You have certainly seen Eyal Benshimon's curious hats around the world. But the Israeli player has won over 600 thousand dollars in career, two ring wsop cricuit and was runner up at the main event Wsop Europe. Let's get to know him better. He was one of the protagonists of Ips Rozvadov at the end of may, and assured us that he will come to the next stop of EuroRounders tournaments.
What is the meaning of the stuffed animal you often wear on your head? Lucky charm?: “The hats are to bring fun to the table. When people see me with a custom they are much more open and friendly and it is kind of an ice breaker. Plus it is also kind of branding to me, so people will recognize me, which i hope eventually will be translate to sponsorship by one of the big online operators”.
Tell us about yourself: age, city, your life, because you started playing poker: “I’m 35 years old, originally from Israel. I moved to Vienna 1.5 years ago, ad in Israel i had to pay 35% tax on my poker profits which is crazy. I started to play poker 12 years ago with friends but only in the last 4 years I decided to study it and take it a bit more seriously”.
Are you a professional poker player?: “I consider myself as semi pro as I have another job which is to produce poker events for the Israeli players - Kenta Poker Group - we are only half a year at the market and already get so many good reviews from out players which is crazy. Every event we are producing we bring between 100-400 playes from Israel! Other then the fact that I love to organize these events it also helps me to balance my income when things are not going good at the poker table”.
You played Rozvadov Italian Poker Sport: what's your opinion about the tournament and the Italian players? “I think that the IPS is one of the best tournaments in Europe - mostly because of the deep structure and the high gtd. The Italians are really fun players to play with, they are full of passion to the game, they tilt pretty easy and they always smile”.
From 15 to 30 July the Euro Poker Million will be played at the Perla Resort in Nova Gorica for 1 million euros. Will you be there? “Unfortunately I will not come to Nova gorica as im in vegas but for the next event i will probably be there. Its one of my favorite stops as the location is beautiful and the food is great”.
What is your schedule for the coming months? WSOP? “I’m gonna start playing the Wsop in 2 days - first event monster stack. After that all bracelets events under 1.5k and the main event (which i’m going to make final table )”.
Do you often play at the King's Resort? What is your opinion about this location? “Kings casino is my home casino, where i feel most comfortable. The stuff who operate the place and the dealers are the best in the world in my opinion (especially when the Italian dealers are joining). The place ofer good facilities and great tournaments structures and high gtd. For me its las vegas of Europe”.
Do you play online games? “I never played online but i will start after Vegas!”.