Brampton, Ontario's Jason Clarke will be participating the WSOP Main Event for decades to come after being randomly selected as the winner of the World Series of Poker's "Main Event for Life" promotion, in which one lucky player who participated in the 2023 WSOP Main Event was randomly selected as the recipient of a $10,000 Main Event seat for each of the next 30 years,
World Series of Poker Vice President Jack Effel announced Clarke as the winner just before the start of the Main Event's final table earlier today. All 10,043 players who participated in the Main Event were eligible to win, though the prize drawing was contingent on the Main Event breaking its previous high for participation, 8,773 players, which was set back in 2006.
According to a WSOP statement, Clarke didn't even believe he'd won when first notified of his good fortune. "I actually missed the first phone call about me winning,” said Clarke. “Although I was skeptical, I decided to call back and to my surprise, I found out I won. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and I am excited to see what the next 30 years has in store."
Clark has attended the WSOP several times in recent years, though playing in the Main Event was itself a a stroke of good fortune. On July 5, he won one of the WSOP's daily non-bracelet tourneys, cashing for $19,500, and he spent roughly half of that payday on a Main Event seat. Clarke busted before the Main Event reached the money, but he ended up cashing big in a different way.
According to the WSOP, Clarke is a realtor in Toronto who began playing tournament poker 17 years ago, when he was 25. Now in his early 40s, Clarke has made visits to Las Vegas and the WSOP in most years ever since. He'll get to play the first of his 30 Main Event tickets in July 2024.
Feature image source WSOP / PokerNews (Megan Haney). Used with permission.
