Berger Becomes Fourth Canadian Winner at this Year's Series
Maybe it's time to rename the World Series of Poker.Instead, let's start calling this the 2013 Canadian Series of Poker.After yet another Canadian-born poker player won a gold bracelet here in Las Vegas, there's compelling evidence in support of the contention that Canadian poker players may very well be the most talented national contingent of any nation per capita. Considering that players with Canadian citizenship have taken four of the first 11 opening events at this series, with several other deep runs and final table appearances mixed in, a strong case can be made about Canada's status as a top producer of young talent. This is even more impressive given the fact Canadian players make up no more than about 5 percent of tournament fields, on average. That means, they should be winning one gold bracelet in about every twenty.The latest champion is Levi Berger, who was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Although he now has dual citizenship (Canada and U.S.) since he resides most of the time in Los Angeles, Berger is proud of his Canadian origins.Berger won the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em tournament, which was played over the three-day period at the Rio in Las Vegas. He topped a big field of 924 en route to his first gold bracelet victory. The top prize amounted to $473,019.Berger is a 22-year-old professional poker player, an occupation he's held ever since adulthood. He now plays regularly at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Berger also returns home fairly often to Canada, where he can legally enjoy playing online poker, which was his initial training ground.In fact, Berger credits his time spent in the online poker world for giving him the skills needed to win on poker's biggest stage. Those skills were certainly put to the test, most notably when the relatively inexperienced Berger (so far as WSOP goes) faced two-time gold bracelet winner Scott Clements for the title.Afterward, Berger acknowledged that beating Clements heads-up added to the satisfaction of victory. Nonetheless, Berger was equally as confident in his own abilities, noting that he felt very comfortable on the ESPN Main Stage, playing in the biggest tournament of his life in front of family and friends who were watching every move on the nearly-live video stream.
MEET GOLD BRACELET WINNER – LEVI BERGERName: Levi Berger
Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Age: 22
Marital Status: Single
Children: None
Profession: Professional Poker Player
WSOP Cashes (including this event): 2
First WSOP Cash (year): 2012
WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
WSOP Wins (with this victory): 1
INTERVIEW WITH THE CHAMPION WSOP: How does it feel to win your second WSOP gold bracelet?
Berger: I think the past three days aren't even real. It's amazing.WSOP: Did you ever imagine you would win a WSOP title?
Berger: I imagined it every day, but that doesn't mean you expect it to happen. I have definitely thought about it a lot. I can't believe I'm so lucky to do this so early. I know what poker is about with the variance and all that. So, I was lucky to win early.WSOP: Tell us about your poker background.
Berger: I always liked poker. I started playing when I was like 14 years old. I got more serious about it when I turned 18. I actually started playing in home games and got more and more into it. Then, I started getting into poker online. After Black Friday, I tried to get a regular job. That's when I realized I'd have to try and make poker work. I've been playing since, hoping for the best. This is like – not normal.WSOP: Which are you – Canadian or American.
Berger: I was born in Canada, but am a citizen of both. I live here now. I came here as a teenager.WSOP: How have the last few days been?
Berger: I wasn't sleeping. This whole experience has been crazy.WSOP: Can you discuss what it was like playing against two-time gold bracelet winner Scott Clements heads-up? Is this even more satisfying since you beat him?
Berger: A bracelet is always a bracelet, but it definitely helps my confidence that I could play with him. He's obviously a great player. I used to rail him online back in the day. But, for me, it's more like I won a bracelet rather than I beat Scott Clements. This means a lot to me. WSOP: Was this a new experience, playing on the ESPN Main Stage?
Berger: I play a lot online. I have played a lot of hands. I may not have that much live results, since I am only 22. But I was not intimidated.WSOP: Can you talk about your family and friends and what they meant to you in this victory?
Berger: I'm the 11th of 12 siblings. We all do our different things, but we are all close. We support each other. My family is a big part of this. They were behind me, even though it's poker, which is not traditional. I also have great poker friends who have guided me. I am just really thankful. It was really like a team effort.