Ontario is stuffed full of top players, around 75% of the Top 100 Canadian Live players have come from the region. One in particular has had a lot of people watching his progress,there are few in the poker world, whether 
online or live who haven’t heard of Mike “Timex” McDonald. By now, most will have realized, if they were ever confused in the first place, that no, he hasn’t retired from poker, he just decided to go back to finish his studies. McDonald’s answers in interviews questioning his decision to “significantly cut back on the game” can be summed up and paraphrased as being “satisfied with his poker accomplishments, with his ultimate goal always having been to get to a position financially that allowed him to take whatever path he chooses to go forward.”
While already an European Poker Tour Champion, probably the biggest and only reason Mike doesn’t yet own a World Series of Poker bracelet is that he turned twenty-one after 2010′s events had wrapped up.
Also known to have had some massive scores through “buying a piece” of players and once added to his 2.7 million dollars in live tournament winnings with nearly another million online, clearly few have the options in life that Mike has made for him himself before reaching legal age to “party and play” in the USA. After his post secondary studies, McDonald has said he has a few “business ventures” in mind, possibly and particularly with friends that have been around before the fame and the fortune.
McDonald now currently sits about 13th on the All Time Canadian Live Tournament Money List, and with finally having access to the enormous prize pools at the World Series of Poker, expect to see him make some significant jumps towards the top. Despite his decisions on a little more “life balance” outside the poker world over 2010, it certainly doesn’t mean that “Timex”, like any other competitive and winning player, wouldn’t mind a WSOP bracelet or two for souvenirs of his young poker career.
Often said to be the first player to win over a million dollars in a live poker tournament at the age of 18 and definitely the first to do it on the EPT, Mike is “old school” poker’s worst nightmare. The European Poker Tour Champion and Full Tilt Pro is not only a part of the new generation of complex online players, he is also the man who taught a good portion of today’s best internet players how to play high level thinking, professional class poker.
As a highly respected CardRunner coach and poker theory “authority”, Mike has the reputation, the bankroll, the backers and the balls to mix it up with anyone, significantly reducing the edges of his opponents. “Timex has been known to compete in HighRoller events with buy-ins as high as $100,000 and play profitable cash game at the what most would consider the “nose bleed” levels.
Watch any of his videos and it is amazing and enlightening for most to see Mike’s ability to break the game down to it’s theoretical components, consider it’s many elements and “play the player “accordingly. McDonald’s track record on the live scene proves him making any necessary adjustments from his online game to live play and McDonald’s consistent track record of deep in the money finishes will certainly keep him cashing throughout the series, providing him ample opportunity for a bracelet score over the 2011 WSOP.
McDonald hangs with some of today’s most well known young pros and is no stranger to the top of the poker food chain, so expect to see them all having a ton of fun as they invade Las Vegas, (some for their first time). Mike or his “peeps” blogs and threads are always an informative or entertaining read. Even after the WSOP wraps up, expect McDonald to turn up at any series around the globe that his schedule will allow; he is also known to pop in at some of own Canadian major tournament poker events if they look to provide a “juicy” fun time.
*Update: Mike McDonald wins the 2nd Epic Poker League $20,000 Main Event for over $782,000! His latest major tournament title came on the eve of his 22nd birthday, jumping him up to 12th on the Canadian All Time Tournament Money Winners list.
Combined with his 3 other cashes over 5 figures during some summer visits to Las Vegas , including a WSOP Final Table in the $5,000 PLO, McDonald now sits at nearly $3,670,000 in live winnings.
