"Don't Take it for Granted": Mustapha Kanit Refreshed for EPT Paris and Beyond
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Mustapha Kanit recorded his first cash on the European Poker Tour in 2011, and the Winamax Ambassador is still playing on the Tour 15 years later.
Kanit notched just one EPT cash in 2025. That being said, it was a win, as he took down the €2,200 Deep Stack at EPT Monte-Carlo for €104,400.
He's now kicking off his 2026 at EPT Paris and is looking forward to "going with the flow" ahead of a long year of poker that will naturally include the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
EPT "Feels Like Home"
Whether it's Barcelona, Monte-Carlo, Cyprus or Paris, Kanit has recorded numerous cashes on the European Poker Tour in recent years. But go back further and you find him cashing in former destinations such as Deauville, Sanremo and Dublin.
One thing's for sure, Kanit is no stranger to the EPT and for good reason.
"It feels like home," he told PokerNews. "I've played so many of them around Europe. You get to go to all these amazing destinations and cities — whether it's Barcelona or Paris — and you know everyone, and you know the staff. There's always a nice atmosphere.
"Obviously, a lot can change from event to event. It depends on the time of year, what sort of field there is. Also the location. You just need to find the right time of year, where there isn't that much to clash with it."
New Year, New Mustapha?
After taking the start of the year to decompress from a year that saw Kanit notch 17 cashes in five different countries — including nine in the United States alone — Kanit says he's going with the flow to start 2026.
"I just try to put in clean volume when I feel good, and I feel in the right mindset to do so"
"I just try to put in clean volume when I feel good, and I feel in the right mindset to do so," said Kanit. "You need to feel 100%, and you need to balance yourself. To have a long career, you can't be pushing yourself and grinding hard all the time. That's my strategy [for 2026]."
Kanit's focus is firmly on the live poker scene, with regular online poker volume tricky due to his traveling schedule.
"Generally, I'm not playing as much [online]. I played a bit at the beginning of the year, but it's tough with the regulations and travelling a lot. If I'm in London, yes. If I'm based in Argentina for two months, yeah, sure, why not? But when you are in Europe, it can be really difficult."
Focus on Live Poker
With plenty of poker still to be played — in the calendar year and Kanit's poker career — he says he wants to focus on playing on his own terms, including getting ready for the WSOP.
"When I feel good, I play. When I want to put the volume in, I play. When I want to, I play. The rest of the time, I just go and enjoy my life and wait until I'm back feeling driven and focused. It's that other time where I'm decompressing and getting ready — ready for two months in Las Vegas [for the WSOP] where you never go out and just play poker!"
Kanit admits that he used to not care much about the WSOP. His first cashes at the festival came in 2012, with only a smattering following in the years that followed. In 2014, he made three final tables from his four cashes but seldom broke five cashes at the Series.
"I just used to not care about [the WSOP]," said Kanit. "I would usually arrive burnt out from a really intense two months, with EPT Monte-Carlo and SCOOP right before the WSOP. So for me, June was my month for holidays.
"I would enjoy Italy and Spain, and then I would go only to play the WSOP Main Event."
Having done that for years, it all changed after the pandemic. Most recently, Kanit recorded seven WSOP cashes in 2025, including an eighth-place finish in the $25,000 Six-Max High Roller.
"I just said to myself 'Don't take it for granted', and I found myself enjoying Las Vegas and the Series as long as I do it in a completely different way. I'm treating it as if I'm there for work, so we get a house and a chef. That way, when I'm at home it's very relaxed and the rest of time I can focus on playing."
Kanit's Career Ahead
The Italian's approach to the WSOP mirrors his approach to his poker career. Kanit's first recorded poker cash came in 2009, just one month after turning 18. Now 35, Kanit still has a long time left in his poker career and he says that the rest of his time playing poker will be shaped by everything that's happened in the past.
"It's all about wanting to do what I enjoy," he explained. "I'm in a place where I can decide what I want to do. I'd be a fool not to do what I want to do, when I'm so fortunate to be in this situation in the first place.
"That's also the reason why I've found myself where I am now. If I want to play, I'm always competitive, and I'm good at it. But if I don't want to do it, and my head is somewhere else, I'm just not as good, so why do it? It's all about knowing yourself."
