Student wins $1.5M in poker tourney | IXGAMES
Ryan Daut didn’t expect to come back to college this semester as a millionaire.
A 22-year-old doctoral candidate in mathematics at Penn State, went to the Bahamas to play in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which started Jan. 4 at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in Nassau. The New Jersey native was the last man standing — beating 936 opponents and walking away with the tournament’s $1.5 million grand prize.
Daut, who said online poker is his primary source of income, was one of 937 people who each put in $8,000 to enter the tournament.
“It was a big relief when I won,” Daut said. “I was pretty excited about it.” Daut said his math skills were part of his winning strategy, but his hand selection and “reading” of other players were what won the poker game. “Math is a big part of poker, but a lot of things are more important than mathematical aspects,” Daut said. “I played pretty standard, played a strong game.” Daut said when he was down to just one opponent, the game became much more interesting. “Normally, when there are eight or nine players at the table, you have to play better hands,” he said. “It’s a lot less interesting. You are not involved in every hand.” But with heads-up poker, when only two players are left, Daut said every pot is a battle, and he ended up with the winning hand. As for the money, Daut said he’s going to invest most of it. “I moved up the stakes online,” he said. “I’m not going to make any big purchases.”