Capture the Flag -- David Benefield

David Benefield is a 22-year-old from Forth Worth, Texas, who is widely known to the online-poker community as "Raptor." Having moved up the ranks with close friend and roommate Tom "durrr" Dwan, Benefield is considered one of the most feared cash-game players around.

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

David Benefield: When I started playing cash games, I already had been playing sit-and-gos for about a year and a half, so I had a decent amount of money. I started playing $3-$6 and $5-$10 no-limit [hold'em]. I just worked my way up from there. I didn't really play that much $5-$10, and just jumped to $10-$20. On PartyPoker, that was the highest stakes offered at the time. It was made up of the best online players and the big fish who had a lot of money.

KA: How were the games different just a few years ago?

DB: At that time, games were ridiculously soft. I just played very, very tight, and over time, I figured out where I could open up my game. I figured out where I could put more money in the pot and steal it later. At first, I would just grind out a small win until I got more experienced and figured out ways to expand on that.

KA: What is your preferred cash game to play?

DB: My main game, or the game I'm best at, is heads-up no-limit [hold'em]. I haven't been able to play that recently, though. It's tough to get any action. The key to winning cash games is game selection, and if there are no games, you can't make any money.

KA: If you can't get any action in your best game, what have you been playing?

DB: I've been spending most of my time playing PLO [pot-limit Omaha], because that is where the high-stakes cash games have been online. There are very rarely any high-stakes no-limit games running these days.

KA: Do you see PLO becoming more dominant than no-limit hold'em?

DB: As far as cash games in the online world go, it already has. More people are willing to try it. It is a more "gambly" game, so it appeals to the degenerate mindset that a lot of high-stakes guys have. It's getting bigger, for sure. As far as tournaments go, I just don't think that would happen.

KA: What stakes do you play on a day-to-day basis?

DB: It really depends. In any given week, I could play $25-$50 no-limit [hold'em] or $500-$1,000; it really just depends on where the best games are and who's playing at the time.

KA: What is the highest you've ever played?

DB: Online, $500-$1,000. Live, I've played $500-$1,000 in Bobby's Room a few times, when it's been straddled. It was $500-$1,000, with a $2,000 and $4,000 straddle. That was pretty ridiculous, and I wasn't playing super deep. That is the biggest I've played, and I doubt I will play bigger than that.

KA: Would you rather play online or live high-stakes cash games?

DB: The live games are generally a lot softer for the stakes, but it's just so slow. You see 20 hands an hour and you have to deal with the drama of the people and everyone's ego. It's tough for me to sit there and play only one hand every few minutes. It's good to mix it up, though. I enjoy playing live, but I prefer online.

KA: How should a player determine when he or she is ready to try a bigger game or move up in stakes?

DB: I think the biggest thing is finding good games. A lot of people put a whole lot of emphasis on, "Oh, you need 50 buy-ins to play this limit, or you need 100 buy-ins to move up," that kind of thing, and I don't necessarily agree with that. I think that if there's a really good game, like a super fish is giving away a ton of money, there's no reason whatsoever not to take a shot. I think that's kind of the mindset that it takes. A lot of these guys who are playing the high stakes now are the people who were a little more "gambly" with their bankroll and took those shots. You definitely have to get lucky to move up quickly, but if the games you play are good, your EV [expected value] is going to be better in the long term if you do take those shots. The best thing to do is not be scared. If you see a good game, take a shot. Maybe sell off a piece to your friend to make it smaller, so that you are more comfortable with it, but don't be afraid to sit in good games.

KA: What is the biggest mistake that inexperienced cash-game players make?

DB: Calling reraises out of position. You should just about never do it. That was definitely my biggest leak while coming up. Position is by far the most important aspect of poker, and people who aren't as experienced or think they are good definitely undervalue it.

KA: As a cash-game player, you are now getting into playing more live tournaments, but what advice would you give to a successful tournament player who wants to get into the cash-game arena?

DB: Play tighter. I think a lot of the best tournament players get into trouble in cash games when trying to make too many plays that they usually make against weaker opponents in tournaments who are scared to lose their stack. The tournament mindset is that once you lose your stack, you're done, so good tournament players take advantage of that by being much more aggressive and pressuring people to fold their hands. In cash games, that doesn't work as well, because people can just reload their stack. One of the things I see online is that when tournament players sit in a cash game, the cash-game players get excited because they expect that the tournament players are just going to monkey around, play too many hands, lose, and quit. So, honestly, the best thing to do is just tighten up, try to pick your spots better, and play out of position less.

KA: What is a common characteristic of high-stakes cash-game players?

DB: I think they are all kind of sick in the head [laughing]. Mostly, you have to not care about money. The high-stakes games are just so big now. It's so easy to lose a few hundred thousand dollars in a session, and you just have to be able to shrug that off. You can't let that affect your life. It is really easy to get into a situation where you lose a ton of money and just go crazy. It's like something happens in your head and you keep giving money away because your game suffers, the way you think about the game changes, and you just can't win anymore. You have to be able to prevent yourself from doing that. The best high-stakes cash-game players have the best mindset about the game. They can handle the losses and the swings, and not let it affect their play.

KA: Since downswings are part of poker, how do you get through the lows?

DB: I hate losing, even if I'm playing Monopoly with my friends, but when playing poker, you are going to lose. No matter what, you are not going to win every time you play. It just doesn't happen. The best players in the world go on sick downswings. I still have trouble with it, and I think everyone does. Sometimes it's like, "Oh, man, I just lost a really cool car." That kind of sucks, but you just have to realize that it's going to happen. Everyone is different, but I started doing yoga, which really helps. It's good for peace of mind. As you move up in stakes, you build more tolerance, and over time, you just get better at dealing with it.

KA: Which cash-game players do you respect the most?

DB: Phil Galfond. He's super smart, and thinks about the game better than anyone I've ever met. He's just an all-around great player. I have enormous respect for his game, and he is one of my best friends. Di and Hac Dang are super sick. They are always playing the
highest-stakes online games. They've been winning forever. Their work ethic is pretty incredible. They are just super solid players who don't make mistakes. They just play well all the time and put in lots of hours. I should probably say Tom Dwan [laughing]. He's just so unique, and he plays different than anyone else. When he is playing well and running well, he is absolutely the scariest person at the table, bar none.