The age-old phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” has applications in poker. A highly potent “group think” can help players soak up knowledge at a much quicker pace than they could on their own.

Then there’s Ben Farrell, who is known on PocketFives as ‘BenFaz‘ and on PokerStars as ‘fabaz‘. He’s part of a very active Skype group that has helped him rise into the top 100 in the PocketFives Rankings and amass $1.3 million in career winnings.

“I have a great group of friends I talk with daily about specific spots and I’m in a few different Skype groups with a lot of good players,” Farrell said. “Adjustments have been made given the evolution of the game. I’m constantly aware of not only the image of other players, but also my own image with the tools I have at my disposal.”

Farrell described his Skype group in a way that only ‘BenFaz’ is capable of. “My group is a congregation of degenerates amplified by love not only for the game, but also for the eternal hunt of glory,” he said. “With this comes endless support. I don’t think I would be where I am today without the people whom I have met throughout the years, as poker can be a lonely game. The majority of groups I am in are very supportive when people are deep.”

Farrell brought up a very important, perhaps underrated benefit of having a solid group of poker-savvy friends in your corner: that group can rally behind you when you’re deep. Think of it as your own personal cheering section. All you need to do is let your friends know you’re at a major final table or just need some support and they’ll release the hounds.

So what happens in a Skype group? Are hands being pasted left and right? Are new trends being dissected like a worm in a seventh grade science class? Are a million prop bets being made?

“The majority of things that go on in them would not be suitable for this article, other than saying there is in-depth poker-related discussion in some of them,” Farrell said. “In other groups, you’d be surprised that a lot of the time there is a level of morale which is sometimes more beneficial to me than poker discussion. Although, for most people, being on Skype while playing should be avoided in order to concentrate fully.”

Farrell found his group and made it to where he is today thanks to an initial $50 deposit. Then, multiple other $50 deposits occurred until he realized that poker was a game of skill and “not an actual punt.” The bleeding and bad beat stories eventually stopped.

“I was quick to win a healthy bankroll, but was hit by the unmerciful fist of variance, combined with uneducated play, so I soon learned the complexities of the game,” said Farrell. “I drew inspiration from the top players and how they were shaping the game at the time and the rewards they were reaping. I enjoy the exploitation that exists in poker and have always sought to improve that and adapt accordingly.”

2016 could be a year of change for him. As playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change.” And Farrell’s Skype group could become a little less active as a result.

“This year, I am going to take a step back from poker and focus on the more important things in life,” the $1.3 million man said. “That being said, you will still see me on the tables, just not as much. In the last few years, I’ve found myself consumed with the game itself and have felt like my computer is actually another limb. The one thing I’ve learned in the past year is that you can’t deny the importance of balance.”

He’s probably earned a little siesta, especially after winning the PokerStars Turbo Championship of Online Poker Sunday Supersonic last month for $84,000, his second largest score to date.

“It felt pretty surreal to be able to win that much money in such a short amount of time,” Farrell recalled of the turbo tournament, which finished in a few hours. “I didn’t have time to think about the actual amount of money given the structure. It all happened so fast.”