David Benyamine

The player

	I’ve played for two or three days with very little sleep… I’ll play until I really can’t take it anymore

Former budding tennis pro David Benyamine turned his hand to poker when an injury halted his sports career early. Well known as an aggressive player in the Gus Hansen and Sam Farha mould, the Frenchman has successfully transferred his competitive nature to the poker table by claiming a WPT title in 2004 and competing at a high level in the Big Game at the Bellagio, and the biggest online games on the web.

How do you make the most of premium hands in cash games?
Some players can win a lot when they get good cards. Other players just win when they get them. You should aim to maximise your wins and minimise your losses. I haven’t always been the best at minimising my losses but I’ve maximised my wins by getting more and more aggressive the more cards I get. And the more aggressive I get, the more hands I play, while feeling so strong and so powerful, which makes [opponents] feel weak. They’re not only worried that I’m on a card rush but when someone’s winning a lot of hands it’s hard to know what to do to stop them.

With no set end to a ring game, when should you call it a day?
When I was playing the Big Game what made me a big winner is not to ever end a session. I was never the one stopping a game. I played as much as I could for as long as I could. When I was running good I didn’t see a reason to stop. When other players are running not so good, which makes them play worse than usual, it’s a big waste of money for you to stop. I’ve played for two or three days with very little sleep and most of the time I’ll play for about 20 hours without sleep. I’ll play until I really can’t take it anymore.

For people who are used to playing tournaments with increasing blind levels, what styles of play suit cash games, where the antes stay the same?
There are different kinds of players. Some like to play really tight and some like to play many different hands, like myself when I get bored! If you’re playing a lot of hands but you’ve got a good read on people you can get away from the hands that you don’t want to be involved with. And it also means that you get paid off when you have a set and an opponent has top pair, because he knows that you’re giving a lot of action. It can put a lot more pressure on you to know when to move and when not to, but you’re putting yourself in a position to win big.

What’s the most important thing to do when you first sit down?
You need to totally observe what’s going on at and around the cash table. If a guy gets up to have a phone call and you can hear that he’s having a fight with his wife then you know that he’s going to be playing fast when he sits down. He could be ready to go all-in just for the action because he’s steaming inside. If you don’t pay attention to the fact that he’s stood just behind while he’s arguing with his girlfriend then you’re missing something important.

Knowing that people will be studying you intently, how can you throw people off the scent?
While you need to be able to read other people it’s also very good to be able to act as well, because you want someone to call you when you have a very strong hand and people to fold when you don’t. When you’re all-in and want a call you have to feel so insecure, like you’re shaking inside, that you look like you don’t want a call and vice versa – sometimes you must think and act like you have the nuts and show so much confidence that opponents can see on your face that you want them to call you.

How should you decide what limits to play?
I’m the worst at telling people what limits to play because I’ve always played higher than I should. I’ve never really had the bankroll to play the Big Game but I’ve always played it. When you think that you’re ready to play for more and believe in yourself then be smart by asking your friends. Make sure that you’re in the right frame of mind and then go for it. That’s how I’ve made so much money. How can you play a $4,000/$8,000 game otherwise? You’d need a bankroll of $20m!

What aspects of your opponents’ play should you study?
It’s always possible that someone has the nuts, so it’s essential to be able to read what’s going on at a poker table. There are many different factors that have to be weighed up at any one time. There are physical tells – knowing how a certain person plays, the way that they react to the cards they’re getting, the flops that they’re getting involved with and the fact that they’re winning or losing a lot. You can’t just go by one thing. You need to look at the elements and figure out what the person has and then whether you should call, fold or raise.

Why do you think it’s important to embrace all forms of poker?
Who’s going to be the best novelist? Will it be a thriller writer or a writer that has written different types of books? The best will be someone who is able to write a thriller that has many different things going for it. It’s the same with poker. If you mix games you’re going to play very different from the kind of poker that a normal person will play. You’re going to be creative, but you’ll find out how far to take it. If you’re good you’ll find out your limits. The more you know, the better the player you’ll be.

Tournament highlights

30/8/05 WPT – Battle of Champions II, Los Angeles No-limit Hold’em; 1st, $25,000
21/2/04 WPT – 2004 L.A. Poker Classic, Los Angeles $9,900 No-limit Hold’em; 6th, $132, 355
10/7/03 WPT – Grand Prix de Paris, Paris 10,000 No-Limit Hold’em; 1st, 357,200