In this episode, Bencb789, creator, founder, and coach at Raise Your Edge reveals why he keeps a low profile despite his incredible success in high roller tournaments. Jeff and Bencb789 discuss what he attributes to his success and why he was inspired to create content to help other players transform their game. Listen in to hear the Bencb789 share the truth about what it’s like at the top – and the bottom – and learn some insider tricks to improve your game and life.

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:00 – Introducing Bencb789 and his journey

01:45 – He started playing poker in 2009; he improved quickly and was encouraged by friends to work on his strategy and move up to tournament poker
03:26 – His family didn’t necessarily support him at first but they came around when they saw how serious he was
05:03 – He went broke a few times at the beginning using his parent’s money; when he started working on his strategy he made money
06:20 – Ben keeps a low-profile because it keeps him more focused with and provides less distraction
08:05 – He didn’t want to incorporate a company in Germany so he moved around Europe and is now in Vienna

09:35 – Thoughts on his future kids playing online poker, performance food, and travel

10:00 – He sees poker as normal and would support it; he thinks in the future there will be possibilities beyond what we can even imagine right now
11:45 – He likes to eat food as fuel to enhance his performance; he eats healthily on a regular basis but will indulge on occasion
14:03 – He loves Canada’s natural beauty and recently enjoyed Sicily and Costa Rica; usually when he travels it is for something poker-related

17:20 – Why Bencb789 loves poker, how he started winning, and what happened at the top

17:30 – He’s naturally competitive and hates the traditional corporate environment
18:30 – He loves an environment where he creates wins and losses by his own accord; his results are directly correlated with his endurance and effort
20:15 – He made money after a year and was happy to pay his bills playing poker
21:00 – He learned the power of mindset, network, and overall health and this is what propelled him to success
21:41 – His largest tournament score was the WCOOP Super High Roller Title against Fedor Holz in 2016
22:30 – He released his course April 2017; he had been playing less poker because he was working on Raise Your Edge
23:40 – He had trouble staying motivated after playing the highest tournaments
24:30 – He feels more pumped about poker now that he has learned more strategies

26:30 – The Raise Your Edge offerings: They’re on social media and offer a variety of courses

27:30 – The course was started long ago; he saved hands to discuss theories and indexed topics to teach in webinars
29:30 – The course took a long time to launch because he wanted to perfect it; now they have a large team and dedicated students
33:20 – The Ranger tool gives you helpful hands and spots to play; it gets updated regularly and follows an easy-to-learn pattern
35:00 – It teaches you a hand matrix, frequencies, and how to bet; it’s worth investing your time and efforts into learning
38:30 – Students engage with coaches and ask about hands; he updates whenever new information or strategies come up
39:17 – The course is always current and there’s money to be made in poker
40:50 – The course is an investment but there is tons of content available to students
42:30 – You don’t need the course to start; just learn from the free content

43:57 – Bencb789’s thoughts on Twitch

44:00 – He enjoys Twitch but prefers to play professionally so he can focus more on the game

47:30 – The mindset course he offers

48:00 – The course is applicable in poker and in life; a strong mindset is required in order to see true results
50:00 – The course isn’t a traditional mindset course; it’s doesn’t just assess tilts, it gets into your past and limiting beliefs

54:00 – How Bencb789 disconnects

54:15 – He doesn’t check his phone 30-60 minutes after waking up and has a morning routine he follows; he also tried to disconnect before bed
55:00 – He has tried to create the best possible environment; he decides when to connect and what to engage in

59:00 – Bencb789’s thoughts on the future of poker

59:30 – He believes poker is a timeless game and will continue evolving with the advancements and spread of technology; stages will keep growing
01:00:34 – He sees poker as the dominant game in the future
01:02:29 – A re-tweet giveaway contest: Win Raise Your Edge gear and two cash prizes

01:03:45 – The best YouTube videos to learn from are deep run videos available on the Raise Your Edge YouTube channel

01:06:16 – Poker as a “zero-sum game”

01:06:50 – He doesn’t care if people think poker doesn’t have any use to society; he sees poker like any other professional sport
01:07:46 – Poker offers entertainment value to people; people see it as different from sports because of the gambling component
01:09:15 – People can become addicted to poker and that needs to be addressed; it’s important to give back but shouldn’t be obligatory
01:10:15 – The most important thing is that people are happy and doing something they love

01:12:30 – How poker has helped him in life

01:12:40 – It takes more to get him off balance
01:13:30 – He’s conscious, mindful, and rational; bad beats enable him to stay peaceful when others would get mad
01:17:05 – He’s learned that it’s important to make sure he’s happy first; with that in place, he can better serve and help others
01:19:30 – Take care of yourself and put yourself in a position to reach results and happiness
01:23:30 – If you’re afraid, just start and structure your studying to learn as you go
01:24:55 – Understand that you’ll never learn everything there is to know

01:25:50 – Questions from the audience

Q: “What’s better: To play stacked, medium stakes, or low stakes on your own and grow?
A: “I always encourage people to try and play on their own. It teaches you more ownership, discipline, and self-sufficiency.”
Q: “What is your favorite tournament format and why?”
A: “Fast Track Tournaments, although I love many kinds of tournaments.”
Q: “What’s the difference between a player and a top player?”
A: “Top players take the big risks that others shy away from. There are some sleeping giants playing mid-stakes; they could be the best players in the world.”
Q: “How much were you studying and playing in the beginning?”
A: “It depends on your level. If you’re a beginner, the ratio should be about 70-80% studying to 20-30% playing. The more you advance, the more you should play.”

3 Key Points

With all the information that’s online, remember, you’re in control of what you consume. Create your ideal environment and stay focused on what matters.
Take care of yourself – you can’t perform optimally, deliver to others, be fulfilled, and be happy until you’re right with yourself.
Just start. Structure your studying and accept that you can’t possibly learn it all.

Contact/Resources

Partner - Party Poker
Website – Raise Your Edge
Raise Your Edge Social Media – YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
Website – Jeff Gross Poker

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