It doesn't get much better than being bankrolled to give up your job and play with the big boys
It’s something we’ve all dreamed about (I know I have), and for Jim Davenport his dream has come true. The novice online player has won the prize of a lifetime: chucking his job in to become a professional player courtesy of PokerRoom.com.
Jim, whose handle is JDtrojan3 won PokerRoom’s ‘Become a Poker Pro’ tournament, and will now play professional poker for a year bankrolled to the tune of $250,000.
And if that’s not enough he also gets to play in the most glamorous games and competitions out there. His amazing win will take him to at least 12 major poker tournaments, including the World Series of Poker Main Event, the World Poker Tour Bellagio 5 Diamond Classic and the World Poker Tour Final.
How good is that? Every player fantasises about how they’d play the likes of Ivey, Hellmuth, Ferguson et al, and Davenport is actually going to do it, and on a regular basis, for a whole year.
Davenport will trade his everyday 9-5 Californian life as an investment analyst for the exclusivity and luxury of the high-rollers’ world. On the way to winning he fought off fierce competition from some of the world’s best poker players, some sitting down with chips worth over $100,000. He was up against opponents who had competed in major poker events including the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tournament, and he still came through.
Jim’s feet haven’t touched the ground since the win. "The ‘Become a Poker Pro’ tournament is one of the most memorable poker events I’ve played” he gushed. “It’s not just about the competition and winning the endorsement deal, but also the friendships formed with the guys on Team PokerRoom.com. We all love the game and sharpen our skills by learning from each other."
PokerRoom.com’s spokesman Robert Gustavsson said, "The tournament was a huge success and we were very impressed with the calibre of play among all the participants. Team PokerRoom.com continues to grow in popularity and is a great example of our commitment to developing individual player skills needed to enjoy, compete and succeed in the game of poker."
The tournament started last year with a series of online tournaments, culminating in a semi-final last September featuring 84 members of Team PokerRoom.com, the international and exclusive group of the best PokerRoom.com members. The final was held on March 5 on cruise ship Majesty of the Seas, as it sailed from Miami to the Bahamas.
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