Kassem Ibrahim "Freddy" Deeb[1] (Arabic: قاسم إبراهيم ديب; born 27 November 1955[2] in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese professional poker player.
Before poker
Deeb was attending Utah State University when civil war broke out in Lebanon in 1975. He lost contact with his parents (who had been sending him money to support his education) for two years. Deeb was unable to gain employment due to the restrictions of his student visa, so he began gambling. Deeb was forced to leave school, just 12 credits away from graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering.
As of 2023, his total live tournament winnings exceed $9,100,000.[9] His 41 cashes at the WSOP account for $3,723,334 of those winnings.[2]
$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E.
On 29 June 2007, Deeb won the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E.event at the 2007 World Series of Poker winning $2,276,832. During five-handed play, Deeb was down to his last $365,000 in chips, but managed to recover and win the WSOP bracelet. Deeb said that he did not appreciate his first bracelet because he did not recognize what it meant. “But this one – it means everything to me. These are the toughest players in the world. It has the highest buy-in. Except for the $10,000 buy-in (Main Event), this is the bracelet that means the most of any of them.”[10]