It’s not easy being Ryan ryanghallHall (pictured). The Canadian online poker player from Ontario had to be a bounty in today’s PocketFives Openon WPT Poker. Players were gunning for him left and right and ultimately Ireland’s gerryf23bounced him from the $11 buy-in community event. He was invited to be a bounty in the first place in celebration of a brand new graphic in his PocketFives profile, the $2 million cash badge, which he officially scored on May 15.

Nearly half of his tracked tournament winnings have come on PokerStars, the largest online poker site in the land. Hall told us what it means to be able to boast $2 million in career winnings: “It’s an accomplishment. I’ve worked hard over many years and it’s nice to see my name up there with so many great players.” He joined the site in mid-2007 and was once as high as #84 in the PocketFives Poker Rankings.

Hall’s largest online poker cash to date was worth $159,000 and came by virtue of taking down a $300 Cubed event during the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) in 2009. When asked what the highlight of his poker career has been, Hall told PocketFives, “So far, I’d have to say it was the FTOPS win back in 2008, but hopefully [my biggest win] hasn’t happened yet. I also had a big day in 2010 where I chopped the Sunday Warm-Up and PokerStars $55 Rebuy and came in third in the UB $530. That was a good day too.”

Last October, Hall won the Sunday $100 Rebuy on PokerStars, officially walking away with $55,000. In January, he cashed for $19,000 after finishing third in the $200,000 Guaranteed on William Hill and has nearly 1,200 tracked in the money finishes to his credit.

When will we see him reach $3 million in tracked cashes? Given the constant flux of the online poker industry, we suppose nearly anything is possible, but Hall guessed, “That’s a tough question. I’m really not sure. I guess sometime in 2014 is probably realistic. Who knows, though? Things can change at any time.” Indeed.

In many poker players’ careers, there are a few moments of epiphany. Hall revealed that there were two defining points on his road to success: “First, when I originally got into the game, Russell rdcrsnCarson (pictured) helped me a lot. The second turning point was when I joined PokerXFactor and starting working with Eric sheets Haber. That totally transformed my game. I play completely differently now than I used to play and it’s for the better. Carson helped me along and was always there if I wanted to run hands off him or had any questions. He definitely shaped the first part of my MTT career.”

“Sheets hosts a chat every week on Tuesdays at 2:00pm and reviews hand histories,” Hall continued. “We all get together and discuss certain spots. It has been a really good way to plug up little leaks in my game by looking at other players’ hand histories as well as my own. Everyone has little leaks and it’s very important to work on your game constantly to try to find them.”

This weekend marks the start of the 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas with the traditional $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on Sunday. On Monday, the first open bracelet event will be held, a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament. Hall will be among those players making the trek to the Nevada desert with visions of gold bracelets dancing in their heads.

“For the first time ever, I’m doing a full schedule of No Limit Hold’em,” Hall said of his WSOP plans. “I’ve never been able to do this before because I teach high school and am at work all of June, but this year I took the year off from teaching, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

He’s especially jacked for the Main Event, but with only three starting days, its bathroom lines could be a train wreck. Hall and other players we’ve talked to have expressed their concerns. He relayed, “The bathroom situation will be a nightmare. It’s definitely a zoo, but there’s nothing like the Main Event.”

See who else has recently scooped a $2 million cash badge.