Ben Lamb

Ben Lamb was born on March 31, 1985, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in the area. He attended Jenks High School, graduating in 2004, and briefly studied at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, before dropping out to pursue a full-time poker career. Before turning professional, Lamb worked as a dealer at the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa, where he gained firsthand experience of the game.

Lamb began playing poker at age 18 and turned professional in 2004. His first notable live victory came in September 2006 when he won the United States Poker Championship $500 No-Limit Hold'em event, besting a 400-player field for $60,000. He also found success online, winning the Spring Championship of Online Poker $109 No-Limit Hold'em event on May 11, 2010, for $66,003 after outlasting 4,204 competitors. At the 2010 World Series of Poker, he recorded his first WSOP final table, finishing fifth in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better event for $53,319. His best WSOP Main Event result prior to 2011 came in 2009 when he finished 14th for $633,022.

The 2011 World Series of Poker was a career-defining summer for Lamb. He made five final tables, winning his first WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $814,436. He also placed second in Event #31 ($3,000 PLO) for $259,918, eighth in the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship for $201,338, and 12th in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Championship for $56,140. In the Main Event, Lamb entered as the chip leader after Day 1-B and remained near the top of the counts throughout. He secured a seat at the November Nine in fifth place and eventually finished third, earning $4,021,138. His consistent performance earned him the 2011 WSOP Player of the Year title and the Card Player Player of the Year Award.

Lamb returned to the WSOP Main Event final table in 2017, finishing ninth out of 7,221 players for $1,000,000. In 2023, he won his second WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, taking home $492,795. As of 2025, Lamb has accumulated 19 WSOP final tables: 11 in Pot-Limit Omaha variants, four in No-Limit Hold'em, and four in mixed-game formats. He has 47 total WSOP cashes.

Lamb remains active in high-stakes tournaments. In the 2025 WSOP, he finished second in Event #51: $25,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha for $868,140, and eighth in Event #79: $100,000 High Roller PLO for $336,110. He also cashed in the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship (7th, $175,096) and the $25,000 Mixed PLO/NLH High Roller (9th, $37,110). At the 2025 WSOP Paradise, he placed sixth in the $100,000 Triton PLO Main Event for $598,000 and seventh in the $75,000 Triton PLO 6-Handed for $324,000. In 2026, he continued to play high-roller events at the Triton Poker Series Jeju, cashing in both the $100,000 PLO Main Event (9th, $185,000) and the $100,000 NLHE Main Event (31st, $157,000). His total live tournament earnings are estimated at over $18.5 million, ranking him among the top earners in poker history.

Lamb is recognized for an aggressive, deep-stacked style that leverages positional awareness and stack pressure. He frequently employs large pre-flop and post-flop raises to apply maximum pressure on opponents. His ability to read opponent ranges allows him to make accurate folds and value bets in critical river spots. Lamb excels in Pot-Limit Omaha, where his post-flop aggression and hand-reading skills are particularly effective. He has demonstrated advanced hand-reading abilities in live-streamed events, often correctly deducing opponents' hole cards.

Ben Lamb resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is known by the nickname "Benba". He is active on Twitter as @BenbaLamb, often posting about poker and sharing his perspectives. Lamb keeps a relatively low profile outside of poker, but his online presence has a dedicated following. He occasionally participates in charity events and has been a sought-after commentator for high-stakes PLO streams.

Beyond his WSOP Player of the Year and Card Player Player of the Year accolades, Lamb's 2011 performance was named the #6 poker story of the year by PokerNews. He is consistently ranked among the top Pot-Limit Omaha players globally. As of 2025, The Hendon Mob lists him 76th on the All-Time Money List and 3rd among United States players. His two WSOP bracelets—in 2011 ($10,000 PLO Championship) and 2023 ($10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better)—highlight his versatility across Omaha variants.