Ben Roberts
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Roberts (born Mehdi Javdani on 3 November 1956 in Iran
) is a British
professional poker
player based in London
.
In 1998
he almost made the final table of the World Series of Poker
Main Event. He finished sixth and received $150,000, but as he and Jan Lundberg were both eliminated in the same hand, the final table that year consisted of just 5 players. In his final hand, his pocket Aces lost to Scotty Nguyen
's Ace-Queen of Diamonds when Nguyen hit a flush.
In 2002 he made an appearance on Late Night Poker
. He finished 3rd in his heat, ahead of such players as Ross Boatman
, Daniel Negreanu
and Malcolm Harwood
.
In 2004 he made his first final table of the World Poker Tour
(WPT), where he finished 5th in the third season
Grand Prix de Paris event won by Surinder Sunar
. Roberts won €101,980 at the event.
In 2005 he made the final table of the VC Cup
and competed in the World Speed Poker Open
. In the same year he also became the 5th entrant in the European Poker Players Hall of Fame.
His total live tournament winnings exceed $1.2 million.
Champion in 1978 and the English Pool
Champion in 1979.
Roberts legally changed his name when he got married in the late 1970s. He went on to have 3 children. Their names are Jamie Roberts, Rebecca Roberts and Sebastian Roberts. He is also fond of jazz music.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professional poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Poker career
Roberts began playing poker in the mid 1970s, and claims to have won every year.In 1998
1998 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
he almost made the final table of the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
Main Event. He finished sixth and received $150,000, but as he and Jan Lundberg were both eliminated in the same hand, the final table that year consisted of just 5 players. In his final hand, his pocket Aces lost to Scotty Nguyen
Scotty Nguyen
Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...
's Ace-Queen of Diamonds when Nguyen hit a flush.
In 2002 he made an appearance on Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
. He finished 3rd in his heat, ahead of such players as Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman
Ross Boatman is an English RADA-trained actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob.-Acting:...
, Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
and Malcolm Harwood
Malcolm Harwood
Malcolm Harwood is an English professional poker player who learnt how to play whilst doing his National Service. He later appeared in Channel 4's Late Night Poker, where he reached the Grand Final in seasons 1, 2 and 5...
.
In 2004 he made his first final table of the World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT), where he finished 5th in the third season
World Poker Tour season 3 results
- Grand Prix de Paris:* Casino: Aviation Club de France, Paris * Buy-in: €10,000* 5-Day Event: July 17, 2004 to July 21, 2004* Number of Entries: 205* Total Prize Pool: €1,957,750* Number of Payouts: 27...
Grand Prix de Paris event won by Surinder Sunar
Surinder Sunar
Surinder Sunar is a British professional poker player based in Wolverhampton, who gained fame as a three-time finalist in the Late Night Poker television series....
. Roberts won €101,980 at the event.
In 2005 he made the final table of the VC Cup
Victor Chandler Poker Cup
The Victor Chandler Poker Cup was a poker tournament held in 2004 and 2005 in England for broadcast on Sky Sports....
and competed in the World Speed Poker Open
World Speed Poker Open
The World Speed Poker Open was an international poker tournament held under speed poker rules.-Format:The tournament had a £2,000 entry fee....
. In the same year he also became the 5th entrant in the European Poker Players Hall of Fame.
His total live tournament winnings exceed $1.2 million.
Other activities
Roberts was a County Table TennisTable tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
Champion in 1978 and the English Pool
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
Champion in 1979.
Roberts legally changed his name when he got married in the late 1970s. He went on to have 3 children. Their names are Jamie Roberts, Rebecca Roberts and Sebastian Roberts. He is also fond of jazz music.