Thomas Boivin boasts by far the most impressive resume at this final table. That would apply to most final tables, though, with the 35-year-old Belgian widely considered one of the best MTT players in the world.
Boivin picked up poker in 2011, during his engineering studies at university, and quickly rose through the stakes ladder, parking all the way at the top. From being a sit-n-go and 6-Max Hyper specialist, Boivin switched to tournaments in 2017.
Since then, he’s racked up over $13 million in live cashes, in addition to numerous online accolades. Known as “MarToMchat” at PokerStars, Boivin has reached a seven-figure profit in the virtual realm.
He says he discovered the world of “high performance” around 2019, which changed his entire life. He became aware of things that could impact his edge outside of the table. So he made a lifetime choice to aim at becoming his best self, as he describes on his personal website.
Boivin has also transitioned from pure grind to a coach-player career path. He splits time between mentoring others and playing, which helps him grow. And the results speak for themselves.
Boivin has notched 31 six-figure live payouts and added two seven-figure prizes this year at the WSOP, finishing third in both the $250,000 and $100,000 high-stakes contests.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/PokerStars
Tournament Progression
Day 1: 155,500 (21/107, 1b)
Day 2: 491,000 (10/84)
Day 3: 1,098,000 (3/40)
Day 4: 3,365,000 (1/16)
Day 5: 12,545,000 (1/6)
Career statistics
Earnings: $13,168,904
EPT/NAPT cashes: 2
Best result: 25th, 2023 EPT Barcelona
Key hands
Boivin was all in for 1,885,000 at the final table with the nut flush draw against Gal Yifrach's flopped set of fives. He also picked up a straight draw on the turn, and the river gave him his flush to earn a double up back into the chip lead.
After winning a big pot off Michael Berk after flopping trips against Berk's jacks, Boivin picked up two aces to bust Abdullah Akbarpoor in a massive pot to end Day 5 as he took an overwhelming chip lead into the final day.
