Jonathan Duhamel: One Drop Victory for Number Two

Every poker player dreams of winning in the most anticipated tournament of the year: the World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event. Very few actually reach the pinnacle by raising the WSOP main event bracelet above their head.

However, members of this elite fraternity often desire to prove to the poker world that they are not just a one-hit wonder. Last year, the 1999 main event champion, Joe Cada, captured his second WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 no-limit six-max event for $670,041. This year, the 2010 WSOP champion Jonathan Duhamel added to his jewelry collection by taking down the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop over a star-studded field, earning almost $4 million dollars.

Shortly after his victory, I sat down with the Canadian champion to discuss winning his second WSOP bracelet and advice for future WSOP main event champions.

Bernard Lee: Congratulations on capturing the High Roller for One Drop and your second WSOP bracelet. How did you feel entering the event?

Jonathan Duhamel: Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. The start of the summer, I played quite a lot. But honestly, I had only a few cashes, but nothing big. But coming into the One Drop, I felt really ready and thought this event would be great to win, especially with the charity aspect.

Bernard Lee: With such a massive buy-in ($111,111), High Roller for One Drop has an interesting mix of players with, of course, well-known professionals, but also young online players and wealthy businessmen. How do you approach this type of event?

Jonathan Duhamel: It is definitely a good mix of players and a lot of fun. The younger players, who are able to play in this event, are usually really good. They have won a lot of money before, usually online, and these players are going to be really tough to play against.

Then, you have the rich businessmen, who have tons of money. They play poker basically for fun. They know how to play, but what they do at the table is sometimes not as rational as what the young guns are doing.

So, you really have to focus and adjust the way you are playing based on who you are up against.

Bernard Lee: You were really short near the money bubble, right?

Jonathan Duhamel: Yeah, with 18 players left and 16 were getting paid, I had only six big blinds at that point. But there were four of us who had less than 10 big blinds, so it was really a race to see who would bust first. I was the shortest one, so I had to move all-in with my hand. I was lucky that no one called. That was a really big hand for me because it was a quarter million dollars to make it to the money. So, the goal was definitely to just make it into money, and then after that it was gamble, gamble and see what happens

Bernard Lee: You had a great run to the final table getting paid with pocket aces three times. Then the final table had some great storylines: you trying to win your second bracelet and Dan Colman trying to go back-to-back in the One Drop. But of course, all eyes were on Phil Hellmuth chasing his 15th bracelet. Did you notice increased media coverage and did it affect the way you played with?

Jonathan Duhamel: You did notice it for sure. The crowd was getting bigger, there was more attention on the table. He always makes the game bigger and more entertaining and more fun to watch.

But did it affect me? Absolutely not! To me, he was just another player to my left with the chip lead, applying his style (Note: Hellmuth had the chip lead with six players remaining). I was adjusting to how he played, not to who he is. I waited for good spots to get my money in with the best hand.

Bernard Lee: At the final table, you were playing for millions of dollars and, of course, another WSOP bracelet. Were you nervous?

Jonathan Duhamel: To be honest, I felt no pressure at all. I was not even thinking about the money. We all were guaranteed about half a million dollars, so it is going to be a good pay day no matter what. I was just playing for the bracelet. I felt that my experience on this stage was a big advantage. Since I had been there before, I knew what to expect.

Bernard Lee: Over the past few years, you have played a lot of mixed games in addition to no-limit hold’em. Why have you focused so much energy on these other poker games?

Jonathan Duhamel: I felt like it was going to be a really good challenge for me to learn these new games. It also kept the game interesting for me. I played a lot of hands online to get experience at the mixed games. Overall, I wanted to try to be more of a complete player.

Bernard Lee: What advice would you give a player who is playing the main event for the first time?

Jonathan Duhamel: First, you will probably be playing for about 12 hours each day, so make sure that you get a good night sleep, have a good breakfast, and eat little things throughout the day. It is a long grind. Remember, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Then remember it is like any other tournament that you play back at home. Try to play as well as possible. Do your best and have fun, because it is so much fun playing in the main event.

Bernard Lee: Do you have any advice for the next WSOP main event champion, especially being a good poker ambassador?

Jonathan Duhamel: The main element is to have fun. For me, I have never felt like I was doing a job of being an ambassador. I just have fun doing it. I have fun meeting people, laughing with them, shaking their hands, and taking pictures with them. As long as you have fun doing it, then it is not going to feel like a job.

Bernard Lee: In the future, what would you like to do outside of the world of poker?
I would love to travel. The thing is that I have travelled a lot in my life, but always for poker and not just for fun. I would love to go to Australia and just lay by the beach for a couple of weeks. I actually might go to Africa to help out with One Drop, that’s a really big thing for me. Maybe go to the moon!

But in the end, I want to have some kids, have an amazing family. I’m not a complicated guy, so I just really want to be happy. Be surrounded with people that I love and that love me too. Have some fun and enjoy life. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. ♠

Bernard Lee is a poker columnist for ESPN.com, author of “The Final Table, Volume I and II” and radio host of “The Bernard Lee Poker Show,” which can be found on RoundersRadio.com or iTunes. Lee has over $2 million in career earnings, winning six titles. Lee is a team member of RunGoodGear.com, Team Pro for Blue Shark Optics and also spokesperson for specialty travel company, Blaycation. Follow Bernard Lee on Twitter or Instagram: @BernardLeePoker or visit him at www.BernardLeePoker.com