He is one of many poker phenomena to come from Waterloo – a Canadian city known for cultivating some of the finest mathematic minds at Western University. He’s joined by prior winners Steve-Paul Andrews, who took home 1.3 million in the 2006 World Poker Tour, 18-year-old William Ma, a friend of McDonald’s who cleared more than $600,000 winning the Grand Prix de Paris in 2007, as well as Nenad Medic, who walked away from the World Poker Finals in Connecticut last year with $1.7 million.

 

The Responsible Gaming Council was relieved to hear McDonald warning other eager teens of get-rich-quick schemes. He readily admits it took him years of practice and study to feel confident – and moreover, prepared – to compete in a high-stakes tournament.

 

"If you approach it like a game of skill and you're constantly analyzing your decisions and stuff like that you most likely will end up being successful, but 99 per cent of people who play this game just play," McDonald said.

 

The key to success? Hard work, practice and knowing your limits. “Realistically,” McDonald added, “there are a lot more failure stories than there are success stories."