Hansen out for revenge

Together with Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen is without a doubt, one of the game’s most popular players. “The Great Dane” is a probability expert and is known for his skill at reading his opponents and avoiding traps. He is the only player to win four World Poker Tour titles and his career winnings currently stand at over 6 Million Dollars. After his ninth-place finish in PPT Season 1, the Great Dane is back and more determined than ever.

FACE GUS HANSEN IN THE PARTOUCHE POKER TOUR MAIN EVENT!

Main Event info

This will be the first ever full live broadcast of an international poker tournament final table: It’s Europe’s biggest poker tournament and there are 3 Million Euros in play.

LIVE ON EUROSPORT NOVEMBER THE 22ND FROM 9.30 PM !

MORE INFORMATIONS

If you’ve never made it to a final table, we can take you there with 100 close-up action shots of the Partouche Poker Tour Season 2 Final: See the likes of Alain Roy, Antonia Alomar, Erik Seidel, Mike Matusow and David Williams in these fantastic photos which capture the players’ emotions and poker faces!

SLIDE SHOW

Partouche Poker Tour chipleader and a 2nd place finish at the English Poker Open. People have been expecting a lot of you since you finished runner up in 2007 at the London EPT. It all seems to have come together for you this year, have you noticed that the public treat you differently now?

I guess I´m a little bit more known now by the players at the live circuit and the public that follows the live circuit.

Naturally you’re favourite to win the PPT final in November. How are your preparations going for the event? Are you worried about finishing second again?

I´m feeling confident going in to the PPT final in November and hopefully I´ll win it.
If I´ll come second I still be happy but it´s always a bit disapointing when you think you´re favourite to win and doesnt get there.

The Nordic players have been dominating the game for the past few years, what do you put it down to ?

There are many Nordic players who started with $50 online and built huge bankrolls by learning the game quickly since they can play so many more hands online compared to live. So it comes naturally that a few Nordic players win a major tournament every now and then.

The 22 nd of November is D-Day for these guys…

MICHAEL TURENIEC 3 041 000

This 23 year old Swede has only been playing professionally since 2006, but some impressive results got him noticed and he’s now being sponsored by Full Tilt.  Michael made his first major cash after placing second at the 2008 European Poker Tour Main Event in London and his tournament career winnings to date are somewhere in the region of $1.5 Million.  Tureniec is an aggressive play expert and instinctively knows it seems, when taking risks will pay off.  His position as Chip Leader on the final table obviously makes him favourite to win and it wouldn’t come as any great surprise if this Swede is the last man standing on the 22nd November.

CEDRIC ROSSI 2 793 000

At 32, Cedric Rossi has almost fifteen years’ poker experience under his belt.  A promising footballer, Rossi swapped the football pitch for the poker table and now enjoys nothing more than battling it out in big international competitions.  He may not be one of the bigger names on the final table but Cedric is determined to make his mark and with the second biggest stack, he’s certainly in with a chance.

GIANNI GIARONI 2 318 000

Giaroni is one of the lesser known names, but this Italian is no stranger to final tables and has had impressive finishes in large tournaments, most notably his 10th place finish at this year’s EPT Main Event in San Remo. Gianni was short stacked for most of Day 5 but his patience paid off in the end and it comes as no great surprise to see him at the final table, where he will have the third biggest stack.

MICHEL JANVIER 1 997 000

Michel Janvier has had a dream tournament so far, breezing through all the qualifiers on the road to Cannes.  The 56 year old’s ticket for the Main Event has ended up costing him just 32 €!  This self described avid amateur has a great chance to add to his already impressive list of achievements.

HASSAN FARES 1 595 000

Hassan Fares comes to the final table as the informed amateur.  He instinctively knows how to take advantage of general inertia and significantly increase his stack during the latter stages of the game.  It’s funny to think that Hassan wouldn’t even have taken part in the tournament had it not been for a friend persuading him.  That friend will definitely deserve a special thank you if it goes well for Fares at Cannes in November!

MIKA PUUMALAINEN 1 296 000

One of two Finnish players at this final table, Mika Puumalainen has had a fantastic 2009 so far.  On top of his remarkable performance in Cannes, Mika finished 59th in the World Series of Poker Main Event, picking up $108,000 in winnings.  It was in 2008 at the Aussie Millions that Mika was first noticed and since then he has improved at an astonishing rate.  This young player could make a real name for himself on the 22nd November.

JEAN-PAUL PASQUALINI 1 185 000

Nicknamed ‘The Corsican’, Jean-Paul Pasqualini is one of the most experienced players at this year’s final table.  Pasqualini placed 37th in the EPT in Monte Carlo and he has racked up more than $150,000 in career prize money to date.  Without a doubt, ‘The Corsican’ is one the best French players on the circuit at the moment.

WESLEY PANTLING 895 000

Watch out for this young Canadian dark horse at this year’s final table!  Anyone that has come up against Pantling at a poker table cannot help but be impressed by his level of play.  He may not have many big wins to his name but that is sure to change in the very near future.  Pantling can be quietly confident of his chances on the 22nd November.

HENRI KETTUNEN 528 000

Kettunen is the second Finnish player in the competition and he will be hoping to cause an upset by walking away with the one million euros in prize money.  While he goes to the final table with the Shortest-stack, like most Nordic online players, Henri doesn’t suffer fools gladly and his steely determination and aggressive play will be his biggest weapons.

It’s time folks! The last Super Satellite of Partouche Poker Tour Season 2 will be getting underway in the next few days at the Aix-en-Provence Pasino. This is your final chance to get your hands on the last remaining tickets for the Main Event in Cannes, so don’t miss out.
Record crowds are expected from Thursday night onwards, when the first side events kick off the start of a great weekend of poker.

SUPER SATELLITE FULL SCHEDULE

There’s a new stop on the Partouche Poker Tour, in Belgium ! On the 9th July 2009, the famous seaside town of Knokke-le-Zout will play host to the seventh and latest qualifying Super Satellite for the Grand Final in Cannes.This will be a highly anticipated event for Belgium’s poker community and the “Flat Land” will need to get itself ready to climb a few mountains !

125€ satellites for the Super Satellite : Every tueday and thursday from the 6th of january to the 8th of july in the casinos of Knokke, Chaudfontaine, Ostende and Dinant.

Casino de Knokke-le-Zout. Zeedijk-Albertstrand 509 B 8300 Knokke-Heist. Phone: 00 32 50 63 05 00

Casino de Chaudfontaine : 00 32 43 65 07 41. Casino d’Ostende : 00 32 59 70 51 11. Casino de Dinant : 00 32 82 69 99 94

“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).

This week the fantastic Eric Koskas lends us a few handy hints on how best to approach the 125€ satellites.  Finishing fourth in the San Remo EPT, Eric Koskas is one of French Poker’s biggest hopes so pay attention, to what is sure to be some very valuable advice.  Notebooks at the ready!

START OF THE GAME:  ACCEPT THE COIN TOSS

“The first important thing to remember with this kind of satellite: choose your hands very carefully.  There is no use in wanting to steal blinds that are still very weak.  Don’t worry about folding good looking hands like 9/10 of the same colour, or even 10/jack.  On the other hand, the sole objective is to win, so folding with a mediocre pair has to be considered.  Most of the time this will be like a coin toss.  The risk of being eliminated is high (Ed.note: 50/50) but in order to win a sit’n go, what you need to understand is that you need 2 or 3 turns at the table”!

MIDDLE OF GAME: GET READY TO IN POSITION

In the case of a weak stack, it’s then necessary to steal the blinds which have become important. At this stage of the game we can start to expand our range of hands, subject to the state of play.  Also, never forget that there many hands that justify going “all in” that then become mediocre hands when it comes to following an “all in”.

END OF THE GAME:  FORGET ABOUT TACTICS!

“At this stage of the game, you don’t have many solutions:  it’s “all in” or “fold”.  There is no point in relying on “tells” either: the chances of your opponent having two Aces are just as high as him having 7/3 unsuited.  Don’t forget either, the fewer players there are at the table, the more chance a hand considered to be average, can win!”

Tony is a croupier with years of experience but the 28th June 2008 is a date that Tony won’t forget in a hurry. “You see a lot of things in poker, but nothing can prepare you for the unimaginable“.

We’re at Forges-Les-Eaux, for the Partouche Poker Tour Super Satellite. There are around ten tables left and the tension is starting to mount. It’s not at boiling point just yet but the players remaining know that they are still in with a 50/50 chance of being one of the lucky ones to qualify for Cannes.

“And I’m there, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m playing bad guy in one of the biggest bad beats of my career as a croupier so far“. Tony recalls, laughing.

“Two players are all in before the flop. The first one shows a pair of tens and the second reveals an Ace and a ten. The flop: 10 / 8 / 2 gives the first player three of a kind, it looks like it’s wrapped up“.

Except that…”Except that at the turn and at the river I’ve got the only two cards in the deck that will let the second player win, that’s two aces in a row, the full max. I’ll never forget the look on his face, the guy who lost. He couldn’t believe his eyes but he did still manage to smile at me before he got up and left the table. He retained his dignity and believe me, that’s not always the case“.

And just so you know, the chances of there being two aces in a row at the Turn and at the River: less than 1%!