Capture the Flag

David Benyamine first ventured from Paris to Las Vegas with a bankroll of only $4,000 for cash games, and within a few short weeks he had multiplied his money almost tenfold. His tendency to take risks and play the biggest games he can find has quickly become common knowledge throughout the relatively close-knit high-stakes poker community, and he is regarded as a formidable opponent. His aggressive playing style has enabled him to win millions of dollars since his arrival on the scene.

Lizzy Harrison: What factors make for a good cash game?

David Benyamine: If I am going to leave the comfort of my home to go play in a casino, it needs to be a good game. That means there are players who are not playing too well or are tired because they have played too long. You also have to look for the weaknesses that your opponents have, so that you know where you can best use your strengths.

LH: What about online?

DB: If you want to play online, I think that your game selection can be a little bit different. Since you are at home, you don't have to drive anywhere and feel as if you are really going to work. It is a way to mix business and pleasure because you have your friends and your family with you; and in my case, my dogs are with me -- and my family, too [laughing]. Then, you do not have to expect that much; you can play in a game that is not as good as a game you would play live. Another difference is that online, you can play more than one game at once until you find one really good game. Very often, you can start a game but then have to wait for it to get good. The players you want in the game are not always there. You want to be in the game when they show up.

LH: What is your preferred game, and why?

DB: People think it's pot-limit Omaha, because I have had good results in that game in the past year. I am really not sure, though. It is hard not to be results-oriented. When you haven't had very good results in a game, it is difficult to say that it's your best game, but it could be, and you just could have been unlucky. You can't control when you get lucky. I have had a good run while playing pot-limit Omaha and a bad run while playing Omaha eight-or-better, so people think I am better at pot-limit Omaha.

LH: What about your least-favorite game?

DB: I don't dislike any game. If I know how to play it, I will play it.

LH: When you first started playing cash games, what games and stakes did you play?

DB: I first started to play cash games in France when I was 26 years old; now I am 37. Before I played poker, I played rummy; that is how I gambled. I consistently did very well playing rummy. A friend from the rummy club asked me if I wanted to try playing poker, but I had no idea how to play. I mean, I knew how to play five-card draw poker, but I did not know how to play open-card poker [hold'em, Omaha, stud], which are the games that people play the most. My friend took me to a poker room, and I never looked back.

LH: How long did it take you to refine your game and win consistently, or did you win immediately?

DB: It was fast. I did not win from the very first day, but within the first couple of months, I was winning. Since then, I have always been a winning player.

LH: Which of your skills do you think has proven to be the most profitable?

DB: I am capable of reading people very well; that is my biggest strength. I can tell what kind of cards they have by what they are doing. Often, I know exactly what they have.

LH: Is it possible to read your opponents when you are playing online?

DB: Of course. Over time, you can recognize your opponents, and then you can begin to figure out what they have. You can figure out who plays tight and who doesn't. Once you get used to your opponents, you can read them. It is not the same as live, of course, because you can't see their facial expressions or things like that. But there are plenty of other things that you can see online.

LH: What are the biggest differences between online cash games and live cash games?

DB: The biggest difference is the fact that you can play multiple games online, and you can't do that live. That can hurt players who begin online and then play live, because they don't have enough patience. When you play live, you get to play a hand every minute and a half, or even longer sometimes. If you figure that you can see three or four times as many hands online as you can live, it makes a big difference. If you play three or four tables online, which is becoming common, you can see many more hands. A lot of people can't ever adjust to playing live after playing online, because they get too bored and need more action.

LH: What can help players stay more focused when they play live?

DB: Players should bring their iPods, and they should have the mentality that they are at work. Playing live is much more work than playing online. If you play online, you are at home in your own environment, which can be better than playing in a casino.

LH: How should a player determine when he is ready to move up in stakes in live cash games?

DB: It is tricky, because it can be scary to risk losing the money that you have made. I understand those fears, but sometimes you have to recognize when the games you are playing at a certain level are just not as good as the games at a higher level. You don't need to move up in stakes unless you are really one of the best, and then you should want to play for more money. Other than that, though, you should be looking for better games. If you find a good game that is higher than what you play, but you can afford it because it is not that much higher, you should try it. That is the way that you can slowly move up in limits, because if you do everything right, you should be able to play higher in better live games.

LH: What skills are more important in cash games than they are in tournaments?

DB: When you play cash games, you need to have a different frame of mind than you would have in a tournament. In cash games, you do not need as much patience. What you do need in cash games is to get rid of any fear that you may have. In tournaments, you buy in for a certain amount, and that is all that you can lose. But in cash games, you can rebuy and rebuy and rebuy. People can ruin their financial lives by continuing to rebuy in cash games that they can't beat. I have seen that many times. Even I lost my bankroll, a long time ago, then built it back up and then lost it again. Then I rebuilt it again. That has happened to a lot of players. You have to make sure that you can handle the pressure of playing for money that comes out of your pocket, and you must be able to control it.

LH: How should a player who has gone broke attempt to rebuild his bankroll?

DB: These players better have friends. If they are completely broke, they are going to need backers. That is what usually happens to players who are good but have bad money-management skills. Their friends will support them, believe in them, and even make money with them by staking them in good games.

LH: What characteristics do great cash-game players share?

DB: Great cash-game players know when to play good games and when to leave bad games.

LH: Which cash-game players do you think are the most talented, and why?

DB: That is hard to say, because there are many. In live games, the players I really respect are Phil Ivey, David Oppenheim, and Johnny Hennigan. They are also great players online.

LH: Any lesser-known online pros?

DB: There is a player with the name "ICallSoWhat" online; I don't know his real name. I think that he is one of the best pot-limit Omaha players. Another of the best pot-limit Omaha players online is Markus Golser.