For both the players and the staff of the Partouche Poker Tour, Normandy was hot, very hot! But the scorching weather did not stop the Super Satellite from running smoothly. Everything came together once again: from beautiful poker to real emotions. So let us recap the sixth Super Satellite of the season…

Never has there been such an explosion of joy in a PPT Super Satellite, as when the last person to not qualify was eliminated. There were cheers, applauds and sweat…But despite the suffocating heat, one could only shiver; and with good reason. This Super Satellite has for a long time been advertised as the last chance, before Andernos (10^th August) and Aix-en-Provence (30^th August) were added to the PPT calendar. Success was a must… the 410 player at Forges knew well that the Main Event in Palm Beach is quickly getting closer and that tickets for Cannes are selling out.

The tension was palpable as the players entered the room. Despite Frank Sinatra’s voice playing through the enormous speakers to help relax the atmosphere, the players did not stop watching out for themselves, teasing each other and showing off their chips as they waited for the games to begin. One could spot some well known faces such as Michel Cohen, Haim Kakoun, Alice Taglioni, Xavier Lasczc, David Tavernier, Robert Kojfer and even Marc Chahmirian, know as “the King”, a regular at Super Satellites and who’s show we have been  treated to watching regularly. Willy Korchia was also at Forges, already having qualified for Cannes at Saint-Amand, just to have a good time. The room was quite simply heavenly.

“Another disappointment for the beautiful Alice”

By the dinner break, three players were well ahead in the chipcount: Stephan Liger with 40,000, Benjamin Broutée with 37,000 and Eric Tedeschi with 35,000. 133 players were still in the game and the eliminated players, according to them, went directly to register for the Side Event. When the players returned, PPT Live made an appearance with light commentaries from Voj and Eric Guedj; Mr. Partouche Backgammon and the champion of France thank you very much! The two commentators must be congratulated for their endurance and professionalism, especially given the extreme heat at Forges!

After a huge buffet, the players returned to the room, all with the same aim: Cannes. Several hours after the break, history repeated itself for the beautiful Alice Taglioni when she left us just before reaching the final table. It was her third try (after Saint-Amand and Nice), but Alice proved to us once again, after her victory at the Charity Poker Festival, that she is after all a great player. There was then only one woman left in this Super Satellite: Julie Donnaz, who was playing in her first big tournament. Three players stood out at this point: Rafi Kadian with 68,000 chips, Olivier Horvath with 60,000 and Paulo Passos with 50,000.

Mikhail Laouar following the footsteps of his father”

The fateful moment was approaching: the elimination of the last person to not qualify. Never have we heard such loud applauds and cheers echoing around the poker room. The 41 qualifying players congratulated each other in an indescribable atmosphere. And despite their sweatiness, they leapt into each others’ arms one after another with a feeling of accomplishment. One almost forgot who had all the chips; a little guy of 19 years. His name? Mikhail Laouar; none other than the son of Belkacem Laouar who came second in the Saint-Amand Super Satellite on the 5^th January. Mikhail had 130,000 chips and left all competition far behind him. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the final table. He finished 14^th, but with a smile.

The 8 finalists got to know each other after a very long round of observation, which finally ended with the elimination of the 9^th player, Pascal Roussel. The eight finalists were Christophe Pommier, Nordine Bouya, Ralou Ben Rezkallah, Julie Donnaz, Robert Kojfer, Marc Silvestre-Toussaint, Franck Cantigny, and Rafi Kadian. Christophe Pommier finally became the chipleader and winner of this amazing table; a victory which he fully deserved.

The next tournament is in Andernos on the 10^th August; the penultimate Super Satellite of the season. Do you think it will be very hot!!!

Final ranking:

1. Christophe Pommier 2. Nordine Bouya 3. Julie Donnaz 4. Marc Silvestre-Toussaint 5. Franck Cantigny 6. Ralou Ben Rezkallah 7. Robert Kojfer 8. Rafi Kadian 9. Pascal Roussel 10. Ozgun Kirbiyik 11. Eric Tedeschi 12. Jean-Luc Danino 13. Frédéric Brunet 14. Mikhail Laouar 15. Bernard Bonnefoi 16. Christian Montarnal 17. Paulo Passos 18. Yom Tov Peretz 19. Stephan Liger 20. Olivier Horvath 21. Christophe Drahe 22. Laurent Polito 23. Sidali Aissani 24. Alexandre Serra 25. David Bismuth 26. Patrick Gastaldi 27. Gérard Armengaud 28. Hervé Martinage 29. Bruno Mignini 30. Laurent Chouraqui 31. Jean-Daniel Guiet 32. Gérard Pasquazzo 33. Armand Hairabedian 34. Bruno Moussi 35. Georges Martinez 36. Bertrand Walter 37. Laurent Michot 38. Thierry Sellam 39. Karim Lakes 40. Arnaud Corvisier 41. Mathieu Lucas.