You have to wonder what it’s like to play for $10,000 – more money than you’ve ever won before — only to then discover you’re also playing for a Platinum Pass.
That’s a credit card sized prize worth more than double that ten grand. And with it all those potentially life changing possibilities, hosted by PokerStars at the PSPC 2020 in Barcelona next August.
Oh, and you’re playing heads up, with a short stack. And you need to be quick because the blinds are going up.
Clement Eloy can tell you exactly what that’s like. And what it’s like to win it all. It’s what he did on Tuesday night to be the first winner of a new Platinum Pass.
“We were just playing for 10K. It was a great news when they announced there would be a PSPC ticket,” Eloy tells PokerStars Blog the morning after.
Eloy won the Chase Your Dream invitational
Not that it made it any easier to play. Both he and his opponent Adrian Garcia held the lead, and were at the mercy of all-ins in what was a turbo structure.
“It was pretty stressful at the end. The blinds increased really fast. We were three blinds each and it was all-in, all-in, all-in. Finally, it was about luck, a lot of luck to win.
But even now, 24 hours after it all happened, it’s more about the Platinum Pass than events at the table. For while he successfully chased his dream yesterday, he now has another one to pursue.
That means a year of preparations.
“I will train for this tournament,” he said. “Maybe I’ll ask some advice from some pros. Study, then practice practice…”
It’ll be a shift in focus for the freelance product designer from Lille, France. When he’s not putting his design skills to use he’s an amateur poker player, just like millions of others around the world.
He started online 12 year ago, and that’s where he stayed until yesterday, his first ever live poker experience. A tough debut when you consider the opposition. Every time he looked his cards, Patrick Antonius, Lex Veldhuis and Fatima Moreira de Melo were waiting for him to act.
“It was crazy to win this tournament. When I knew I won the PSPC Platinum Pass it was a crazy thing.”
Clement Eloy with Joe Stapleton
Clearly it’ll take time for this to sink in, but he has time.
“I followed the PSPC when Ramon won. I followed the final table so… that was crazy. I never thought I could be in such a tournament. Now that’s it. I can go there.
“I told my friends and family. They were following me yesterday with the live stream. They don’t really understand what it was, but they knew I was coming to Barcelona to play a tournament. I think I will need to explain to them afterwards. With video!”
They’ll listen too, because it’s a great story. And it’s only just beginning.
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