Freddy Deeb
Freddy Deeb is a professional poker player originally from Lebanon. He moved to the United States at the age of 19, and has transformed himself into a world-class poker player.
Freddy Deeb went to Utah State University during 1975, when a civil war broke out in Lebanon. He lost contact with his parents for two years, and wasn't able to support himself during school. To help himself through college, he began gambling, but eventually was forced to leave his education behind. Interesting enough, he was only 12 credits away from graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but wouldn't need it, as it wasn't in "the cards".
His poker career started in 1996, or at least it most notably started rolling with a major win at the 1996 World Series of Poker, winning the $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event, winning 146,250 dollars in the process. He was able to edge out some of the top names in poker including, Doyle Brunson, David Grey, Gabe Kaplan, and Mickey Appleman. He has finished in the money at the World Series of Poker Main Event twice, and placed 17th in the 1995 World Series of Poker, and placed 13th in the 2003 World Series of Poker. In the fourth season of the World Poker Tour, during the Ultimate Poker Classic Event, he would win 1 million dollars.
Deeb has also prominently featured on televised poker events. He appeared in the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament series, and was prominently featured in the series High Stakes Poker on the GSN channel.
Known widely for wearing multi-colored, multi-patterned shirts, he continues to get recognition in poker. One famous moment was when in the 2003 World Series of Poker he had pocket kings and went all in against Phil Ivey, who flopped three sevens, and when a third King appeared on the turn, Deeb won the pot. Ivey famously stated, "Must be the Shirt" and that shirt would be later known as the "Magic Shirt" as it made an appearance at the pot-limit Omaha tournament in the 2004 World Series of Poker after Deeb eliminated two players with one hand.
In 2007, Freddy Deeb won the 50,000-dollar H.O.R.S.E event at the 2007 World Series of Poker, winning a total of 2.2 million dollars along the way. He has gone on to state in interviews that he didn't appreciate his first bracelet because he didn't understand the meaning, but that his 2007 win meant the world to him. He is considered one of the best players in the world, and exceptionally hard to beat.