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Ben Deyo, aka Ben
Ben won the first ITH Forum tournament on February 8th

Name Ben Deyo

Age 29

Where are you from?
La Crosse, WI USA

Are you married? Children?
I've been happily married for 8 1/2 years. I have fraternal twin boys, Kyle and Corey, who are 14 months old.

What do you do for a living?
I work as a programmer analyst for a local hospital doing computer work.

How long have you been playing Internet poker?
I've been playing internet poker since September of 2003. I guess that's about 6 months now. I had nevered played any type of poker prior to that except for maybe once or twice back in high school. I became interested in poker after watching the World Series of Poker on TV. I've also enjoyed watching the World Poker Tour as well.

What limits do you play?
I've played mostly .25/.50 and .5/1 fixed limit ring games up to this point. I've also played NL Sit n Gos at the $5, $10, $20, and $30 buyins. Just this week I've started playing the 1/2 fixed limit ring games with some success.

What is your favorite site and why?
I have two favorite sites. Pokerstars is one of my favorites because of their software and user interface. Pokerstars was the first site I started playing at and I still enjoy playing there. I've spent most of my time there at at .25/.5 fixed limit ring games and the $10, $20, and $30 Sit n Gos. Empire Poker is my other favorite site because the games are easier. I've played the .5/1 and 1/2 fixed limit ring games there as well as the $10 buyin Sit n Gos. I've played at Party Poker as well since it is basically identical to Empire, but I busted out there. I will probably play there again when I can get a good deposit bonus.

What has been your biggest poker thrill or achievement up to now?
My biggest achievement and thrill was winning the inaugural InternetTexasHoldem.com tournament at Pokerstars. I honestly didn't expect to even make the final table. I knew the competition would be fierce, and it lived up to every expectation. I think I played a solid game and the cards were there when I really needed them. Playing in the tournament was the most fun I've had so far playing poker as well as a great learning experience.

What area of your game are you currently focusing on?
Right now I'm focusing on learning when to keep playing a mediocre hand and when to throw away a very good hand. I think a lot of that has to do with reading other players and figuring out what they have. It all seems to tie together. I know this will become more and more important as I move up in limits. At .5/1, I just played technically sound poker and did ok. Now that I'm starting to play 1/2, I'm learning that it's becoming more important to know when I can win with mediocre hands. For example, I would almost always fold second pair at .5/1 because there were usually 5 or 6 players in the hand. But at 1/2 with only 1 to 2 other people in the hand, it's possible to win with middle pair or worse, and even without getting to a showdown. I heard a good saying watching the World Poker Tour recently. The monster hands and the junk hands are easy to play. It's everything in between that makes or breaks a poker player.

If you could go back in time and start all over again on the Internet, what would you do differently?
I don't think there is anything I would do differently. I started out with $50 and knowing nothing about poker except what I had watched on TV. I quickly fell down to $15 and started looking for reading material on the internet. I bought a couple books and started spending a lot of time on this website. The knowledge I've gained from Matthew's book and the entire community here has been extremely valuable. I haven't had to invest any other money up to this point. The first few months were a struggle with a lot of ups and downs, but I'm finally starting to see a steady upward progression with my bankroll. I've been very happy with the way I've managed my bankroll and playing up to this point.

What’s your favorite poker saying or phrase?
I guess I don't have one yet. One of the most memorable posts I've read here, though, is the Super Duper Poker Player methodology by Denise. It came at just the right time when I was struggling against all the Super Duper players. It made me laugh for quite awhile.

Who is your favorite poker player (if you have one)?
I'm not sure that I have one. If I had to choose, it would probably be Phil Ivey. The player I remember most from TV is Chris Moneymaker. Watching him win the World Series of Poker was amazing.

What are your other interests outside of poker?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and boys, watching movies, playing computer games, and golfing. I play Nascar racing on the internet and compete in a couple on-line racing leagues. My biggest problem is finding the time to do all of these things.

Feel free to add anything else you would like to say.
I'd like to thank Matthew for his time and effort in setting up such a great community for internet poker players. I am constantly learning and improving my playing just by visiting this site and participating in the forums. I'd also like to thank all of the other members of this site for all the insight and knowledge you've shared. I wish everyone the best of luck and skill at the tables!Look Ben up in the Poker Forum!