Online poker player Olivier Lombard (23) paid for his vacation and then some this year when he decided to enter the Titan Poker $2.5 Million Guaranteed online poker tournament whilst on holiday from his job as a French civil engineer.
It was a decision that earned him the $500 000 first prize despite a rather rocky start when he almost forgot to play in the qualifying tournament just days before the big event. At the last moment he remembered to redeem a free token to the $2.5 million satellite, and he finished in the top five to earn a seat in the final.
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, Lombard was able to win the 14 hour big game against an entry field of 1 596 contestants whilst still vacationing in Senegal.
“I kept the stakes far from my mind and played as rationally as I could,” he recalled later. “I made sure to change strategy often during the game, depending on the opponents and the blinds.”