Yesterday, a new World Series of Poker champ was crowned: Jonathan Duhamel, “a 23-year-old college drop-out from Quebec,” according to the Associated Press, is Canada’s first WSOP champ. He took home $8.9 million in prize money.
Duhamel vanquished Florida’s John Racener after a 90-minute head-to-head, entering the final matchup with a huge six-to-one chip advantage. Those two had been the last of the November Nine, the nine finalists culled from the WSOP’s 7,319 entrants last summer.
It had been the WSOP’s second-largest Main Event ever, and the result marks the latest in a trend of non-Americans to win the coveted title.
More importantly for the Internet poker world, though, Duhamel’s victory also represents a trend of champions who started playing online, which dates back to Chris Monkeymaker’s legendary upset back in 2003. Poker affiliates, looking for a marketing angle? There it is!
“It’s a worldwide game now,” said Chris Cosenza, publisher of the monthly poker-focused Ante Up magazine, per the AP. “It’s not just for Texans, it’s not just for Americans. A lot of that has to do with online poker. A lot of the players in Europe are starting to embrace Texas Hold ‘Em and in Canada as well.”
Nathan Denny
November 9, 2010