He was US Champion so he should have been making at least as much money as Beth so where was it ? He lived in a hovel, he had next to no furniture, he only had the one set of clothes apparently, he wasn't a boozer, he didn't do drugs and he didn't seem like the type to spend it on prostitutes or gamble or give it away. It's a mystery !
The TV series portrayed Benny as a bit of a slacker. He passed on various tournaments and played in others. I think he just did enough to get by. He is also shown playing speed chess for cash.
In the book Benny plays poker to pay the rent
He lives in New York and tournament money surely burns quickly when you have no steady income.
Beth had the advantage of living in a house she didn't pay for (until much later).
Beth and her mother probably depended entirely upon tournament winnings after Mr. Wheatley abandoned them. Beth and her mother were making mortgage payments unless Mr. Wheatley was sending money to the bank. The mortgage payments did not stop after Beth paid Mr. Wheatley the equity on the house when he threatened to kick her out.
Upkeep on the house was why Beth had a hard time paying for the trip to Russia for the tournament.
Actually he may have had a gambling habit... remember the exchange where she was surprised that he didn't have the money to front her ticket to Moscow? He got all defensive when she asked if he gambled his winnings away.
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