Winning the World Series of Poker is no doubt an extremely satisfying victory. However, it’s even more gratifying if you win it after years and years of hardship. David Diaz can safely claim this honor; he survived a huge field of 1,340 and came out at the very top. But that wasn’t the only thing he survived, and it was definitely not the most significant. David actually had cancer when he was four years old. However, there was no available treatment for his kind of disease in Honduras, so he and his family moved to the United States. The cancer was cured completely with the help of St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. As such, this WSOP bracelet of his marks him as a true survivor.
David Diaz’ Story
There aren’t many people who can survive the challenges brought by cancer. It takes true character and courage to fight such a fatal disease. However, David Diaz proved that he has what it takes to do it, even braving a new country just so he could continue living. This great survival instinct managed to shine through when Diaz fought at the World Series of Poker Event #12, the $1,500 Triple Chance. There were 1,340 entrants, but he managed to outlast them all. The three days of play were pretty grueling, but Diaz’ skill shone through. He battled Anders Meli, a 25-year old student from Norway, at heads up. Meli won $218,183 for his efforts. Considering that this was Meli’s first cash at the WSOP, this was a pretty impressive achievement. There were several notable poker pros who cashed in this event, including Sam Trickett, JC Tran, and Carlos Mortensen.
David Diaz as a Poker Pro
Diaz is no newbie at the felt, however, and actually works as a professional poker player. He calls himself a ‘grinder’, playing for hours on end to get a profit. He goes from place to place, joining poker tournaments and trying to win them. He also joins various cash games with some of his buddies, a great many of whom are poker players themselves. This win of his at the World Series of Poker really proves that Diaz is a talented poker player, and is just one more achievement to add to a full life. Interestingly, he’s a first-time WSOP winner, marking himself as the 12th first-time Bracelet winner in this year’s WSOP – Remarkable, if you consider that there have only been 12 events finished so far.
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