News
BEN LAMB SLAUGHTERS THE WOLVES
Jun 27 2011 07:35 PM EST
There’s a new leader atop the “Player of the Year” standings.
Ben Lamb, who won the most recent tournament at the 2011 World Series of Poker, rocketed into first place. Through 42 completed events, he stands alone atop the vast mountain of more than 50,000 poker players who have made their way to the Rio Las Vegas thus far, from all over the world.
Lamb may not be a well-known name or face, even to those who follow poker closely. But his recent record in big-time WSOP events is stellar. Consider the fact that he finished 14th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event Championship. Then, he took fifth place in another tournament held last year.
Then, there’s a certain poker game called “Pot-Limit Omaha.”
Lamb played in the $3,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event, held earlier this year. He not only made it into the money. He not only made it to the final table. He ended up finishing in second place. When the $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship rolled around four days ago, there was only one possible – make that nearly impossible and highly-improbable – outcome that could have topped his previous accomplishment.
Well, Lamb did it.
Lamb defeated 360 of the world’s best Pot-Limit Omaha players en route to a stunning victory and a grand whirlwind of emotional satisfaction that most certainly will go down as one of this year’s most memorable WSOP highlights.
Lamb won the championship, plus a staggering payout totaling $814,436 in prize money. He was also presented with his first WSOP gold bracelet. No doubt, the victory meant a great deal to Lamb, who has experienced more than his share of high-stakes success mixed with disappointment as a tournament player. Many of Lamb’s friends, some of them former gold bracelet winners themselves, cheered his victory from the rail. Lamb had been teased a fair amount by his friends for not having won his own gold bracelet, despite more than a million dollars in WSOP earnings. Now, Lamb gets the last laugh.
“Some of my friends would tell me that I’m a great player,” Lamb joked afterward. “But then, they would point to their own wrist and say, ‘Oh wait – I’ve won my gold bracelet. Where’s yours?”
Now, Lamb has the ultimate comeback line.
“After winning this, now I can say back to them – I’ve got a $10,000 buy-in World Championship gold bracelet. Where’s yours?”
Lamb is a 26-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV. He is originally from Tulsa, OK. Lamb has been playing poker professionally for about five years. He’s known in poker's inner circles as a top Pot-Limit Omaha cash-game player – both live and online. He had not played many tournaments up to this point, but now has as impressive a record in WSOP Pot-Limit play as anyone in the game.
Which brings the old adage to mind about the lamb lying amongst the wolves. When it comes to Pot-Limit Omaha, it was the wolves that got slaughtered today. The Lamb had a feast.
Ben Lamb, who won the most recent tournament at the 2011 World Series of Poker, rocketed into first place. Through 42 completed events, he stands alone atop the vast mountain of more than 50,000 poker players who have made their way to the Rio Las Vegas thus far, from all over the world.
Lamb may not be a well-known name or face, even to those who follow poker closely. But his recent record in big-time WSOP events is stellar. Consider the fact that he finished 14th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event Championship. Then, he took fifth place in another tournament held last year.
Then, there’s a certain poker game called “Pot-Limit Omaha.”
Lamb played in the $3,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event, held earlier this year. He not only made it into the money. He not only made it to the final table. He ended up finishing in second place. When the $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship rolled around four days ago, there was only one possible – make that nearly impossible and highly-improbable – outcome that could have topped his previous accomplishment.
Well, Lamb did it.
Lamb defeated 360 of the world’s best Pot-Limit Omaha players en route to a stunning victory and a grand whirlwind of emotional satisfaction that most certainly will go down as one of this year’s most memorable WSOP highlights.
Lamb won the championship, plus a staggering payout totaling $814,436 in prize money. He was also presented with his first WSOP gold bracelet. No doubt, the victory meant a great deal to Lamb, who has experienced more than his share of high-stakes success mixed with disappointment as a tournament player. Many of Lamb’s friends, some of them former gold bracelet winners themselves, cheered his victory from the rail. Lamb had been teased a fair amount by his friends for not having won his own gold bracelet, despite more than a million dollars in WSOP earnings. Now, Lamb gets the last laugh.
“Some of my friends would tell me that I’m a great player,” Lamb joked afterward. “But then, they would point to their own wrist and say, ‘Oh wait – I’ve won my gold bracelet. Where’s yours?”
Now, Lamb has the ultimate comeback line.
“After winning this, now I can say back to them – I’ve got a $10,000 buy-in World Championship gold bracelet. Where’s yours?”
Lamb is a 26-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV. He is originally from Tulsa, OK. Lamb has been playing poker professionally for about five years. He’s known in poker's inner circles as a top Pot-Limit Omaha cash-game player – both live and online. He had not played many tournaments up to this point, but now has as impressive a record in WSOP Pot-Limit play as anyone in the game.
Which brings the old adage to mind about the lamb lying amongst the wolves. When it comes to Pot-Limit Omaha, it was the wolves that got slaughtered today. The Lamb had a feast.
