Poker pro Adria Diaz Dalmau has been racking up cashes around the globe for the last seven years, including a WSOP final table in 2024 (the $1,500 NLH Super Turbo Bounty event). Originally from Girona in Spain, Dalmau now calls the UK home, playing live series such as the GUKPT and events held in Nottingham regularly. His bread and butter is, however, Spin & Go tournaments, and having been a professional player for 12 years (he is now 31) he splits his time playing live and online.
Finishing in one of the top two spots in the Main Event in Cannes would present him with his largest live cash to date, adding to his over half a million dollars in tournament earnings.
Speaking about his experience at the PokerStars Open in Cannes, he said, “The experience is great. The environment here [at the Palace of Festivals and Congresses] is amazing – when there is light coming in, it’s beautiful. For sure I would come again next year!”
Tournament progression
Day 1: 85,500 (51/350, 1a)
Day 2: 995,000 (7/65)
Day 3: 2,075,000 (6/7)
Julien Sitbon, who started Day 3 in the chip lead, currently sits in 16th place on France’s all-time money list, with over $4.4 million in tournament winnings. He has previously claimed a WSOP online bracelet, the Master Classics of Poker title, a string of High Roller trophies, and banked no fewer than six cashes at EPT Prague just a couple of weeks ago.
The 42-year-old poker pro has lived in London for a long time, and comes to another streamed final table with plenty of experience under his belt to manoeuvre his somewhat short stack back into contention for another title. This year alone The Hendon Mob has recorded 41 live tournament cashes for Sitbon, including final tables in the €1,000 WSOPC Aix-en-Provence, the €2,200 Mystery Bounty at the Wynn Summer Classic, the £1,100 Hippodrome Lightning Tournament and the €2,100 NLH 6-Handed event at EPT Prague this month.
Tournament progression
Day 1: 186,500 (1/74, 1b)
Day 2: 1,485,000 (1/65)
Day 3: 2,850,000 (5/7)
Kamel Atoui has plenty of live results (favouring buy-ins from €500 to €5,000) spanning the globe from Monte Carlo to Dakar, totalling over $350,000 in live winnings. Atoui continues his strong run in this Main Event, 48 hours after securing an encouraging 9th place in the €2,200 High Roller here in Cannes for €8,340.
“For a few years now, poker has remained my main activity since I sold my car rental business,” Atoui told Ronan Monfort from pokerstars.fr. “I live in Morocco, but I often come to France to play in festivals in the South of France, mainly in Aix-en-Provence, which has been good to me in terms of results. I finished 4th in the WSOP-C High Roller there last April, but my best live result is a win in Mazagan where I earned €90,000. For the past few months, I’ve been hitting deep runs and final tables at every festival I attend, and things are going well.”
Speaking of things going well: a key hand propelled him up the chip counts at the expense of Giovanni Renna (who busted in 18th place). He hit a gutshot vs. a set of eights on the river in a pot for the chip lead just before the dinner break and hasn’t looked back.
Tournament progression
Day 1: 140,000 (41/562, 1c)
Day 2: 790,000 (16/65)
Day 3: 6,400,000 (3/7)
Professional poker player Nikolai Mamut took down the $1,100 PokerStars Open event at NAPT Las Vegas just last month for $158,700 and followed it up with a cash in the €1,650 version in Prague; it’s fair to say he is on a roll this year. Plus, as the last remaining PokerStars Qualifier, he won his seat into this Main Event online.
The 28-year-old lives in the UK and had in prior years focused on cash games. However, after Covid, he switched to tournaments. “The cash game scene deteriorated a bit,” he said, “But in tournaments, no one is rejected – you have the buy-in, you can play. The mind sport of poker is tournaments.”
He said he joked with friends after his Vegas victory that, “I’ll go for the back-to-back,” but now that is a serious possibility. He said he would continue “taking it hand by hand” and hoped to continue “getting lucky”, as he described his experience so far.
Tournament progression
Day 1: 298,000 (2/350, 1a)
Day 2: 355,000 (46/65)
Day 3: 8,800,000 (2/7)
With six PokerStars titles to his name, including an FPS High Roller and an EPT Mixed Games Main Event, Paul François Tedeschi is already regarded as one of the best French players on the circuit. He reached the final table of an FPS Main Event in Divonne-les-Bains back in 2023.
While he finished eighth at the time, he has already bettered that result here in Cannes and will return for the final day as the chip leader.
“I had a shaky start on Day 3, but after that everything went smoothly,” he explained, referring in particular to a hand in which he completed a straight on the turn against two pair — a pot that propelled him into a commanding lead.
Yet despite his big stack and status as the favourite, the 35-year-old Corsican remains cautious. “I don’t project myself; we’ll see today.”
Tournament progression
Day 1: 92,000 (47/350, 1a)
Day 2: 445,000 (38/65)
Day 3: 10,200,000 (1/7)
Maxime TaldirPokerStars Open Cannes 2025 Main Event Final Table
Unlike the film festival, there was no jury to select the seven finalists of the €1,100 PokerStars Open Cannes Main Event at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. Instead, the final seven made their way by themselves through a field of 1,202 entries, with only one set to claim the prestigious PS Open Palme d’Or and the €195,700 top prize from the €1,153,920 prize pool.
With six PokerStars trophies already to his name, Paul Tedeschi will be the first to walk the red carpet after closing Day 3 as the chip leader with 10,200,000. Right behind him sits is Nikolai Mamut (8,800,000), who could complete an impressive back-to-back after winning the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas PS Open just a few weeks ago.
PokerStars Open Cannes Main Event Final Table
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Counts
Big Blinds
1
Paul Tedeschi
France
10,200,000
68
2
Nikolai Mamut
Russia
8,800,000
59
3
Kamel Atoui
France
6,400,000
43
4
Julien Sitbon
France
2,850,000
19
5
Adria Diaz Dalmau
Spain
2,075,000
14
6
Axel Bayout
France
4,475,000
30
7
Michel Marcone
France
1,250,000
8
French trio Kamel Atoui (6,400,000), Axel Bayout (4,475,000), and Julien Sitbon (2,850,000) all already received many awards, but none has lifted a PokerStars Open trophy yet. That could change today, although regardless of the outcome, each has already locked up €30,600.
Spain’s Adria Diaz Dalmau is also nominated in the Main Event category with 2,075,000 chips and will resume play as the second-shortest stack. Only Michel Marcone, who returns with eight big blinds (1,250,000), sits below him at the restart.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
€195,700
2
€122,410
3
€87,430
4
€67,250
5
€51,730
6
€39,790
7
€30,600
8
Gianfranco Ironico
Italy
€23,540
9
Arthur Lacroix
France
€18,110
Play is set to resume at 12:30 local time with blinds of 100,000/150,000 and a 150,000 big blind ante. Levels will now be played in a 24-hands-per-level format until a winner is crowned, and the action will be streamed in French with Benny and Yu on commentary, with a 30-minute delay.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we catch all of the final table action until the name of the new PS Open champion is know!
