Freddy Deeb - Poker Player
Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1955, Kaseem Freddy Deeb learned to play poker like many other professionals did, with his parents at the kitchen table. Although Freddy has fond memories of his childhood in Lebanon, he left for the United States to search for a higher education.
Enrolled in Utah State University, Deeb began studying mechanical engineering. While tensions were growing back home, Freddy was honing his poker game with college friends. When civil war broke out in Lebanon, it became nearly impossible for Deeb to communicate with his family, let alone receive the funding for his education that he had counted on to stay enrolled.
Although he was only a few credits short of a degree, Freddy was forced to postpone his attendance at USU to find work. Since the student visa he had didnt allow him to work in America, he had to find other means of income. Relying on his poker skills, Freddy left for Reno, Nevada to put them to the test in the casinos. Using his ability to read people, combined with raw aggression, he soon found himself traveling all over the country to play the game that would soon make him famous.
In just his 2 tournament cash ever, Deeb finished in 2nd place at the $2,500 buy-in No Limit Hold em event at the World Series of Poker, winning $130,000. After besting all but one player at a final table including pros like Phil Hellmuth and David Sklansky, Freddy took a liking to tournament play and hasnt looked back since. Six years later, he won his first W.S.O.P. bracelet in the $5,000 buy-in Deuce to Seven draw event, taking home $146,000.
Freddys real fame came during the 2003 W.S.O.P. Main Event after he took a pot off Phil Ivey and began celebrating. When Ivey got a little annoyed, he made a comment to Deeb about his shirt being lucky, saying, Must be the shirt. Since then, the red and white Hawaiian shirt he had on that day has become a staple for Freddy in many of the tournaments he plays in.
The biggest win of Deebs career came in 2007 when he took down his second W.S.O.P. gold bracelet and the $2,276,832 first prize in the second annual $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event. With the H.O.R.S.E. event being one of the most glamorous events in all of poker, the one many pros call the new Main Event, Freddy solidified himself as one of the top players in the game.
|
Linear Mode
