Jason Warner, an aspiring professional poker player from Vancouver, British Columbia was working as a home supply store employee when he landed his first WSOP gold bracelet. He was always fascinated by poker and used to frequent casinos once he was old enough to play legally. He first learned how to play the game by watching others play at the tables.
Jason Warner believes that poker is not just a game of skill, but also a game of luck. Unlike many young poker players, he does not play online poker, but prefers to play at the local River Rock Casino, where he won the Canadian Poker Tour event. During the tournament, this Canadian bachelor outlasted 240 players to finish in first place and took home a total of $22,000.
He bagged his first gold bracelet in the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on June 7, 2007. Prior to winning the bracelet, he lost the $2,000 Buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament. However, in his second WSOP tournament, Jason Warner beat an original field of 1,427 players and defeated David Zeitlin in heads-up play to take home a whopping $481,698. With 238 tables, exactly 1,300 players left the Amazon Room in just seven hours, leaving 127 players to shoot for the coveted 126 places in the money. During the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event, Jason Warner entered the final table with $945,000, while his opponent, David Zeitlin, entered the final table with $899,000. By the time heads-up play began, David Zeitlin had seized control and held a $2.9 million to $1.3 million chip lead. Things began to really heat up when Jason Warner was dealt pocket fives (5c 5d) and Zeitlin was dealt pocket sevens (7c 7h). After Zeitlin raised to $300,000, Jason Warner decided to move all-in. The flop revealed a Ks 10s 9s, which was followed by a Qc on the turn. Zeitlin was now just one card away from bagging the bracelet, but a five on the river gave Jason Warner the pot and the lead chip. After this hand, Zeitlin was down to his final $600,000, so he moved all in preflop with Qh 4s. Jason Warner called with Ad 6d. After the flop and the turn, a 9c 7h 3s 4h were on the board. The river 6s swung the game in favor of Jason Warner, giving him the best hand, the pot, and the tournament title. Incidentally, Jason Warner sported a New York Yankees baseball cap while seated at the final table, and his heads-up opponent, David Zeitlin, just happens to be from New York City.
In July 2007, he walked away with another $15,490 at the Bellagio Cup III in the World Poker Tour No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Jason Warner has won prize money exceeding $519,000, as of 2007. Many speculate that his career as a sales manager may not last; however, Jason Warner does plan to play poker for a very long time.