News / nono / 06 June 2008 / Leave a comment

The winner is Michael Banducci, from Traverse City, MI. He is a 23-year-old professional poker player. Banducci was born in Toronto, Ontario (Canada).

Banducci symbolizes the new breed of poker player who has learned the game by playing on his computer. He first saw poker on television about five years ago. He never dreamed he would win a gold bracelet. He stated that his early goal was simply to get to the WSOP and someday play in a tournament. Now, he has much more lofty ambitions - including winning another event.

Banducci made one re-buy plus a double add-on. Hence, he invested $4,000 in this tournament and collected $636,736.

The new champion attended Hope College in Michigan. He worked a variety of summer jobs. He started playing poker at a local casino and mostly played $4-8 limit until graduating to higher levels of play.

Banducci made some interesting observations in a post-tournament interview with the WSOP Public Relations Team:

The amount of time it takes to become a good player is reduced by playing (on the computer). We play so many hands. We talk to our friends (about the hands). You learn so fast. I think younger players understand the fundamentals much better. Older players probably know about the real-life aspects of the game. But the future of poker (success) depends on understanding the fundamentals.

I can't imagine ever stopping doing what I am doing. I really enjoy it. Only now, I view it more as a business. I put in a set number of hours per week. At one time I was really passionate about poker. But I think I have become more disciplined about what I do.