Ben Roberts (poker player)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ben Roberts | |
|---|---|
 Ben Roberts in Late Night Poker episode 5.5 |
|
| Nickname(s) | The Gentleman |
| Hometown | London, England |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | None |
| Money finishes | 5 |
| Highest ITM main event finish |
6th, 1998 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Titles | None |
| Final tables | 1 |
| Money finishes | 3 |
Benjamin (Ben) Roberts (born Mehdi Javdani on 3 November 1956 in Iran) is a British professional poker player based in London.
[edit] Poker career
Roberts began playing poker in the mid 1970s, and claims to have won every year.[citation needed]
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 his one and only 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.
As of 2007, his total live tournament winnings exceed $880,000.
[edit] Other activities
Roberts was a County Table Tennis Champion in 1978 and the English Pool Champion in 1979.
Roberts legally changed his name when he got married in the late 1970s so that their children would have English names. He went on to have 3 children. He is also fond of jazz music.
