Shaun Deeb

Shaun Deeb had his first live tournament cash in 2006. Between then and the end of August 2011, he has cashed 35 times (including 16 times at the WSOP), made 15 final tables, and earned over $650,000. During this period, he also became one of the most prolific and successful online tournament poker players.

Born in Troy, New York on March 1, 1986, Shaun was introduced to poker by his grandmother when he was 5 years old. When he was 18 he sat in his first live poker game at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.

He started his professional poker career by playing online while attending Bentley University. Shortly after depositing $30 and running it up to over $33,000 in just 2 weeks, Shaun quit school and a poker pro was born. While playing online, he gained a reputation as a fierce competitor, being able to play up to 30 games at once and earning over $5 million by playing in over 10,000 online tournaments.

Shaun made his first live cash at the 2006 Annual East Coast Poker Championships, in Verona, NY. He finished 7th in the $500 NLHE and collected $1,791.

In 2007, he cashed 6 times and made 2 final tables. First he cashed at the WPT PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure (PCA) at Paradise Island. He then had 3 cashes at the WSOP, placed 5th in the Empire State Hold\\\’em Championships in Verona for $7,395 and won the NLHE Team Event at the PokerStars World Cup of Poker in Barcelona for $27,320.

Shaun’s first cash of 2008 was at the L.A. Poker Classic. He then went on to make the final table in 4 tournaments in Verona, going on to win one – the $500 NLHE Continental Poker Championships where he earned $14,200.

In 2009, Shaun cashed 11 times and made 3 final tables. His first cash of the year was at the New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge WSOP Circuit event. He then cashed 5 times at the WSOP before attending his first EPT event in Kiev. Once there, he placed 3rd in the €2,000 PLO for €14,400 and won the €20,000 NLHE High Roller Event to collect the top prize of €60,000 – both on the same day. Two months later he cashed in the EPT Warsaw. He then took 2nd in the €10,000 NLHE PokerStars Baltic Festival High Roller Event in Tallinn for €28,096.

It was after returning to the USA from playing in tournaments abroad in 2009 that Shaun announced his retirement via poker forums. But in April of 2010, he was in Monte Carlo where he cashed in the EPT Grand Final before heading to the WSOP where he cashed twice.

During the first eight months of 2011, Deeb cashed 9 times and made 4 final tables. He placed 2nd in both the $5,000 NLH-6 Max and the $5,000 NAPT Bounty Shootout at the PCA. He then cashed at the Chad Brown Poker Series in Orange Park. He cashed 6 times at the 2011 WSOP with his best showing being 4th place finish for $67,146 in the $2,500 10-Game Six-Handed event.

The 2011 WSOP was special for Shaun, not only for his cashes, but because the woman who introduced him to poker 10 years before was there, his grandmother Ellen Deeb. History was made when Shaun paid Ellen’s way into the Main Event, making her the oldest registrant at 91.