In the conclusion of what was one of the biggest events to ever grace poker history, Jonathan Duhamel became the first ever Canadian to take home the WSOP Main Event Bracelet. He also took home an eye-popping grand prize of $8.9 million. Indeed, nothing’s ever going to be the same for Duhamel again, especially now that his name has became famous throughout the industry. This is only the beginning of what could well be an excellent career as a poker pro.

Duhamel vs. Racener

Duhamel and Racener were the last ones standing from the more than 7,000 hopefuls who joined the WSOP. They were the youngest pair in the game’s history to make it to the final two, and it looked like it was going to be a pretty interesting battle. Duhamel had a monster chip lead going into heads up, with a 6:1 advantage. However, Racener was not to be underestimated, as he showed quite a bit of talent in playing poker with a short stack. However, it seems as if the gap in their stacks was just too big for Racener to overcome. In fact, the heads up play lasted for only a little over an hour and thirty minutes.

The final hand went like this: Racener had K-8 of Diamonds, with which he saw fit to go all-in. Duhamel, at that point, had the better hand of A-J. The flop turned out to be 4-4-9, which was really of no help to either but did keep Duhamel in the lead. Racener needed a K or an 8 at either the turn or the river to stay afloat, but it appears that the bracelet was not for him. The turn was revealed to be a six, and the river a five, making Duhamel the ultimate winner of the 2010 WSOP.

The Aftermath

The aftermath of the event was pretty emotional. Racener who lost to Duhamel but still won a whopping $5.5 million – nothing to scoff at, really – was warmly received by his family. Duhamel, on the other hand, was having a riot. Upon winning, Duhamel let out a scream of pure and utter victory; he was lifted to his feet by his many fans and thus began a nice session of crowd surfing, after which he took the time in posing for the cameras along with his hard-earned money. He also gave props to his homeland by waving the Canadian Flag on the stage. The crowd was in an uproar too, with some of them chanting “Show some skin!” and some singing “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”.

Finally, confetti was showered upon the victorious Duhamel as he received the much coveted golden WSOP Bracelet.