WSOP November Nine Profiles, Part Two
In yesterday’s article we looked at the three biggest stacks among this year’s World Series of Poker “November Nine.” Today we profile Phil Collins, Ben Lamb and Badih Bounahra, who lie in 4th, 5th and 6th places respectively.
Poker professional Phil Collins (23,875,000 chips) lies in fourth position; originally from Rockford, Illinois he has now moved to Las Vegas. The twenty-seven year-old is no stranger to the World Series of Poker, having enjoyed eight previous cashes, the best of which was a 10th place finish in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em event in 2008. His total wins in live poker prior to this year’s Main Event only totalled around $80,000, but he has built a formidable reputation in online play. Playing under the alias of “USCphildo” – a nod to the University of South Carolina, from which he graduated in 2006 and where he met his wife Katie – he has earned more than $3.3 million in online play, including several big wins on Full Tilt and PokerStars. He became a full-time professional immediately after leaving university.
Sporting Bet has Collins at 5/1 and Sky Bet at 11/2, but he is slightly better value at Bodog where he is 13/2.
Ben Lamb (20,875,000) will need no introduction to anyone who has been following the WSOP in 2011. The twenty-six year old has had a series that has been nothing short of spectacular, having already picked up a winner’s bracelet, his first ever, when he won the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha event, winning more than $800,000. He also made the final table of the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship, finishing 8th and picking up just over $200,000. If that wasn’t enough, he narrowly missed a second WSOP bracelet when he finished runner up in the $3,000 PLO event, which netted him more than a quarter of a million. He got down to the last two tables in the $10,000 Six-Handed NL Hold’em event as well, eventually finishing twelfth. His winnings for the WSOP so far in 2011 (including the minimum he will earn from the Main Event) already top $2.1 million. He has rocketed to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard, with just the WSOP Europe events to come. And he has become the first player to win more than $1 million in WSOP Omaha events. Prior to this year’s Main Event his live winnings already topped the $2.5 million mark.
This isn’t the first time he has enjoyed success at the WSOP, having had eight cashes prior to his successes this year, including a deep run in the 2009 Main Event, where he eventually finished 14th and earned himself $633,022. Outside the WSOP he has plenty of final table appearances, if relatively few outright wins, at other poker tournaments in the USA. He also plays online, usually under the moniker of “Benba” where he has earned more than $1.1 million.
Lamb now lives in Las Vegas, where he is a full-time professional, though he hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Widely regarded as the most accomplished player left in the field, he has been very active throughout the tournament. Reflecting this Sky Bet has him at 5/1 to be crowned champion in November, he is 11/2 at Sporting Bet while he is available at Bodog at 7/1.
Badih Bounahra (19,700,000) is originally from Lebanon and, after a period residing in Fort Lauderdale, now calls Belize City his home. Known as “Bob” he is the only player left in the tournament who isn’t a professional player. Married with three children he runs the private poker room at the Princess Casino in his home city, as well as having a grocery and wholesale business. He is married and has three children. At 49, he is easily the oldest player left in the tournament, and the only one apart from Martin Staszko not in his twenties.
Relatively little is known about his play, he has one previous WSOP cash to his name, a 51st place netting him $7,582 in the 2008 $2,000 NL Hold’em event. He has amassed more than $100,000 in live tournament wins, the best of which was a win in a tournament in Costa Rica on the Latin American Poker Tour in 2008 which netted him just over $30,000. Some reports suggest he plays online under the alias “LEB_BEL”, others that he does not play online poker.
With little known of his play the bookmakers have found it difficult to judge him; Bodog has him at 9/1 while Sky Bet has him as the outsider at 12/1. The best odds can be found at Sporting Bet where he is currently 14/1.
Tomorrow we will profile the three shortest-stacked players who have qualified for the final table.
(All odds correct at the time of writing, as ever, prices may vary and those interested in backing a player should check the market for the best price before placing a bet.)
Short URL: http://www.eatmystack.co.uk/?p=921
Posted by admin
on Jul 23 2011. Filed under Latest News.
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