Kaseem “Freddy” Deeb wandered the halls of the Rio eating a banana during his dinner break of Day 1 of the main event. Ante Up’s Chris Cosenza stopped him for a quick chat about everything from his crowning achievement to his poker dream.
What’s your favorite poker game and why?
I really like all of the poker games as along as there’s some dead money in there. That’s what I look for.
What’s the biggest pot you’ve won?
The largest pot I ever won? I would say close to half a million dollars at the Bellagio a couple of years ago in PLO.
Your greatest poker moment?
Definitely winning the (WSOP $50K) H.O.R.S.E. title. It’s almost all the games and when you win a title like that it means you’re good at all the games.
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Who’s the best poker player in the world?
There is no such thing as the best player in the world. Every day it changes. Whoever is more fresh, more rested, more relaxed that day will play the best. I don’t care if it’s Doyle (Brunson) Howard (Lederer) or Daniel (Negreanu). If they aren’t well-rested and in the right frame of mind and physically rested they aren’t going to play their best poker.
So really there’s no such thing as a best player. There are a lot of good players, but who’s the best player that day? It all depends on those factors.
What’s the best poker advice you’ve received?
I’ve always been told things I already know. So it’s just about whether you discipline yourself or not. I mean, we all make mistakes and sometimes we know for sure we are wrong, that we’re not supposed to do it but we still do it because we are not in the right frame of mind. Or maybe we’re not smart enough to avoid it. Then you look around and say, “Where did I f*ck up?” Excuse my language. I already know that I’m not supposed to do that but I still do it.
What does poker need?
There is nothing that poker needs. All you need is two guys to play and that’s a poker game. There’s nothing that can stop a poker game from going on, because people will still play.
If you weren’t a poker player you’d be a …
I came here to study as a mechanical engineer and I went broke and started looking for a job, and I’m still looking for one (laughs). So I can be a mechanical engineer or maybe a businessman.
Who’s is your hero?
There’s a lot of heroes that I got and nobody’s special, nobody’s different from the other. I try to pick up all the good qualities the good poker players have.
What’s your poker dream?
Win the main event of the World Series of Poker.
How much money do you have on you right now?
How much money do I have on me? I think I have about six or seven thousand.
