Canadian youngster wins European Poker Tour event
- By Nikos Portiakos
- Published 02/5/2008
- Poker
- Unrated
18-year-old Mike McDonald is
the youngest player ever to win a European Poker Tour event. Don’t get fooled, even
when he still in high school and looks like an average teenager, McDonald counts
with several participations in major tournaments as well as a record number of
hours playing online poker. McDonald has also attended tournaments in
Mike McDonald didn’t have
it easy as he had to confront some of the best poker players in the world, but
it was his strong attitude and great performance what finally cleared the way
to victory. “I start all tournaments
thinking I could win, or else I wouldn't play,” he said.
Mr. McDonald first approach
to poker came after a chess teacher told him he could make a few bucks playing
online poker. Then he took the nickname “Timex”
saying “I just looked down at my watch, and I didn't have much money at the
time so I had a Timex watch, and I just used that.”
Steve Paul-Ambrose, the 24
years old Canadian player who won $1.3-million in a tournament while studying in
college took McDonald as protégé at the beginning of his short but now very profitable
poker career. Paul-Ambrose said that McDonald's victory doesn’t surprise him at
all.
“Honestly, not really, he's
played a few tournaments since turning 18 and it was just a matter of time
before a big score, he's a very smart kid.” said Ambrose.
