Shaun Deeb Invests Big in Red-Hot Retro Video Games

Well known for having an interest in basically every form of gaming, American WSOP bracelet winner Shaun Deeb’s most recent investment is wonderfully nerdy and by the looks of it, seriously lucrative.

The man, as you know, can perform at a high level at any table in the casino. Each of his 4 WSOP bracelets coming by way of a different play style. In 2018 he was named WSOP player of the year, after winning titles in both PLO and No-Limit Hold’em.

Deeb does not limit himself just to conventional card games- he is also a huge video game fan. Classic arcade games hold a special place in Deeb’s heart, as they were the portal through which he entered the world of gaming.

Enter “Contra”, a classic run-and-gun game originally produced by Konami that was originally a staple of quarter arcades. The game really took off in popularity when it was ported over to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988- this is where Deeb would develop a love for the action-packed side-scroller.

Deeb was quoted in PocketFives saying “I always loved video games…When ‘Fortnite’ got big there was a whole poker contingency [that played]. We had a group, about 10-15 guys from poker – a couple who had never played video games – we got on every morning, it was fun. Bunch of shit talking, played props and stuff…I mean, I love gambling and video games, it’s a great combination for me.”

The three-time World Championship of Poker title holder’s deep passion for retro games is clearly a driving force in his ambitions of setting new world records in the game- but it is not just virtual high scores that have motivated this recent investment of his.

With the help of nerd collector-by-trade, Nelson Laffey, Deeb started a crusade of buying up as many collectible gaming items as possible. It seems the Laffey partnership was a pretty big factor in this decision as well- as he is a seasoned expert of trading rare games, MTG cards, and Pokemon cards. Deeb labeled Laffey “Pretty much the most knowledgable guy” in the collectibles game.

Deeb tells the story as follows: “I just happened to run into him at a casino, he’d just gotten into poker and we became friends right away. Now, we hang out all the time and he’s one of my closest friends...He has always been big into Magic (the Gathering) and Pokémon and stuff and he approached me a couple of years ago. He said ‘hey listen, I’m buying these games, you should give me some cash, we should be partners, and I’m going to buy us a bunch of stuff.’”

By “a bunch of stuff” he meant a bunch of retro video game cartridges, some worth upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars. Deeb agreed to this proposition and the pair proceed to buy up as many 80s and 90s, nostalgia-inducing cartridges as they could.

They copped bonafide classics such as “Final Fantasy”, “Deja Vu”, “Street Fighter 2”, “Contra” and the prize possession among all these treasures- a top-graded, third print of Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda”.

“It is arguably my favorite piece in my collection,” admitted Laffey. “It’s arguably going to be – if not is – the most coveted piece throughout the entire lot. I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody that says I don’t like ‘Zelda.’”

The collectable video game market has been seriously hotting up recently, so it seems these boys have picked a good time to get involved. A near-perfect condition “Sonic the Hedgehog” recently sold for $120k and a factory sealed “Super Mario Bros” was purchased for a whopping $400k.

Both Deeb and his partner seem highly confident that this venture will reap immense rewards-

“It’s a booming industry and with so much inflation going on, I’m so happy that I had part of my net worth tied into these games. And, you know, if we make money that’s cool. If we lose a little, no big deal…,” Deeb said. “But I think we’re going to make a lot of money.”

Let’s not forget, however, that Shaun Deeb is a gaming fanatic before he is a business man. He has expressed having mixed feelings about parting ways with his impressive collection, as they bring back some happy, early memories.

“I love the games, it sucks to get rid of them but I know that the market’s really hot and so we’re going to unload our games and try to buy more. We’re trying to make a profit, but we love the games. I remember as a kid playing Contra and my wife used to play Zelda so it’s been really cool to have them in our collection.”