A 25-year-old player from Montreal won the world poker championship in Las Vegas, winning a staggering $4.1 million purse just days before Christmas.
Eliot Hudon would have started playing poker seriously less than four years ago, but he will be able to spoil his loved ones thanks to his passion.
Leading a field of 2,960 participants, Hudon emerged victorious in the inaugural World Poker Tour 2022 World Championship. The overall prize pool was $30 million.
“At this point it wasn’t even about the money… If I want to go far, I really wanted to win the trophy more than anything. I am more in poker to win, more than for the money,” Hudon said in a statement released by the organization just after his historic win.
“I don’t deserve it any more than those guys. It’s just that we all know how it goes. Some people are luckier in some places, ”he added with a touch of modesty.
Over the past few years, fans say millions of poker players honed their craft online before seeking glory in a real tournament situation.
to the top
According to the WPT site, Hudon started his career with barely $2,000, before investing $500 in an online training course. His early tournament bets ranged from 50 cents to $5.
The tournament, which required entry of $10,400, attracted enough players to nearly double the $15 million guarantee.
The sum was distributed to the top 371 players, and each of the six finalists received at least $1 million.
Englishman Benny Glaser finished second with earnings of $2.8 million, followed by Jean-Claude Moussa in third place with just over $2 million.
“We have tried to create a real festival atmosphere and we are very grateful for the warm welcome we have received,” said Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour.
” Shocked “
In addition to the first cash prize, Hudon received a $15,000 travel package. The 2.5-hour final table was filmed for television at Wynn Las Vegas and will air in early 2023 on Bally Sports.
” I am still shocked. I’m going to need a few days to realize what just happened,” finished Hudon, who was surrounded by a few friends in Vegas.
The 2023 season of this circuit will resume on April 1 with the WPT Rolling Thunder. The WPT World Championship will be back next December.
On November 9, 2010, another Quebecer, Jonathan Duhamel, won the most important poker tournament of the year at the time, the World Series of Poker (WSOP), pocketing nearly $9 million. Duhamel donated $100,000 to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.
In his career, Jonathan Duhamel has won more than $17 million.