There are a lot of poker players who used to play tennis…Gus Hansen, Vanessa Selbst, David Benyamine, Hasan Habib, and Patrick Antonius all quickly come to mind. I played through high school in Texas and even made it to the USTA's superchampionship division. I never really thought about it before, but there are some important skills I learned on the court that help me now at the table.
Pressure Individual sports are different psychologically than a team sport like basketball or football. There is no one else you can lean on. There also isn't a clock that you can run out to end the game. In tennis and in poker the game only ends when you win, lose, or decide to leave. It's all on you. If you lack the aggression or competitiveness to finish an opponent off, then you're not going to win. You also can't depend on a coach to tell you what to do during the game (unless you're Jamie Gold); instead, you just have to figure things on your own or suffer the consequences.
David Benyamine was born on July 5th, 1972 in Paris, France. Benyamine's fiercely competitive nature and unmatched stamina have propelled him to the top of many different games. He was a professional tennis player before he was forced to retire due to a back injury. David Benyamine is a French professional poker player and former professional tennis player. He was born on July 5th, 1972 in Paris, France. He is a WSOP gold bracelet winner. He won the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split event for $535,687 in 2008. David Benyamine is 46th on the list of biggest poker winners tracked by HighstakesDB. The data is based on 585500 hands played and his total cash game profits amount to $1,496,867. Another regular. David Benyamine was born in 1970s. The 1970s were a 'pivot of change', it was an era of economic struggle, cultural change, and technological innovation. The Seventies saw many women's rights, gay rights, and environmental movements. Discover what happened on this day. David Benyamine is part of the Baby boomers generation.
Strategy You must think several moves in advance in both sports. When I played tennis, I would say to myself, 'I'm going to serve the ball to the outside corner, hit the next shot cross-court, then back across to the other side again to wear her out. After that, since her backhand is weak, I'll make her hit four backhands in a row.' At one table, I might play really tight for the first thirty minutes, just to set up later bluffing opportunities, and in another tight game show a couple of loose calls to buy some future action. It's the same kind of thought process in both sports. They both also require analyzing and exploiting opponents' strengths and weaknesses. If you know a tennis opponent hits her lobs a little short, you have to be ready to pound every one of those, just like you would against a tournament poker player who doesn't defend blinds.
David Benyamine Tennis Club
Focus In tennis you are by yourself on the court, so if you lose focus, you can look up and be down four or five games, a margin that is difficult to overcome. It's just as easy to lose focus at the table—to start chatting too much with your neighbors, get a little sleepy, or watch tv while playing online—and be out of a tournament or down big money in a cash game. Those of us who've had years of practice keeping our focus are bound to be able to hold our attention, thoughts, and intensity for longer.
David Benyamine Tennis Player
A competitive and aggressive nature can only help at the table. In this way, I think poker players who are or have been athletes gain an advantage. Chess, backgammon, or gin players might very well also have a strategic advantage. But it seems like tennis and other individual sports may uniquely prepare poker players in both areas.