With murmourings of a new release being slated for late 2015, this year is shaping up nicely for Ja Rule, and for once it looks like he’s holding all the aces!