When Jonathan Duhamel wins a World Series of Poker bracelet, he certainly makes the most of the situation. Early this morning, Duhamel won the second gold bracelet of his career, taking the title in the 2015 WSOP $111,111 High Roller for ONE DROP Event, winning $3,989,985.
Duhamel, of course, won the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, becoming the first Canadian to win the coveted crown. That first prize was $8,944,310, so for the only two bracelets he has won (I say “only” like it’s a bad thing), Duhamel has cashed for nearly $13 million, a total which would put him 13th on the all-time live tournament money list. As it stands, he is now 7th on the money list.
The ONE DROP High Roller was a rake-free tournament, with $105,556 of the buy-in going into the prize pool and $5,555 going to the ONE DROP charity, an organization whose goal is to make sure everyone in the world has clean water. ONE DROP and the WSOP forged an alliance in 2011 when ONE DROP founder, Guy Laliberte, who is the founder of Cirque du Soleil and is an avid poker player, suggested a gigantic buy-in charity tournament at the Series. Thus, in 2012, the first Big One for ONE DROP debuted with a $1 million buy-in. That’s a steep price for players to pay every year, so the Big One is held every other year, while the ONE DROP High Roller Event fills in the alternating years and the Little One, a $1,111 buy-in tourney, is held every year.
Many players who participate also donate a portion of their winnings to the ONE DROP charity.
Needless to say, with such a high buy-in and small field (135 players), the final table was stacked. Duhamel beat the likes of 2014 Big One for ONE DROP winner Daniel Colman, 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, reigning World Poker Tour Player of the Year Anthony Zinno, and internet poker stars Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky and Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger.
In his post-tournament interview at the table, Duhamel expressed his appreciation for his latest accomplishment, saying, “I feel so lucky and so blessed in so many ways where I am right now. This is the biggest buy-in event of the summer, and it turned out to be my second-best day.”
He added, “This tournament and this cause means a lot to me. So, to win this tournament is such an honor. I know Guy (Laliberte) well, and he’s the one who started this. I’ve also been a spokesman for ONE DROP. This tournament and the money raised will help lots of people. So for me, this is like a double win.”
On a sad note, during the three-handed portion of the final table, a spectator suffered a heart-attack. The match was paused while medics attended to the man and the rest of the proceedings. His status is uncertain as of the time of this writing, but one report we have read said that the man passed away.
