David Benyamine
aka Napoleon, Degenyamine
hometownParis, France
birth date05 July 1972
Poker Facts
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Poker Facts WSOP Bracelets
1
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WSOP Money Finishes
10
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Highest ITM Main Event Finish
58thin 2010
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WPT Titles
1
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WPT Final Tables
4
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WPT Money Finishes
11
David Benyamine was unfortunate enough to have the same or a similar name to someone on the USA's terrorist "watch list", but was only deported from the States for not having a work permit.
Before his poker career, David Benyamine was a professional tennis player, but was forced to retire due to shoulder pain. Benyamine was by no means a late starter in poker though, learning the game at the age of 12 and playing regularly in high-stakes cash games. He has reportedly never read a single book on poker, meaning he is thought of as a naturally gifted player, learning solely from real experience.
Hailing from Paris, France - where he was also a successful, top-ten ranking Billiards player - Benyamine now lives in Henderson, Nevada. He is married to fellow professional poker player Erica Schoenberg, with whom he has a child.
Benyamine won the Grand Prix Paris, banking an impressive €357, 800. This significant success is cited as the big push in his career, and he has since gone on to make over $3 million from poker alone.