18-year-old Mike McDonald is the youngest player ever to win a European Poker Tour event. Don’t get fooled, even when he still in high school and looks like an average teenager, McDonald counts with several participations in major tournaments as well as a record number of hours playing online poker. McDonald has also attended tournaments in London, Macau, Prague and Aruba. The youngster from Ontario, Canada, won a cash prize of $1.4 million, his biggest prize after the $20,000 he won after finishing fourth in Prague. Besides the millionaire prize, McDonald has also secured a seat in the most relevant poker tournament in Europe at the world famous Monte Carlo Casino.

Mike McDonald didn’t have it easy as he had to confront some of the best poker players in the world, but it was his strong attitude and great performance what finally cleared the way to victory.  “I start all tournaments thinking I could win, or else I wouldn't play,” he said.

Mr. McDonald first approach to poker came after a chess teacher told him he could make a few bucks playing online poker. Then he took the nickname “Timex” saying “I just looked down at my watch, and I didn't have much money at the time so I had a Timex watch, and I just used that.”

Steve Paul-Ambrose, the 24 years old Canadian player who won $1.3-million in a tournament while studying in college took McDonald as protégé at the beginning of his short but now very profitable poker career. Paul-Ambrose said that McDonald's victory doesn’t surprise him at all.

“Honestly, not really, he's played a few tournaments since turning 18 and it was just a matter of time before a big score, he's a very smart kid.” said Ambrose.