Sauce123

Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky was born Benjamin Sulsky on November 22, 1987, in Durham, New Hampshire. He attended the University of Toronto, where he studied philosophy. Sulsky started playing poker in college during a spring break trip to Mexico, reading poker books and strategy forums. He began with freerolls and never deposited money initially, then built a bankroll of $3,000 before losing $1,200 in one night. He cashed out and took a two-year break. He returned with a $1,000 deposit, lost it, deposited another $1,000, and started playing $0.10/$0.25 with strict bankroll management.

Sulsky plays under the aliases Sauce123 on PokerStars and Sauce1234 on Full Tilt Poker. He also previously used the alias PrtectYaNeck on Full Tilt. He specializes in Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) and No-Limit Hold'em (NLHE). By 2012, he was considered one of the best players in the world in both games. He has netted over $5,500,000 on his PokerStars account, though he is down over $400,000 on his Full Tilt account. He once earned over $1 million in profit during his first year of playing online. According to HighStakesDB, he was nearing $5 million in online profit in 2016.

Sulsky described having trouble finding action as other players refused to play him. He is known for his aggressive style and analytical approach, emphasizing game theory optimal play. He was an early adopter of HUD (heads-up display) technology to optimize decisions.

In 2013, Sulsky played fellow professional Doug Polk in a highly publicized match of 15,000 hands of heads-up No-Limit Hold'em. Sulsky was defeated, losing $740,000, and Polk received an additional $100,000 bonus for the victory. Despite the loss, Sulsky remains one of the most respected heads-up players.

Although primarily an online cash game specialist, Sulsky became more active in live tournaments in 2015. At the 2013 WSOP, he finished 4th in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Championship, earning $110,485, defeating Phil Galfond along the way. In 2015, he made two fourth-place finishes: in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop, earning over $1,400,000 combined. As of October 2016, his total live winnings exceeded $1,700,000. He has no WSOP bracelets, with 2 final tables and 4 money finishes.

Sulsky is an instructor for Phil Galfond's training site Run It Once, where he creates analytical videos on No-Limit Hold'em with a focus on GTO play. He has also operated a staking website, saucestakes.com.

Sulsky is known for his highly aggressive, pressure-based style. He mixes aggression with solid decision-making based on range balance and pot odds. He emphasizes the importance of work ethic and fitness to maintain focus during long online sessions. In interviews, he has noted that online poker is a training ground for many top pros, and he enjoys the challenge.

Sulsky splits his time between poker and school, having studied philosophy at the University of Toronto. He enjoys hiking, cooking, playing squash, and attending concerts. He prefers to avoid live casinos and tournaments when possible, citing a lack of discipline and a dislike for the casino environment.