Time Out for Poker Pro Timex
At the ripe age of 20, Mike "Timex" McDonald has decided to call it quits from the professional poker circuit.
The player wrote on his blog that the time has come for him to step back and try other things in life, as he feels that concentrating all his energy on poker has turned him into a "one-dimensional" person.
"Before talking about where I plan to go from here, I guess I should point out that I do enjoy playing poker and I doubt I'll ever straight up quit playing poker," he wrote on his blog. "I just think at this point, I sort of feel no ambition towards poker."
Timex has certainly had a hugely successful, if brief and intense career. When he turned 18 in 2007, he hit the professional circuits and cashed in big in four of them.
He became the youngest player in the history of the European Poker Tour to win an event, when he pocketed nearly €1 million in prize money in the € 7,700 German Open in 2008.
A year later, he was placed fifth in the same event and won €197,000.
All in all, McDonald has won $2.6 million in live tournament earnings, making him one of the most successful Canadian live players.
McDonald will leave his coveted position as a member of Full Tilt Poker Red Pro and intends signing up at the University of Waterloo.
"I think returning to school and trying out a wide variety of courses, learning new things, meeting new people, and just beginning to live a life that is more in touch with everyone else seems aligned with my interests," he stated.
McDonald has not ruled out a return to the professional circuit at some point but says that for now he is not interested in sitting "around for the rest of my life watching the world go by."
