Truly a live and online poker force, Canada’s Marc-Andre Ladouceur(pictured) recently joined Team PokerStars Online. He has been a Supernova Elite at PokerStars since 2010 and made deep runs in the 2011 and 2012 World Series of Poker Main Events on the live scene, finishing 63rd and 13th, respectively. Courtesy of PokerStars, PocketFives sat down with Ladouceur to recap his incredibly successful career.

PocketFives: Tell us about finishing 13th in the 2012 WSOP Main Event. How was that experience and how did it change your poker career?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: Making a run in the WSOP Main Event and making the November Nine is the dream of any poker player. As heartbreaking as it was to bust so close to the final table after being the chip leader to start Day 7, it was still a breakthrough in my live poker career. I had been playing high-stakes online cash games almost exclusively prior to that, but it’s crazy how a score or two will make you want to travel some more.

PocketFives: What are some tips to surviving that grueling of a tournament and how demanding was it? How were you able to keep your composure throughout it?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: Getting some rest at night was a major thing for me. As you advance in the tournament, it gets harder to get some sleep. A big difference in 2012 versus my run to 63rd place in 2011 is that I forced myself to go to bed after the days were over instead of staying up a bit for drinks with everybody.

PocketFives: You went from a large-field WSOP Main Event cash in 2012 to a smaller field win in the EPT San Remo High-Roller Event later that year. How did you approach those two tournaments differently?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: In large WSOP fields, there are a lot more recreational players, so I wanted to navigate through the tournament and, if possible, avoid tougher or higher variance spots. The skill level of players is much better in smaller EPT fields, so you have to battle it out with the best in the world.

PocketFives: How did you end up joining Team PokerStars Online?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: I was very fortunate. They approached me a few months ago to seek my interest. I had an interview with them in Las Vegas this summer and they made me an offer a month ago. I’ve been playing high-stakes cash games for years exclusively on PokerStars and been Supernova Elite for four years. Since I’m also traveling the live circuit, I assume they thought I’d be a good fit. I have several friends in the poker world who would’ve been great candidates as well, so I feel very lucky to get this opportunity.

PocketFives: As you mentioned, you have been Supernova Elite since 2010. How hard has that been to keep up and why was it originally a goal for you?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: The first person I saw play online for a living was a $1/$2, 24-table grinder who was doing Elite (“MeleaB”), so I started playing thinking that was the only way to make it. Getting Elite is getting harder and harder for me as the years go by because I’m not quite an internet kid. I have no prior gaming background and I’m a pretty big computer fish. Fortunately, I started playing sit and gos as well now, so I can get it by playing roughly 15 hours per week on average now.

PocketFives: The PokerStars MicroMillions 6 schedule was just released, with 100 events and $5 million guaranteed. What do you think of the series?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: It’s an amazing way for aspiring players to launch their careers with a big score or sharpen their skills at other games besides Hold’em. The buy-ins are low, the prize pools are huge, and there are a bunch of rebuy tournaments. I might get in a little Badugi, Pot Limit Courcheval, or Five Card Omaha High-Low.

PocketFives: How did you get started in poker?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: In 2006, “Chilax Chuck” invited me to his $2/$5 live cash game. It looked pretty cool, but I was a lot more interested in the business side of it. I lived in North Carolina at the time, where I was a managing partner at a nightclub, and started to run cash games myself. Through it all, I met Mike Brooks three years later. Watching him get Supernova Elite gave me my start in online poker. I wish I’d met him a long time before.

PocketFives: What do you do away from the game nowadays?

Marc-Andre Ladouceur: Between live and online, poker keeps me pretty busy nowadays. I still have a nightclub in North Carolina, but I’m lucky enough to have partners I can trust so it doesn’t take up as much of my time anymore. Like most French Canadians, I’m a huge Habs hockey fan. I played most sports growing up, went to college on a tennis scholarship, and now I’m just trying to find a little time to stay active.

If you don’t already have a PokerStars account, sign up through PocketFives’ link and make a deposit to get one free month of PocketFives MTT Training. You’ll also get a 100% up to $600 sign-up bonus. Click here for PocketFives’ PokerStars link.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.