Livingston finished 13th in last year’s tournament winning $451,398 but ultimately falling short of the massive $8.3-million first-place prize.
This year the WSOP Main Event drew 6,683 players (an increase of over 300) and the first-place prize is an astounding $10 million.
Livingston had over 140,000 chips heading into the last break of Day 2a/b of the 10-day tournament.
“I’m off to a good start,” he said while on break.
“It’s the best tournament of the year. It has a great structure and there are a lot of soft players for a $10k [tournament]. I’m running pretty well.”
No Regrets on Finish in 2013 Main Event
For the last year Livingston has been hitting the live poker circuit hard with a few notable scores in Quebec and Barcelona.
“I can’t win at online poker anymore,” laughed Livingston. “But live poker has been going alright.”
Livingston is hardly a one-trick pony, however, and unlike many poker players he has other forms of income. He owns percentages of the Toronto-based North of Brooklyn Pizzeria and a photo booth business in LA.
“They’ve been doing well,” he said. “The pizza business opened a second location over the last year.”
When asked if he still has any regrets about his 13th place finish in 2013, Livingston seemed to have made his peace with the result.
“I never really had chips on Day 7 so I never really felt like I was right there,” he said.
“It is what is is. It was a good run.”
Reconnecting with Actress Ellen Page after WSOP
As an odd aside when Livingston made his run last year it was noticed by none other than actress Ellen Page who went to high school with him.
While Livingston didn’t get to cash in on first-place money in the tournament, he did get to reconnect with Page earlier this year.
“I just went to her birthday party in LA a few months ago,” he said.
“Our birthdays are two days apart. It was the first time I’d seen her in five years. It was really cool.”
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