First things first, I am not endorsing gambling of any sort. I am simply celebrating a noteworthy Canadian with a touching story. For this reason, I am not going to talk specifically about his play in the tournament nor provide any videos on his winning play.
Johnathan Duhamel is the subject of our discussions today. He is the first Canadian as well as the first French speaking person to win the World Series of Poker. Having just won the poker tournament and after a slight controversy due to taxation of his winnings, his name is all the buzz today.
His Story
Johnathan Duhamel is representative of the Canadian version of the American dream. Ever since he was two, he was enthralled by hockey and a stubborn poker lover. Those two things encompassed his life. Duhamel worshiped the Montreal Canadiens and followed their everyday game. Several years ago, Duhamel dropped out of college to pursue a low-paying job at a food stand. Later, his passion for poker led him to the online poker sites where he began to hone his skills and make some money. Meanwhile, Duhamel never forgot his love of hockey and would spend nights with buddies watching Montreal Canadien games over beer. For two years, Duhamel’s primary source of income has been from poker tournaments. He spent countless hours studying and playing the game during those pasts years. Eventually, that hard work actually paid off and Duhamel won the world title. In short, from his humble beginnings in a Canadian family and as an aspiring hockey player, Duhamel is now one of the biggest names in the world.
His Success
The World Series of Poker is the biggest poker tournament in the world in terms of prize money. The buy-in to the tournament for most players is a whooping $10,000 dollars and over 7,000 players bought in. Other players enter through satellite tournaments. After advancing successfully from the preliminaries, Duhamel made it to the final table. His aggressive play earned him a spot as the final two. In the ensuing competition, a winning combination of strategy, patience and luck brought him the world title. In fact, he won the last hand and the tournament with a well-played ace high. Now, Duhamel will go down the annals of poker history as an amateur who won it all. He is endowed with the prestigious winner’s bracelet for life. And of course, he claims a $8.94 million prize.
Afterwards
Duhamel celebrated his win Canadian-style in some of the most luxurious hotel suites in Las Vegas. With over 125 friends and family members, he listened to Canadian music, wore a Montreal Canadien jersey, and drank Canadian beer. Despite his win, Duhamel is still fundamentally Canadian. He speaks with enthusiasm about the upcoming hockey games and intends to purchase tickets for home games. Furthermore, since his championship title, Duhamel has donated over $100,000 to a local Montreal Children’s Charity. He states that he intends to compete further and win more titles in poker. We Canadians can only wait with abated with breath for his next achievement on the world stage.
