The French Canadian has spent much of Day 6 in the top 10 of the chip counts and as the pressure mounts, he just seems to play better.
It’s not exactly an unfamiliar position for Ladouceur as last year he finished 63rd in the Main Event and was one of only six Canadians left at that point.
Despite his status as the last Canadian in the tournament, the 29 year old has his eyes on the prize this time: a spot at the lucrative final table.
“It’s been awesome," he said. "This is something you look forward to the whole year. Last year I went deep so for me it’s something that I’ve done before. I’m definitely going for the win this time.”
Ladouceur comes from the tight-knit poker community in Montreal that includes Pascal Lafrancois and 2010 World Champion Jonathan Duhamel.
“Jon [Duhamel] is a good friend of mine,” explained Ladouceur. “The whole Quebec poker community is very close. We’re all friends and we all meet up here in Vegas to play the WSOP.”
Ladouceur Looks to Pull a Duhamel
Ladouceur, who only started playing poker seriously three years ago, plays high-stakes online cash games so the deep-stack structure of the Main Event suits him well.
“There is a lot of luck too,” admitted Ladouceur. “I’m glad that I keep my luck for this one, versus other tournaments."
Ladouceur said that when Duhamel won the Main Event in 2010 it changed the public’s perception of poker in Quebec.
“It was very good for the poker scene in Quebec,” he said.
“All of a sudden your friends and family no longer considered you a degenerate gambler for playing poker a lot. I think a lot of people in Quebec picked up the game because of Jonathan.”
With just 36 players left in the Main Event on the last break of Day 6, Ladouceur is stacked with around six million chips and has a legitimate shot at following in Duhamel’s footsteps.
For all the action from the WSOP in Las Vegas click through to our 2012 World Series of Poker Live Coverage section, brought to you by 888poker.com.
Visit www.pokerlistings.com