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Written by Mathias | Saturday, January 16th, 2010
A 19-year-old out of West Palm Beach, Florida is another self-made multi-millionaire after winning the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure poker tournament held this month in the Bahamas. Harrison Gimbel, who is a recent graduate of the Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, has since moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to study at the University of Alabama. But as it seems, instead of attending classes this semester, he headed to the Bahamas to play in the tournament.
When interviewed by a local news reporter for CBS, Gimbel said, “It’s just a great feeling. I’m the youngest main event champion ever. I couldn’t ask for anything better right now.”
Gimbel has been playing poker since he was 13, when he began playing with friends. He comments, “Poker’s really just a game of skill. It’s a lot like chess, where it’s like a mind game.”
He outlasted more than 1,500 participants that included poker legends like Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey, among others. With a $10K buy-in, this was a huge feat for a 19 year old. When asked what he planned on doing with his $2.2 million prize, he said, “I’m so excited. It feels amazing. A lot of these players were very good, but I had a lot of confidence in myself coming into today and it really showed. I’m now going car shopping!” Currently his main means of transportation is a ‘99 Jeep Cherokee that he admits doesn’t run as well as he’d like.
He also plans on re-investing some of his winnings in more poker tournaments, specifically those overseas, as he isn’t old enough to play in the US, where the gambling age is 21. He states, “My plans might include playing some more tournaments around the world… Just travel the world, while I do what I love.”
Other winners include the second place finisher, Tyler Reiman, from Illinois, who won $1.75 million. Finishing third was 63-year-old Barry Shulman, owner of CardPlayer magazine and now $1.35 million richer. Shulman’s son, Jeff was in the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table and won the WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe), so apparently success runs in the family. Congratulations are in order for all players who finish in the money in any poker tournament because if lady luck doesn’t take you down, the stress factor can… All of these guys are survivors!
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Written by Mathias · Filed Under news · |
