WINNING THIS TOURNAMENT IS INCREDIBLE because it was such a great event. I feel like a complete rockstar and I’m ecstatic at the moment.

I DON’T THINK I ACTUALLY RAN THAT WELL in the event. At the start, I was getting some terrible hands and just couldn’t get going. However, I’m a cash-game player and was able to work my way up gradually. There wasn’t one big hand that turned my tournament, just a bunch of small pots that helped me climb the ladder rung by rung. By the end of day four I was in great shape, so for the first time I really felt as though I could win the whole thing.

AS A CASH-GAME PLAYER, I’M USED TO seeing a lot of streets, but that wasn’t really the case here. I love to see flops with big stacks, but this event was highly competitive so I had to alter my game. I’m used to playing a bit tighter, and heading into the final I was planning to sit on my stack a bit, but the dynamics changed and I began trying out a few new things. My opponents were giving me more space than I expected, so I took advantage by opening up my game. I stole a lot of pots, but it was working, so I decided to stick with it.

IT WAS A REALLY TOUGH DAY, GRUELLING TO SAY THE least, but I don’t have a problem with playing long finals. For me, it’s just another day at the office. The players I was most concerned about were definitely Isaac [Baron] and my fellow Canadian Maxime [Villemure]. They were the most aggressive players at the final table aside from me, but I’m a confident player and I still thought I could beat them.

SINCE NEW YEAR, I’VE BEEN PLAYING MORE LIVE tournaments, so that’s going to continue. I’ve only played two EPTs, and I have a good record so far, coming 13th in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas and now winning this one. It shows I’m playing well.

VICTORY HERE IS COMPLETELY different from how I felt in the Bahamas. To finish in 13th was gutting, especially considering the way I went out. Playing that event strengthened my determination to win this one. Confidence wasn’t really a problem because I’d won a circuit event a few weeks prior. Also, I could have won in the Bahamas just as easily as I could have lost this one; it was just about key hands at the right time.