“Do you know what?  You’ll be giving the million euros to a Frenchman”. On 5^th September this year at the semi final of the PPT in Cannes, Alain Roy made a promise to Patrick Partouche.  So did the eventual winner realise that the Frenchman he was talking about would be him?  « No way he assures me today».  « The only thing I was sure of was that an American wouldn’t be winning the tournament.  From that thought, to then believing I could win is a pretty giant leap of the imagination and I didn’t want my imagination to get the better of me ». (Laughs)

Alain Roy is the first Euro millionaire on the Partouche Poker Tour.  It’s a real dream come true for the 42 year old from Montpellier who is also now a member of Team Partouche.  I am over the moon to be in the team and looking forward to this new adventure ».

Burning ambition

A new adventure perhaps but its not exactly something Alain Roy is new to.  An experienced poker player - the winner of the first season of the Partouche Poker Tour has been a regular at cash-game tables for a good few years. « I’ve been playing Hold’em since 2004, mainly at casinos near where I live.  The majority of the tournaments I’ve taken part in until now have been in Spain and I have been able to live off my winnings but obviously I’m hoping to up my game a gear.

No sooner said than done.  On top of his win in Cannes, Alain Roy took part in the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in London, up against 500 of the world’s top poker players.  The man from Montpellier finished in a very respectable 54^th place and this result has made him all the more determined to improve his game.  I know that I have it in me to become a much better poker player than I already am ».

The evidence speaks for itself

Now he’s in Team Partouche Alain Roy has given himself 3 objectives: « to win, win and win ».  « I’ve got no choice in the matter » he grins.  « My daughter whose birthday was on the day of the PPT final had asked me to buy her a car if I won.  Now it’s the turn of my 17 year old son and let’s just say I obviously can’t let him down ». (Laughs)

Can Team Partouche enjoy the same success as the first winner of the PPT?  The answer to that is blatantly obvious; we only have to look at what this man has achieved to date.  Alain Roy is without a shadow of a doubt, the real deal…

Questions and answers

What does it mean to you to be part of Team Partouche?

I’m so happy.  It’s the icing on the cake after winning the PPT final.  It’s a real honour representing Partouche all over the world.

What goals have you set yourself?

It sounds a bit pretentious to say I’m only interested in winning but it’s the truth so maybe I am a bit pretentious (laughs).  But in all seriousness, obviously I’m looking to reach as many final tables as possible in the tournaments that I’ve got lined up and I’m feeling really positive after my performance in London.  (Ed.note: 52^nd place in the WSOP).

Has becoming a millionaire changed your life?

Being part of Team Partouche has changed my life.  It’s just great to be able to compete in the bigger events.  The money has obviously made life a lot easier and it’s a great feeling knowing that my family won’t have any financial worries but I’m not letting myself get carried away.  I’m sure that if it had happened to me when I was younger it would have been a different story (laughs).