by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
For some people, online poker can mean a steady income. For others like 25 year old Olivier Lombard, means vacation pay. Mr. Lombard paid for his vacation with plenty to spare this year when he entered into Titan Poker’s $2.5 Million Guaranteed tournament. The tournament was scheduled during his holiday from his day job as a French civil engineer.
Lombard’s success story came by the grace of some higher being, as he had almost forgotten to participate in the qualifying tournament just days before the main event. When the thought finally struck him to redeem his free token to the qualifier, he landed himself in the top five to earn a seat in the final, and eventually a $500,000 grand prize.
“I was extremely lucky,” he admits. “You almost always need a lot of tournament experience to win such huge events.”
Lombard competed in an entry field of some 1,596 opponents in the 14 hour long main event during his holiday to become the winner. “I kept the stakes far from my mind and played as rationally as I could,” he commented. “I made sure to change strategy during the game, depending on the opponents and the blinds. Lady Luck also made an appearance at two key points in the tournament and thankfully turned the cards in my favor at the River.”
“Never give up,” he advises. “Always go for number one. Don’t content yourself with just winning satellite seats. Focus on the game, keep the stakes out of your mind, and play your best.”
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