I'm still not quite willing to classify poker as a sport, but it is televised on prominent all-sports networks and it does have a huge following -- in fact, more North Americans watch poker than, say, hockey -- so let's devote some space here today to this remarkable bit of news:
A Toronto accountant has won more than $2.4-million U.S. at the World Series of Poker.
Darus Suharto, 39, left the final table in Las Vegas in the wee hours yesterday morning with a sixth-place finish and a cheque for $2,412,510. He beat out more than 6,835 opponents who had entered the World Series.
Not a shabby result for an $80 investment by Suharto in an online tournament last spring. Suharto grinded his way against unfathomable odds to reach the final table in Vegas on the weekend. He was elated yesterday, of course, and, while not calling himself an athlete, he certainly called poker a sport.
"It’s the only sport that gives regular people the chance to become a top sportsman," Suharto said. "When I first started playing, I wasn't very good at all, but I quickly learned by practicing (at www.pokerstars.com) and I became more conservative in my play. This has been the ride of a lifetime."
Suharto was born in Indonesia before earning a master's degree in business at the University of Arkansas. He moved to Canada to work for Deloitte and Touche and became a certified public accountant through York University. He began playing poker for fun in college, but only started playing competitively in 2005, primarily as an online player.
Yesterday morning, Suharto was subdued at the final table when he moved all in and his ace-eight was called by poker professional Scott Montgomery, another Canadian. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Montgomery defeated Suharto with an ace-queen. Montgomery wound up with a fifth-place finish and a cheque for $3,096,768 U.S.
Suharto, incidentally, is paying off his mortgage with his winnings and plans to set up an education scholarship. He isn't quitting his day job, though.
- The Blue Jays hope the president of the Washington Nationals becomes their new president.
Stan Kasten, who also has presided over the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers, is atop the list to replace the Jays’ interim prez, Paul Beeston. Sources spotted Jays lawyer Gord Kirke meeting with Kasten in New Orleans on the weekend. - The Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders both have been established as six-point favourites for their division finals this weekend.
The Als will entertain the Edmonton Eskimos. The B.C. Lions visit Calgary.
