Seat 3: Guillaume Anthonioz, 37, Brest (6,200,000)
Guillaume Anthonioz is surely the happiest player at the 2026 Grande Finale. “I’m living a real dream, I can’t believe I’ve made the final table.”
With stars in his eyes throughout Day 3, the Brest native has one of the most modest résumés among the final nine: $16,000 in live earnings, which is still quite respectable for an amateur. A third-place finish in the €300 Mini UDSO in Pornic in 2025 (€3,500) and three final tables in €250 events in western France are the main highlights of his career so far.
Submariner by profession, he began his military career at 18, following in the footsteps of his older brother, who is also in the French Navy. Stationed in Tahiti during his three-year training, he discovered poker through regular home games with friends on the island and quickly fell in love with the game.
“When I came back to France, I joined a local club near Quimper. I kept learning the strategy and logic behind the game before starting to play tournaments.”
For the past four years, he has mainly played events in the €100 to €500 range, allowing himself about one festival per month since returning to life on land. “I don’t go on long submarine missions anymore like I did when I was younger. Now I work at the port of Brest, mainly in the electrical sector on these rather special vessels.”
Saved twice from elimination after getting all-in preflop with just 20%, Guillaume will enter the final table tomorrow as the official short stack with nine big blinds. But that hardly matters because, just a week ago, he would never have imagined being in this position.
Profile by Winamax