ANTONIN TEISSEIRE : THE "PAVAROTTI" OF POKER
« My lucky hand? Pair of Aces » Laughter erupts while he pretends to be surprised. « And my second favourite hand, a pair of kings. A good choice, do you not think »? It's obvious that Antonin Teisseire is a man who doesn't take himself too seriously. He does however take his poker seriously « When I'm at the poker table, there is no one more focused than me ».
Rewind to the Partouche Poker Tour final in Cannes. At the start of the evening, only nine players are in the running for the 1 million Euros.
Exhausted but still fighting on, the players call on their secret weapons to give them the edge. Antonin Teisseire's secret weapon is his humour. Whether or not it is a deliberate attempt to throw his fellow players, it definitely works!
« Gus Hansen appreciated my jokes. He's a true gentleman that guy ». The true gentleman was later knocked out, despite being one of the favourites. So it was then up to Antonin to seal his fate.
True Showmanship
And his fate? A final table that those lucky enough to be there, still talk about today. It didn't take long for the 42 year old from Nice to get the crowd on his side. « When the crowd gets behind you, it really spurs you on ».
At one point Teisseire asks Gus Hansen to swap places with him. Hansen happily obliges. He then calls Antonin « The Pavarotti of Poker », a nickname that has stuck ever since.
We shouldn't make too much of this ‘joker' image that Teisseire very cleverly portrays, because behind this ‘joker', you will find an excellent poker player. His 3rd place finish on the Partouche Poker tour confirms this. « I've been playing since I was seventeen. My first passion was closed poker and then I discovered ‘Hold'em', which is a variation of poker that I feel very comfortable playing ».
Professional since 2006
So comfortable in fact, that Antonin Teisseire has been doing this for a living since 2006. The former restaurateur has been dedicating his time practicing the game, at which he excels so much. The new member of Team Partouche's dream is to keep improving and to go on to play in the bigger international tournaments.
I've only played in two tournaments so far, the first one in Cannes which Partouche had organised. I finished in 7th place, winning 10,000€. Once you get to your second tournament, you know how things work. Two tournaments and two final tables with good humour and showmanship included. Who better to represent Partouche than Antonin Teisseire...
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Tell us a bit about how you came to meet the Partouche Group.
We met last year (Ed.note: 2007) in Cannes at the 1000€ tournament, where I finished in 7th place and we hit it off immediately. We met up again at the Super Satellite in Forges and then during the final in Cannes and the relationship grew from there.
You're now an official member of Team Partouche. How do you feel?
It's a dream come true and the best thing that could happen to you as a poker player. The Partouche Group has interested me for a while now and my result in Cannes obviously helped me get this opportunity with them.
What goals do you have?
I will be taking part in a dozen or so tournaments this year and like every poker player, my goal is to win of course! (laughs)
Your good humour got the crowd on your side at the Main Event in Cannes, was this tactical or were you being yourself?
(Laughs) No, no, nothing to do with tactics, that's just the way I am. I like to joke around and have a bit of fun. At the end of the day, poker is a game so I like to enjoy myself, even though my focus is always on winning. If people like that then that's all the better, because I've got no intentions of changing! (laughs)
Français
