Poker Player - David Benyamine
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David Benyamine is best known for his 2003 win at the Grand Prix de Paris. He’s also had big wins in 2005 where he won the WPT Battle of Champions as well as this he has one WSOP bracelet to his name.
Benyamine, a French native, was born in Paris on July 5 1972. At a young age he was successful at tennis receiving a high ranking and looking forward to a promising career as a professional player. However due to arthritis, which caused him severe back pain, he could no longer play. He then filled the void that tennis had left by playing billiards, which he quickly mastered and made it to France’s top 10 players list.
He’s had a long interest in casinos and even visited them while he was still a tennis player; playing the slot machines, rummy and backgammon. After French actor Patrick Bruel returned to his homeland with a WSOP bracelet, Benyamine was inspired and began to play low-stakes games in Parisian casinos where he built up a bank roll and progressed to the Aviation Club on the Champs-Elysees. He soon found success in the cash games and often made it to the final tables, winning four times. After building up a $200,000 bankroll he lost it when he took a chance in a high-stakes pot-limit Omaha game which left him broke.
Despite being broke, he was noticed by a backer in 2002 who agreed to stake him into the WSOP. Although Benyamine was only playing for 20 percent he was keen to go to Las Vegas. When there he entered six events however he failed to cash in any of them, which left him with only $4,000 to his name. Not being disheartened Benyamine went back to the tables and turned it into $400,000 over six weeks. Despite having never played limit poker before, he threw himself into it playing high-stakes $400-$800 against big names like Johnny Chan. Although he lost $100,000, he was still left with $300,000 when he returned back to Paris. However it was short lived and he lost it all for the second time at the Aviation Club, which sent him back to having to work his way up again from the low-stakes games.
It wasn’t long before Benyamine began to find his winning form again and in July 2003 the Aviation Club’s Grand Prix de Paris became a World Poker Tour event and Benyamine won it. After winning his seat in a satellite he won on a final table which included Erick Lindgren, Lee Salem and Jan Boubli and took home just above $400,000 and used it to go back to America.
However in March 2004, Benyamine was taken into FBI custody as a suspected terrorist during the Party Poker Million cruise as it docked into San Diego, California. However it was a case of mistaken identity and he was released but not after several hours. He was also deported back to France for working as a professional poker player using a tourist visa, which lead to a five-day stint in a California jail. After this it took him another year to acquire a three-year work visa and he moved to Las Vegas in 2005.
By 2006 Benyamine was known for his poker ability in Las Vegas after a string of successes. He made two WPT cashes and won the WPT Battle of Champions II. He also gained sponsorship from Mansion Poker and then Full Tilt Poker. He met his girlfriend that year as well, professional poker player Erica Shoenberg, to whom he is now engaged. In 2007 he achieved two more WSOP cashes and made one of the final tables. He also played on the NBC series Poker After Dark. In the 2008 WSOP he made it to the final table of $5,000 No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball event and came in 7th place. Unlucky in two more final tables, on his fourth he won his first WSOP bracelet.
Straight after this he went to the Bellagio where he played in a $1,500-$3,000 mixed game until morning. Also that year, Benyamine made it to the final table of the WPT Bellagio Cup and came close to winning his second WPT title. However he came second and took home $840,000, which has made his career tournament winnings total $3.1 million.
Benyamine has secured himself in the poker realm and is well respected by other players. Daniel Negreanu has said of him, “David is one of the toughest players I’ve ever faced off against. His shorthanded skills are as good as anybody’s in the world. When he’s hot he can absolutely dominate a game – even against the best players in the world.”
He now lives in Henderson, NV, with his fiancée and can be found playing at Full Tilt Poker.
Danielle Almond.
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