pokerAn Ottawa graduate student climbed out from under his $30,000 debt yesterday after winning $1 million U.S. in a poker tournament in the Bahamas.

After winning the 16-hour tournament, Mr. Nagel turned down the prize package option that included an Aston Martin DB9, opting for more cash. Mr. Nagel became one of 27 players to earn entry to the tournament, qualifying from a field of 800,000 playing poker online. He went to the tournament with his wife, Lisa. Their three-month-old daughter, Audrey, is in Toronto with Mr. Nagel’s mother-in-law.

“You’ve got a girl above your head and you’re walking and you’re the only people on stage and something goes awry. I mean, what do you do? You have to be able to make very quick and proper decisions — and poker is all a game of decisions. Whoever makes the best decisions and the least mistakes usually wins.” he said after the game. Mr. Nagel is actually scheduled to defend his master’s thesis next week at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

The fourth-place finisher, Steve Bazzo, was a 21-year-old who made sandwiches at a Subway franchise in Michigan. According to the tournament website, he plans to use his $118,000 winnings to move to Las Vegas with friends and become a professional. Good Luck to them!