| Gary Benson | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | OzGary |
| Born | 1957 (age 67–68) Sydney, Australia |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet | 1 |
| Final tables | 6 |
| Money finishes | 25 |
| Highest WSOP Main Event finish | 283rd,2007 |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Final table | 1 |
| Money finish | 1 |
Gary Benson (born 1957, inSydney,Australia) is an Australian professionalpoker player andsports bettor. He has won aWorld Series of Poker bracelet in addition to other titles as a poker player.
Benson started playing poker during his school years, but his interest incard games was fostered at a young age by his grandmother. He attended his first live poker game in the late 1970s and has been a stalwart on the Australian andNew Zealand poker scene ever since.
Benson obtained aBachelor of Business from theUniversity of Technology, Sydney in 1983, and was admitted as aChartered Accountant in 1985. From 1989 until his retirement in 1995, Benson worked as a partner at the chartered accountant firmGrant Thornton.
Benson has been married twice with three daughters, and his hobbies includechess,genealogy andtravel.
Benson attended the first Australian Poker Championship held inAdelaide in 1987, and has since attended nearly every major poker event in Australia and New Zealand. Benson enjoysPot Limit Omaha andLimitSeven-card stud tournaments, predominantly playsOmaha Hi/Lo online, and can often be found playing the biggest cash games at any casino he attends, usually High LimitOmaha. In addition to many tournament victories, Benson's major achievements include being crowned the Australian Poker Champion in Adelaide in 1997, and the Australian National Champion inCanberra in 2000.
Benson made his first trip toLas Vegas in 1990 and entered his firstWorld Series of Poker in1996, where he won the $1,500 Seven-card stud event[1] to become the first Australian-born winner of a gold bracelet. On 24 April 1996, after a 15-hour battle, Benson managedto outlast the field of 247 players to take home the $148,200 prize. Benson reached the final table fourth in chips and finished heads-up with Las Vegas poker professional Billy Cohen. On the last hand, Cohen was forced all-in after Benson had won a huge pot on the previous hand. The two-hour heads-up battle was finally over when Benson's pair of Kings beat Cohen's pair of sevens. Benson also had three money finishes at the2006 WSOP.[2][3][4]
As of 2014, Benson's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,000,000 including his 2nd-place finish inWorld Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic inLas Vegas in 2013 for $672,685.[5] As of 2024, his live tournament winnings exceed $2,500,000.[6]
In January 2009, Benson was honoured to become one of the inaugural inductees into theAustralian Poker Hall of Fame.[7]
Benson started playing chess at the age of 13 and joined the Correspondence Chess League of Australia (CCLA) in 1970. Benson is a former Australian Champion having won theAustralian Correspondence Chess Championship in 2003. Benson was awarded theInternational Master (IM) title forCorrespondence Chess in 2004, and the Senior International Master (SIM) title for Correspondence Chess in 2005.