Shaun Deeb - some people associate this name mainly with WSOP Player of the Year points, others see him mainly for his slimming bet with billionaire Bill Perkins. Either way, the 38-year-old pro has 6 bracelets, 3 WCOOP titles and nearly $13 million in live tournament winnings to his name. It was Deeb who was the next guest on the 888Ride show, where he revealed many interesting facts to David Tuchman.
Could you play 40 tables at once?
During the World Series of Poker, few can match Deeb's work ethic. Every year Shaun is tireless and always goes 110% into the summer grind. In the past, he's also become known for playing several live tournaments simultaneously, forcing him to run between different rooms thanks to two deeprunks. All this competitiveness and willingness to push the level started when he was 18 years old.
"Nobody can take away from me that I was the first massive multi-tabling player in online poker," Deeb said. "I don't know what it is about me, maybe it's just my ADHD - I process information very quickly and I also talk fast. I used to win and organise speed maths competitions as a kid. That came together later in poker where I can make decisions quickly, I have a great memory for players and I think I have great instincts as well."
The competitiveness and willingness to play as much as possible resulted in moments where he played up to 40 tables at once. Thanks to his ability to identify different types of players, Shaun played millions more hands than his competitors, rapidly increasing his advantage. But the information Deeb revealed about his lineup sounds downright incredible. Many would have thought that he had some crazy computer setup with lots of monitors ready for such multi-tabling. Surprisingly, however, he revealed that he played all his games on a single laptop, and that too without using a mouse - just a touchpad!
How to improve the whole industry
It is one thing that he is thriving in poker and is continuously expanding his resume of poker wins and titles. As well as being fully focused on his game and his success, Shaun makes no secret of the fact that he doesn't give a damn about the fate of the poker industry as a whole. "One of my favourite things about the industry, since the beginning of my career, has been to call out the scumbags and try to clean up the industry.
"I think COVID has shown that being comfortable with poker is great. Numbers are up everywhere - it started with the COVID pandemic that shot online poker to rocket heights. Now it's continuing in live poker - I keep saying that poker is an amazing industry, it's an amazing intellectual sport where you get to meet great people, see interesting places, plus have the chance to win life-changing money. That's why it's important to appreciate what we have and make the best possible experience available to outsiders.
I am aware that security, especially in online poker, is a very important and delicate subject. Every year the protection against hackers is improving, new security features are being developed - it's always been a game of cat and mouse. I also don't like the fact that people have switched to private clubs and various unlicensed apps, as I think security is the most important thing in this industry. I can't imagine myself risking any amount of money in games like that."
Watch the full interview
The above topics are excerpted from the interview, which is 45 minutes in total. It also talks about chasing Player of the Year points, Mixed Games events, the problems of online poker, and the excuses he often hears from other players.
Sources - YouTube, WSOP, pokernews, TheHendonMob, Twitter (X)
