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For Cedric Annen, this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event is far more than just a poker tournament. Annen, a 42-year-old resident of Grand Lancy, Switzerland, earned his entry to the 2011 WSOP Main Event by winning an online poker qualifier on PartyPoker. Like many other players currently participating in the “big dance,” Annen was able to convert his success on the online felt into a WSOP entry package, including travel expenses, lodging, spending cash and the $10,000 buy-in the Main Event itself.

In an interview with PokerListings, Annen described the occasion as a “dream come true,” saying that he knocked two items off of his bucket list (playing in the Main Event for one, and simply visiting Las Vegas for two) as a result of a single online tournament win. Amazingly, Annen earned his prize package by winning nothing more than a 14-player Sit and Go.

For most of his life, Annen has been a strict five-card draw devotee. That changed when he watched a French language broadcast of the World Poker Tour on television, an event showcasing No Limit Holdem. Annen said that he was instantly hooked on NLHE due to its perfect balance of gambling and skill.

Annen has been dabbling in live tournaments for the past year, though nothing was comparable to the Main Event which drew a roster of over 6,800 players. He said that he couldn’t sleep whatsoever after Day 1, a story typical of WSOP first-timers.

What isn’t typical is the fact that Annen, despite his relative lack of experience in NLHE in particular and big tournaments in general, is dominating the Main Event. He amassed 150,000 chips on the first day of play, placing him in the top 10 performers for his particular starting day. Although the final table is still over a week away, it’s worth noting that Annen would be the first Swiss player ever to make a Main Event final table.