Thursday, 28th March 2024 09:28
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A question I keep getting asked is, “What was the highlight of your summer?”

You might think this is a tough one as so many awesome things happened. Three things that had never happened to me before happened this summer. I won two bracelets for the first time in my career, I have a nice piece of a November-Niner, and I won WSOP Player of the Year.

Jason Mercier_2016_wsop_fifth_25july16.JPGIt was already a good summer for Jason Mercier, with two bracelets and the WSOP Player of the Year title

However, all three of these awesome things pale in comparison to the two most special moments of my summer.

The first of these was having my Dad see me win the 10K Horse. It was the first time he was able to be there to see me win a bracelet. My parents just happened to be in town when I made the run in the 10k horse event. My dad even got to make a speech on Fathers’ Day and present me with my fifth gold bracelet, which was extremely touching for me and a moment I’ll never forget.

After winning the 10k Horse and securing #2 for the summer, I decided it was time to buy a ring. I thought it would be such a perfect opportunity if I were to capture my third bracelet and then drop to one knee when Natasha inevitably would run up to congratulate me. Well, just like in life, things don’t always go exactly according to plan. After the Horse win, I went deep in a few more tournaments only to come up short of having this perfect proposal opportunity.

An 8th, 11th, 26th, 30th, and 36th were as close as I could get to sniffing that third bracelet of the summer. So when Natasha made it to the final day of the last 5k NL event of the summer, guaranteeing herself a six figure score and potentially her biggest cash of her career, I knew this was going to be the perfect moment to do it.

Jason Mercier proposes to Natasha Barbour_2016_on_knee_25july16.jpgJason Mercier gets down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend Natasha Barbour…

I proposed to her after she got knocked out in third place. She was already extremely happy with the score, but I knew there was a small level of disappointment in getting knocked out. All that disappointment flew out the window when I dropped to one knee though. It was an extremely special moment for us, and was especially awesome that she had no idea it was coming. She loves surprises and presents (what girl doesn’t?), and this was the best gift I could ever give to her, and luckily for me- she said yes!

Jason Mercier proposes to Natasha Barbour_2016_.jpgShe said yes

Having now been home in Florida for almost a week, we are starting to plan our wedding, which is exciting and a bit overwhelming at the same time. It’s going to be an interesting next few months of the year, as we move towards getting married. I’m planning to keep on that heavy grind that I’ve been on for all of 2016. There’s a big series here in Florida coming up, and right when it ends I’m off to EPT Barcelona – my favorite stop of the year.

Jason Mercier proposes to Natasha_barbour_25july16.jpg

It was an incredible summer, the most profitable one of my career, and I’m hoping to keep that positive momentum going moving forward. There’s still plenty more I want to accomplish in my career, and having a partner who understands me, loves me, and supports me no matter what, makes it seem like I can accomplish anything I put my mind towards.

#WhenWillitEnd

WSOP Photos by PokerPhotoArchive.com

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