Kassem "Freddy" Deeb

Freddy Deeb is a professional poker player who made his first live-event cash in 1986. Through October 2011, he cashed in 103 events, made 64 final tables, won 13 events, finished in the money at the WSOP 33 times, won bracelets in 1996 and 2007, won a WPT event in 2005, and earned over $7.5 million.

Freddy was born Kassem Deeb in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 27, 1955. Card games were a regular family activity, and he naturally progressed to playing poker with friends. At the age of 19, his parents sent him to the United States and paid for his education at Utah State University to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering. Cut off from communication with his parents due to civil war in Lebanon, Freddy was forced to quit college before graduating. Since he only had a student visa, he was unable to find employment. That led him to Reno, Nevada, where he would embark on his poker career by earning money in cash games.

Freddy’s first live event cash was for $887 at the 1986 Stairway to the Stars event in Las Vegas, where he finished 6th in the $200 Stud. His other cash that year was a runner-up finish in the $200 Stud at the Pot of Gold in Reno for $4,480. His only cash the next year was at the 1989 Diamond Jim Brady in Los Angeles, where he finished runner-up for $36,120 in the $1,500 Stud.

In 1990, Freddy cashed 4 times, making the final table in each event. At the WSOP, he finished runner-up in the $2,500 NLHE to earn $130,000. He cashed twice at the Diamond Jim Brady, before cashing at the Hall Of Fame Poker Classic. The next time Freddy cashed was at the 1992 WSOP where he finished 4th for $24,765 in the $1,500 NLHE, and 3rd in the $5,000 NLHE to earn $50,400.

From 1993 through 1995, Freddy cashed 5 times. His only cash in 1993 was at the WSOP. In 1994, he won the $5,000 NLHE for $134,000 at the L.A. Poker Classic, and cashed once when he made a final table at the WSOP.  In 1995, he cashed at the L.A. Poker Classic, and cashed twice at the WSOP, where he finished in the money at the Main Event for $20,760.

In 1996, Freddy cashed 4 times at the WSOP and won his first bracelet, in the $5,000 NL Deuce-to-Seven to earn $146,250. His other cashes that year were at the Grosvenor European Open Championships London, and the United States Poker Championship. In 1997, his only cash was at the 1997 WSOP where he finished 4th in the $5,000 Stud for $30,800.

Freddy’s only cashes in 2001 were at the WSOP, where he cashed 3 times, all final tables. In the $1,500 PLO, he finished 4th for $25,050. He then cashed in the $1,500 PLHE, before finishing runner-up in the $5,000 NL Deuce-to-Seven for $92,150.

From 2002 through 2003, Freddy cashed 8 times. In 2002, he cashed 3 times, making 3 final tables. He cashed at the Grand Slam of Poker, the Master Classics of Poker, and took 3rd at the inaugural WPT event, the $10,000 NLHE Final of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, worth $139,120. In 2003, he won the $1,500 NLHE at the L.A. Poker Classic for $113,430, took 13th for $65,000 in the Main Event at the WSOP, and also cashed at the European Poker Championships and the Showdown at the Sands.

To start 2004, Freddy made 3 final tables in a row in Las Vegas. At the WSOP, he finished 3rd for $147,800 in the $5,000 PLO.  At the Championship Poker at the Plaza, he was runner-up for $156,000 in the $10,000 NLHE, and at the Festa al Lago, he won the $2,000 NLHE for $154,204. His other cashes that year were at the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown, the Legends of Poker, the Festa al Lago, and the Monte Carlo Millions.

In 2005, Freddy cashed 19 times and made 14 final tables. In January, he finished 3rd for $55,500 in the $500 NLHE at the Jack Binion World Poker Open. He cashed twice at the L.A. Poker Classic, finishing 12th in the $9,603 WPT Main Event for $56,831, and cashed at the Five-Star World Poker Classic. He cashed 9 times and won 3 Poker Superstars Invitational events, in between cashing 4 times at the WSOP. His best efforts at the WSOP were finishing 5th for $59,615 in the $2,000 PLHE, and taking 6th in the $1,000 NLHE for $117,500. To conclude his year, Freddy won the $5,000 NLHE Championship Event at the WPT Ultimate Poker Classic in Aruba to earn $1,000,000.

From the beginning of 2006 to the end of 2007, Freddy cashed in 19 events, including 10 cashes in Poker Superstars Invitational events. In 2006, he cashed at the WSOP and twice at WPT events, which included earning $ 87,875 for finishing 23rd in the NLHE WPT Championship. In 2007, he cashed at the Five Star World Poker Classic, the Rendez Vous A Paris, and made the money in 3 WSOP events. At the WSOP, he collected his 2nd gold bracelet and $2,276,832 when he won the $50,000 Championship HORSE, and in the $5,000 NL Deuce-to-Seven, he finished 6th for $73,813. His last cash of the year was for $108,081 in the Championship Event at the WPT World Poker Finals.

Freddy started 2008 by finishing 4th for $168,835 in the WPT Championship Event at the Gold Strike World Poker Open. He went on to cash at the NBC National Heads-up Championship, the EPT Grand Final, Monte Carlo, the WSOP, the World Poker Finals, the Master Classics of Poker, and the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

In 2009, Freddy cashed at the EPT Deauville, won the WPT Celebrity Invitational NLHE event for $100,000 at the L.A. Poker Classic, and took 12th in the $25,000 NLHE WPT Championship for $81,710. At the WSOP, he cashed 3 times, including 8th for $27,028 in the $1,500 Omaha-8, and 14th in the $50,000 World Championship HORSE to earn $83,630. He also cashed at the WPT Bellagio Cup, and finished 4th in the $15,000 NLHE WPT Championship Event at the Festa al Lago for $278,300.

At the 2010 Paris Open of Poker, Freddy made his first cash of the year when he finished runner-up for €114,000 in the €1,000 France Poker Tour Grand Final. He cashed at the EPT Deauville, before winning the €20,000 NLHE High Roller event at the WPT Rendez-Vous à Paris to earn €290,000. At the WSOP Europe, he cashed in the Main Event, and at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, he cashed in the WPT championship Event.

In 2011, he cashed 3 times at the WSOP, and was runner-up in the €15,000 NLHE High Roller Event at the WPT Rendez-Vous à Paris for €130,275. He also cashed in the Main Event at the Partouche Poker Tour Cannes, and twice at the WSOP Europe.

In January 2012, Freddy began his year with a victory. He captured the WSOP Circuit Main Event title at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, CA for the WSOP-C Ring and $171,810.