23 year-old Frenchman Olivier “axp15” Lombard took down the $500,000 top prize of an online tournament on the iPoker network on Sept. 7.
Olivier qualified for the $2.5 million guaranteed tournament four days previous in an event he almost forgot to play in. Then, after winning the seat, he had to decide whether to go away on holidays or take a shot at the event. In the end, the draw of the virtual felt was just too strong and he cut his trip short to play via remote Internet access in Senegal.
The online cash player emerged triumphant from a field of 1,596 after 14 hours of strenous play.
"Never give up," is his advice to other tournament hopefuls. "Always go for number one."
The last minute decision has transformed his life, and he can now take as many holidays as he likes, before returning to his very first home in France.
