Although they don’t have the home court advantage, Canadian poker players are performing exceptionally well at this year’s WSOPE tournament. Online player Michael ‘SirWatts’ Watson has won several lucrative events while Daniel Negreanu’s team has taken home the Ceasar’s Cup.
The notion that online players crack under the pressure of live poker games is now just a myth, and players like Michael Watson continue to disprove that belief. Watson has cashed in four events of the WSOPE so far, the prizes of which total over $700 000. While he has not made it to the main event, his performance this year might earn him the title of WSOP Player of the Year.
In another event, Canadians have also proven their worth in the poker market. Daniel Negreanu’s Team Americas took home the Ceasar’s Cup. This is the second year that this particular tournament has been held and although it is still a fledgling competition, it has become a fierce event. The interesting thing about this event is that there is no prize money at stake; instead, it’s all about bragging rights. This year, Team America (Phil Hellmuth, Ben Lamb, Jason Mercier, Johnny Chan and Daniel Negreanu) crushed Team Europe (Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Jake Cody, Max Lykov, Gus Hansen and Tony G) with a score of 3 to 1.
While Europe and the UK still breed the most professional poker players, it seems that Canada is catching up. Many of the country’s players are doing well in prestigious land-based poker tournaments, a sign that the country’s poker market is developing.
