Christer Johansson was ten years old when he made his first big call. His father backed him in a poker game, convinced that losing money would teach his young gambling son a lesson. Facing a $50 raise from his uncle, the ten year-old boy thought about it, then called. When the hand was over, young Christer had a pair of aces, the pot and a lesson a little bit different than the one his father had planned.

Christer went on to get his degree in electrical engineering and work for nearly a decade as an engineer at a power station, before turning himself into an online poker master and a successful businessman. Now he lives in the south of Sweden with his poker playing wife and their two daughters. Though he says he’s slowed down to be a family man, Johansson runs a very successful legal sports-betting venture in addition to playing in major European poker tournaments.

Johansson won the inaugural World Poker Tour event held at the Aviation Club de France, taking home $566,948. He has said that the recognition that came with winning a World Poker Tour title has been life altering. He considers it his biggest poker accomplishment but he continues to cash in tournaments all over the world, including three World Poker Tour events, accumulating more than $1 million in lifetime winnings. With this kind of dedication, it can’t be long before Christer adds a second WPT title to his list of achievements.