One massive perk of being an online poker player is the freedom to travel to your heart’s content. All you really need is an internet connection and you can grind just as if you were in the comfort of your own pad. For Mexico’s Wade ricestud Townsend (pictured), 2014 could bring a whirlwind trip around the world as he plays poker from exotic locations.

We caught up with Townsend after he won the PokerStars Sunday $100 Rebuytwo weeks ago for $57,000, defeating a field of 1,039 entrants. He told us about his Sunday Major win: “I am really relaxed now. I had been running badly for awhile, so it was nice to get a good bink in.” He is currently the #8 ranked player in the Mexico poker community and tops in the city of San Lucas.

Townsend edged out fellow PocketFiver Drewfus81 heads-up in the $100 Rebuy. His Canadian adversary has $2.2 million in tracked scores and was no easy pushover, although he was handicapped with a 10:1 chip deficit. Townsend explained, “The real work in the tournament was done five-handed on down. Drewfus81 played correctly and was rewarded handsomely for it. The final table went well for me and shaped up to where I could apply ICM pressure to all of the stacks, so I was able to whittle everyone down pretty evenly.”

By the way, the name ricestud comes from the fact that he attended Rice University (pictured) in Houston and proclaimed himself “a stud.” He said, “Naturally, they came together.” Love it.

Despite the fact that he just won the PokerStars Sunday $100 Rebuy, he is still feeling his way through MTTs. He told us, “I felt like I made big strides in MTTs in 2013. I am, by trade, a heads-up sit and go guy, but I think I will continue to progress and dominate MTTs online throughout the year.”

He migrated from heads-up sit and gos to MTTs because “the prize pools are so big and it’s a new challenge and new way of thinking compared to heads-up sit and gos. I also find MTTs to be a lot less stressful.” Townsend used to play cash games, but got into heads-up sit and gos originally because he was playing baseball and couldn’t devote the time needed to play through an MTT. “Heads-up sit and gos let me play when and as long as I wanted to,” he reasoned.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, he is originally from the US, but doesn’t plan to move back any time soon. Instead, Townsend is prepping for the adventure of a lifetime. “I really like living in Mexico and plan on taking a trip around the world this year, living in different cities every month,” he previewed. “Lima, Tel Aviv, maybe Stockholm – I try not to plan too far ahead.” He’ll be traveling the world with two or three friends, which should make for quite a memorable experience.

Finally, Townsend has been a member of the PocketFives community since 2006 and has seen a considerable amount of change rip through the online poker industry – from the passage of the UIGEA shortly after he joined the site to Black Friday three years ago. We asked what trends he anticipates for the online poker world in 2014: “We will see how things progress in the USA, but I’m not hopeful anything gets resolved nationally. Hopefully, Californiacreates its own situation and really moves the ball along.”

You can read our latest update on the prospects of California online poker legislation in 2014.

He added, “I expect the game to continue to refine itself on a general level and for the better players to adapt quickly.”

The Sunday $100 Rebuy runs weekly on PokerStars. If you don’t already have an account on the site, create one through PocketFives’ links to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $600 and one free month of PocketFives Training when you make a deposit. Plus, PokerStars will host a special PocketFives Open as part of a three-tournament series on January 28. Get started here.

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