888poker’s new 888Ride podcast invites our fourth guest, poker player extraordinaire Ben Lamb, to take a ride with us.
The 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year hops into the 888Ride and reveals how he keeps a low profile as one of the world's best-known pros.
Ben is at the top of the poker echelon when it comes to professional players, with two WSOP bracelets to his name and two Main Event final tables.
In this 888Ride episode, he shares the inside scoop on an exciting new project that combines his love of gambling and golf.
Check out the full-length Ben Lamb podcast HERE.
Just Who Is Ben Lamb?
Ben Lamb might be the most successful least known professional poker player in recent years.
That's a tricky question. You're going to turn around back here, by the way. But those in the know are well aware of the fact that Ben is a force to be reckoned with at the poker tables.
He got his humble start in poker in Tulsa, Oklahoma, eventually going to school in San Antonio, Texas, where he really got into poker and decided to make it his profession.
His family was initially sceptical, but when he sold his books and turned the proceeds into $8,500, they started to come around.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses as Ben took a job as a dealer to cushion the many downswings on his way to the top.
Playing online poker and scraping by in the casinos for a living was tough…
“I was low on funds, and I got a job dealing at the casino where I would deal for a little bit, then go play at the other casino and did that off and on for six months and quit a little before I turned 21. Rented up on online poker, more or less, so.”
“Well, when you put a hundred bucks in, you run up to $5,000, then bust it. Like I had a job, so I had income. So, it's not like if I busted my Full Tilt account like I was out of money, I would just go work and make a hundred bucks the next day and try again.”
From Nowhere to 2011 WSOP Player of the Year
Leading up and into 2011, Ben's poker career took off and solidified his standing as a professional player.
In the summer of 2011, nobody knew who he was.
Even though he didn't play many tournaments in that summer's WSOP, the results spoke for themselves.
His third-place finish in the 2011 Main Event was impressive, as was his ninth-place in 2017. But his 14th place in 2009 cemented his name in the poker pantheon of revered players for many.
Even though he played just ten tournaments, he played poker daily that year. He busted the first five of the ten he played and cashed the next five.
In general, Ben was playing 300 days out of the year, and he focused mainly on cash games.
“I always thought [of] tournaments as a way to basically hit like a jackpot so you can play higher stakes cash. You can skip some levels if you're trying to use bankroll management or whatever, but... And now, I play a lot less poker than I did back then.”
Chance Meeting with Chance Kornuth
Chance and Ben have been good friends since their early Las Vegas days. Their paths crossed during a tournament in the now-defunct Fontana Lounge at the Bellagio.
They were playing a No-Limit Hold’em event and got down to around 30 or 40 players. Ben’s image was terrible - playing aggressively, raising and betting way too much.
He had practised a move at home where he could accidentally slip his cards over while folding a decent hand. He got dealt Ace-Jack UTG and decided that this was the perfect opportunity.
He played it off, and no one at the table caught on – except Chance, who asked, "Hey, did you do that on purpose?"
From that point on, they became fast friends.
Super High-Stakes Golf Meets High-Stakes Poker
On the horizon for Ben is the idea of high-stakes golf tournaments. As a golf lover when he was a boy, combining the high-stakes of gambling at the poker table with the golf circuit is a perfect match.
“In poker, you might play great and lose, and you might play like shit, and win. [But in] golf if you don't win that day and the game's fair.”
Basically, he wants to translate high-stakes poker to the golf course – and create some super high-quality content.
He is working with production companies and sponsors to bring this concept to life.
Will he succeed?
If it’s anything like his hole-in-one record, he could be onto something.
Having hit two in his golfing life so far and winning around $134K betting with his friends on the second one, we know who we’d gladly put money on!
