Mike Chappus is a 23-year-old online poker champion from Windsor, Ontario. In the three years he has spent playing poker online professionally, he has earned himself hundreds of thousands of dollars and the reputation of being one of the best poker players to ever emerge from Canada.
According to a feature story in the Vancouver Sun, Chappus began his online poker career as soon as he turned 18, the legal age to gamble online in Ontario. He took his life savings, earned while working part-time at Walmart, and funded his new online poker account. It started out as a hobby, a way to make some extra cash in his free time but in just a few months, Chappus’ bankroll had reached more than $30 000.
The turning point in his career came the night before the final exam of a class he was enrolled in at the University of Windsor. Rather than studying, he bought in to an online poker tournament and walked away with the second-place prize of $65 000. Needless to say, he failed his exam but, with a bankroll of more than $100 000, he was ready to embark on a full-time poker-playing career.
Today, Mark Chappus is one of the hottest new poker players in the professional circuit. He has recently competed in his biggest live game during the WSOP, where he outlasted Poker Pro Phil Hellmuth to win a prize of $72 000. Next, he will move on to the tournament’s Main Event, taking place right now.
This is just the beginning of what seems to be a promising professional poker career. So, keep an eye out for Mark Chappus, as we predict he’s going to do some big things.
