Two years ago, Canada's Jonathan Duhamel (pictured) took down the World Series of Poker Main Event to the tune of $8.9 million. Earlier this year, he rocketed through the annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas just a few weeks removed from being the victim of an armed robbery that landed him in the hospital, winning a $5,000 Eight-Max tournament and finishing second in a $25,000 Eight-Max High Roller Event for nearly $900,000 total. He also final tabled the series' $100,000 Super High Roller Event for another $313,000. Read our recap.Duhamel is a sponsored pro of PokerStars and, like other players, is ramping up for the 2013 PCA, which takes place in January and will mark the 10th running of the annual gathering. We caught up with him to preview the upcoming PCA and talk about PokerStars' takeover of Full Tilt.
PocketFives: You had a pretty impressive 2012 PCA with three top-five finishes. Tell us a little bit about what went right and why you were able to succeed over some very tough competition at the level you did.
Jonathan Duhamel: I guess it was just a matter of timing. I went there with the same mindset I had during the 2010 WSOP, feeling ready for battle. I had to reenter early in the $100K event and that just got me pumped. After that, everything went well. I was playing well and winning big flips. The fields were very tough, but everything was going right for me, so I was able to accumulate a lot of chips in every single decision I had.
PocketFives: What are you looking forward to the most at this year's PCA and how are you preparing for it?Jonathan Duhamel: As a competitor, I want to do even better than I did last year. For sure it will be tough, but I always set my goals pretty high. There will be a lot of players, as the PCA is the second biggest tournament series of the year after the WSOP. I will spend some time with my family during Christmas and then I will be mentally prepared and ready to battle during the PCA.
PocketFives: Comment on PokerStars taking over Full Tilt. What was your reaction when you heard the news? How do you think PokerStars and Full Tilt will change as a result?
Jonathan Duhamel: I think it is very good news. When I heard it was PokerStars that was taking over Full Tilt, it got me even happier to be part of the PokerStars team. They have proven to clearly be the best in the industry and from now on, only good things can happen. I'm happy to be part of the biggest team in all of poker.
PocketFives: What's your favorite place to play live poker and why?
Jonathan Duhamel: I've always liked all of the tournaments in Europe because I love traveling, but I have to say the PCA has always been good to me. I've been there lots of times. There are always a lot of people over there and lots of my friends make the trip, so every year we have a blast. There are so many different tournaments with different ranges of buy-ins in the Bahamas on Paradise Island during the PCA. It can't get better than that.
PocketFives: Talk about the state of your non-Hold'em games. Most of your live cashes have been in Hold'em. Have you branched out into other games? How have you gone about practicing them and with what results?Jonathan Duhamel: I'm slowly getting better at other games. I try to practice as much as I can, especially Eight-Game. I've had the chance to play with Jason treysfull21 Mercier (pictured) during WPT Malta and it helped my game a lot. My goal is to be as complete of a player as I can be, so it's important for me to keep practicing and learning those games so I can be a good all-around player.
PocketFices: What would be the #1 piece of advice you'd give to an up-and-coming player?
Jonathan Duhamel: If you really want to be good, there is only one way to do it: practice, practice, and practice again. There is no magic way. That's what I did; that's how the big players did it too.
PocketFives: What other members of the Canada poker community do you talk poker with?
Jonathan Duhamel: I'm very close to the poker scene in Quebec and so all of the big players over there are good friends of mine. We travel together and talk a lot about strategies and find ways to improve our games together. Daniel Negreanu is also someone I talk a lot with, especially when traveling for tournaments. I feel like the Canadian poker scene is getting bigger and better every year. So many good players turn in good results and it will continue to go that way. I'm happy to be where I'm from and have the chance to do what I love for a living.
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