David ‘Raptor’ Benefield was once known as Durrrr’s housemate, but he has emerged as one of the true stars of the future
Texas native David Benefield has achieved a lot in his 22 years. While in the past he may have been overshadowed by the achievements of his housemate Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, this year he has established himself as a real online poker icon. Although this is mostly due to his presence in the high- stakes cash games, it can also, in part, be attributed to his role as an instructor on CardRunners where he keeps a brutally honest blog.
Benefield’s online poker story is a familiar one. A bright student who loved online gaming, he started playing poker aged 16 after watching Rounders. He started playing low-stakes live cash games and as soon as he turned 18 he deposited $ 50 into PartyPoker and never really looked back.
Although he enrolled at Texas Christian University, he dropped out twice to play poker. Now he divides his time between his Las Vegas and Texas homes and is financially set for life. So how did Raptor get it all so quickly, and why is he still not happy?
How did you rise up the ranks of the online cash games?
I grinded sit&gos for two years starting on the $ 10 games using an awful ten buy-in rule to move up in stakes. Before long I was battling at the $ 215 level. Around that time a few of my friends started playing six-max no-limit hold’em (NLH), so I thought I’d try that too. I was a small winner at $ 2/$ 4 and $ 3/$ 6 for about 50,000 hands or so, then I started playing $ 10/$ 20 because it was quite soft. I would win $ 20k, but then lose $ 20k, win $ 30k, then lose $ 40k. It was back and forth and it made my head hurt, so I decided to grind $ 3/$ 6 tables for a while. Eventually I made it back into the bigger games and started playing $ 25/$ 50 tables. I ran really well for the first two months and didn’t look back.
What’s the story behind the handles you’ve played under?
Raptor has been my AOL Instant Messenger name since I was 10, so I just carried it over without much thought. I used Bebop86 on PokerStars because Raptor517 was taken and I was a fan of the anime series Cowboy Bebop when I was younger. Aeron came about when I created a new name on Full Tilt. I wanted to hide my identity, because I was struggling to get action on Stars. I was sitting on an Aeron chair at the time.
Like most of the NLH players, you play a lot of PLO as a second game. Do you see it as the game of the future?
In the last year about 75% of my online income has been made from PLO. There really aren’t that many high-stakes NLH games running any more. You will frequently see three to four $ 200/$ 400 PLO tables, but the biggest NLH game is $ 25/$ 50, and there are only one or two tables. There isn’t really much happening in between, so you either have to play nosebleeds or grind it out at $ 25/$ 50. It is really tough to break into the big games though, because the swings are monstrous.
What have you done with the money you’ve made from poker?
Poker has made me a multi-millionaire. I own three houses, which is pretty cool at 22, especially since I haven’t had any big tourney scores.
Who would you say are the top five online NLH cash players?
I am good friends with Phil Galfond (aka OMGClayAiken) and his game is super-sick. He is one of the best thinkers I know and he has a way of putting his thoughts into words that is unmatched by anyone I have ever met. Di and Hac Dang (aka Urindanger and Trex313) are also super-sick, and have been crushing the highest stakes no-limit hold’em games since the PartyPoker $ 10/$ 20 days. Obviously Tom Dwan is great; he just has a completely different style from anyone else. Cole South has a super- tough super-aggressive style that works very well, although I don’t have a lot of experience playing him. Jay ‘Krantz’ Rosenkrantz and some of his buddies are super-good. I also always seem to get owned by Chris ‘Genius28’ Lee – I have never played with someone who has left me confused as often as he does.
How do you rate tourney players and the variance/luck factor there, compared to cash games?
I think that the majority of people have no idea how much luck is involved in tournament poker – even the big-name tourney pros. With live poker in general, people are more results-oriented and sort of deluded about their personal skills, probably because they haven’t put in as many hands. Playing live, a sick heater of 10k–20k hands can last a full year, whereas online it could only be for a week or two. I can’t imagine playing poker tournaments for a living. A talented player can go on a dry spell without ever going deep in anything, and it’s just because of luck.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? Do you see yourself still playing poker?
Five years from now, if I am still playing poker full-time I will be very unhappy. It isn’t a very fulfilling occupation. You get very little out of it other than money and the satisfaction of beating someone. I want to do more active things, I want to get involved in real estate, I want to travel. Five years from now, hopefully, I will be on to bigger and better things.
You’re a pro at CardRunners – how do you think the site stands up as a learning resource?
I think CardRunners offers a service at an absolute steal. I highly doubt it is worth it, from a purely expected-value standpoint, for any of the pros to make videos. We give up a huge amount of valuable information that can help a beginner or intermediate player take the next step. I watch quite a few of the videos myself and find myself thinking ‘that’s a cool point’. Watching another great player play and explain their thoughts is simply the best way to improve your game.
How do you cope with the stress at nosebleed stakes and what tips do you have for players in coping with swings in general?
I am generally pretty bad at dealing with losses in poker. I am hyper-competitive, and like to win every single time I sit down to play. I actually just had one of the worst days of my life online today, losing $ 140k, but I am not fazed by it any more. I have the bankroll for the games, which helps immensely. Likewise, I am not really bothered too much by a downswing because I know that it’s just noise. I know that I am a winning player, I can easily see my edge on the other players, and I know that the results will come, no matter what happens in between.
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