Jack Hinchey, from Ontario took the million dollar first prize at the World Poker Crown final in Barcelona this weekend.
He says that his only goal was to win enough cash to put his granddaughter through university.
Hinchey's granddaughter, Victoria, is 10 years old, and was on his mind throughout the competition, as he faced off against some of the best poker players in the world.
After taking the first prize, Hinchey travelled back home to be greeted by friends and family.
Hinchey is not a professional player, but he has been playing poker for about 30 years. He entered the Internet competition, and bested more than 2000 players to become one of the top ten players who were flown to Barcelona for the tournament.
Hinchey, 49, works as a plumbing repair man, and said that winning the cash was a 'surreal experience', and that he had 'the week of a lifetime'. "What's the secret of my success? I play for my granddaughter Victoria," said Hinchey. “I put my picture back out and things went gangbusters after that”, he added, referring to a picture of his granddaughter that he used as a good luck charm, and pulled out when the game was not going well for him.
Now that he has returned home, Hinchey plans to sleep for a while, commenting that the tournament was exhausting for him.
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