At only 24-years-old, Mike timexMcDonald (pictured) is well on his way to becoming a legend in the world of tournament poker. Just three months into the year, the Ontario native has already cashed for over $4 million, bumping his total live earnings to over $10 million. In an extensive interview with iGaming.org, McDonald discussed his beginnings in poker, his new yellow Lamborghini, why he stopped staking, and his infamous stare-down.

McDonald got his start playing poker in high school, making “decent money doing it.” But even while making up to $80 an hour grinding online, the young pro stayed frugal to the extreme. “There were two pizza places close to my school, one where you could get terrible pizza for $2 [that was] a 20-minute walk away, while the other one had good pizza for $2.50… right around the corner,” he said. “I would still walk to the one furthest away because it was cheaper.”

Now, McDonald no longer has to walk. After watching a scene from the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” the notorious penny-pincher “thought owning a Lamborghini would be cool” and decided to splurge on a Gallardo Spider after a big score at an Epic Poker League event in 2011. Even then, the analytical 24-year-old couldn’t help but rationalize the purchase. “I found out that you can drive a car like that for three or four years and then sell it for about $30,000 to $40,000 less than what you paid for it,” he said. “An old Lamborghini or Ferrari will depreciate less than a new Porsche.”

McDonald also discussed the good fortune he has had staking players and why he doesn’t do it anymore. “It was quite stressful to stake five or six players for live tournaments. I found that I was questioning my friends as to whether or not they were playing as well as they should and the losses would always get to me more than the winnings made me happy,” he admitted. “I even lost sleep over the stress of staking and once I got a chance to get out of it, I did.”

McDonald even talked about the origins of his infamous stare-down, which has ruffled feathers as of late. “I remember talking to Haralabos Voulgaris during my second ever live tournament… He told me that as an 18-year-old with no feel for live poker to stare at the table and make the same movements every single time. For three or four years, I actually did that and I tried to be as consistent as possible.”

Of course, the tactic doesn’t work on everyone, as he revealed in a hand he played against Phil Ivey (pictured). “He gives me this weird stare and I start to laugh, after which he snap-folds his cards,” he said. “Of course, when I cold five-bet, I’m usually pretty strong, but in that situation it felt like I got owned by not keeping my composure.”

As a well-known poker forum poster, McDonald’s friends in the community congratulated him and weighed in on his success on TwoPlusTwo. “I find Mike’s attitude on personal finance refreshing. It’s a rare trait among poker players,” said poker parody maker SrslySirius. Even if his poker career goes south somehow, he won’t be one of the guys that degens all his wealth away or wastes it on frivolities. Bright future.”

“Players like timex that take a better approach to their personal finances will help the image of poker players and help sell the game to the politicians who are on the fence about it,” said prolific poster Sect7G.

Eventually, McDonald hopes to work on a project or create a business that’s in line with one of his different passions like rock climbing. For now, he plans to continue focusing on poker. “Right now, poker is the best use of my time, and the last few and coming few years will probably be the biggest of my life in regards to expectation,” he said.

“I never want to take on jobs or investments because I feel like I need to make more money. I’d much rather grind poker and do well at it so I can make decisions without having to worry about money. That’s my goal within poker.”

Read the article on iGaming.org.

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