Marc-Etienne McLaughlin's Massive Comeback

It wasn't long ago that French-Canadian Marc-Etienne McLaughlin was dangerously low on chips but that's changed in a big way over the last hour.
His biggest gain came moments ago in a hand against France's Sylvain Loosli.
Loosli was in the cut-off and opened to 1.6 million. McLaughlin called from the big blind and the flop came down K♠ 8♠ 5♠.
Loosli continued the aggression marked cards with a 2 million bet and McLaughlin took a few moments before raising to 5.2 million.
Loosli paused for a beat before grabbing a tall stack of chips and sliding it over the line. It was a min-raise which meant McLaughlin would need to call 3.2 million more.
The French-Canadian tanked for a minute before announcing all-in. Loosli quickly folded and McLaughlin took down a big pot.
After that hand Loosli is down to 14.25 million while McLaughlin finds his stack at 37.4 million.

Level

38

Blinds

400000/800000

Ante

100000

Average Stack

31,760,000

Players Left

6

Tables Left

1

Living the Good Life

I've played poker for decades. I've known hundreds, thousands of punters, amateurs, pros and semipros, winners and losers, the sublime and the simple, the saps and the geniuses.
And there's this big question hovering around the poker world that's bothered me for a long time.
They come; they go. Some last, but most seem to fall off the end of the pier. Never seen again.
Why? This word keeps banging marked cards a dull, thudding bell in my brain. Why do they vanish? Isn't this "the good life?" No real job. No responsibility. Easy money. Pick up and go where you want, when you want. Have cash, will travel.
So, while in Vegas I got in touch with a friend, a pro "with legs." We had a leisurely dinner and a long chat.
My editor likes me to personalize my protagonists, so let's call him Max. Max plays mainly Stud, but he'll sit in a game of Hold'em if the field looks soft.
His home is Vegas but he follows the tournament circuit - not to play in the events but for the side action. He says he makes the lion's share of his income in these circus-like gatherings since the joint tends to be filled with players who just aren't as good as they think they are - and many arrive seriously bankrolled.