Seat 2: Nicolas Antouard, Dubai (11,700,000)
Nicolas Antouard discovered poker during his studies, like many others, during the COVID period. “It’s thanks to my father, who was playing a lot at the time to make ends meet.”
Nicolas became interested in his father’s games, and little by little, he got hooked on this new game. “I’ve always been very competitive. I used to play a lot of video games (Call of Duty, Fortnite) and I was making a bit of money from that. I’ve always taken competition seriously, and I quickly realized I could make money this way.”
At first, Nicolas played alongside his studies, but poker soon took over. He won a few nice tournaments on Winamax and decided to make the move into the live circuit, backed by stakers who sent him to Rozvadov. Not as a punishment, but as the perfect playground for the grinder he is: 12 hours a day for several months, an intense but highly formative experience for someone who had previously only played in the south of France, especially at the Pasino in Aix-en-Provence.
Because here, Nicolas is at home. The floor staff, dealers, and regulars all know him. Even the bar staff call him by his first name. “If I had to pick one event during the year to make a deep run, it would have been this one,” he admits.
His tournament has been very smooth overall, at least during the first two days. It was only on Day 3 that things turned into a rollercoaster. “I came back from break three times with fifteen big blinds, and I’ll still have fifteen big blinds for the final table. But I have a great feeling. I had a gut feeling on Day 2 that I wouldn’t bust, and the same today. I’m in good shape, I feel great at the table, I’m laughing, I’m enjoying it on top of the deep run, it’s just amazing.”
His goal for tomorrow? To beat his best result from Sanremo at the end of 2025 (runner-up for €26,795 in a WSOP Circuit event). To do that, he’ll need to finish higher than seventh place.
As for his main rivals? Samuel Fournier, “obviously,” and Sacha “PyroSC” Cohen, a player he shares a lot in common with, “a father with whom we share the same passion and a background in video games.”
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