Five of the Best French Poker Players

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Aug 02, 2018 4 min read

Here's a look at five of France's most elite poker players.

1) Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

The top choice was an easy one. After all, Bertrand Grospellier, also known simply as "ElkY", has been the face of French poker and the country's most consistent player for more than a decade.

Grospellier made his name playing online primarily at PokerStars where he was a brand ambassador for many years before more recently joining Team partypoker. The exact nature of his online tournament cashes isn't fully known, but he notched nearly $2 million on PokerStars.com along with many more cashes at other networks.

Grospellier is far from a one trick pony as he is France's most successful live tournament player with $13.6 million in live cashes. He has three seven-figure live tournament cashes including two big wins in 2008 in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $8,000 Main Event for $2 million and the WPT Championship $15,400 Al Lago Classic for $1.4 million.

"ElkY" has also found WSOP gold, shipping a bracelet in the WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship in 2011 for $331,639. His biggest cash also came at the WSOP. In 2017, Grospellier finished runner-up in the WSOP $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $2,278,657.

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier Poker Stats ^{(July, 2018)}

Twitter: @elkypoker

2) Benjamin Pollak

Benjamin Pollak was another easy selection as one of the top players in France. He has amassed $9.2 million in live tournament cashes, second-most among French players.

Pollak is best known for finishing in third place in the 2017 WSOP Main Event for $3.5 million. This year, he also managed a deep run before he bowed out in 42nd place for $189,165.

While Pollak has been unable to find WSOP gold, he has shipped three separate EPT side events and a handful of other tournaments.

Benjamin Pollak Poker Stats ^{(July, 2018)}

Twitter: @PollakB

3) David Benyamine

David Benyamine has been one of the most recognizable names in poker in the last two decades. He got into the game after his professional tennis career was cut short after shoulder pain.

Benyamine might be best known for his high-stakes cash game prowess both live and online as one of the regulars featured during televised nosebleed games.

However, the Frenchman is also a beast in tournaments as well. He has amassed $7.6 million in live tournament cashes, fourth best among players in France.

A decade ago in 2008, Benyamine won a WSOP gold bracelet in the WSOP $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi/Lo Split for $535,687. While he doesn't frequently play tournaments in recent days, he did manage to appear on the final table during this year's WSOP with a seventh-place finish in the WSOP $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha High Roller for $161,020.

David Benyamine Poker Stats ^{(July, 2018)}

4) Antoine Saout

Antoine Saout was almost ranked higher on the list than Benyamine due to his more recent relevance on the poker scene and accumulating more live cashes with $7.9 million to his name.

Although Benyamine got the nod due to his cash game prowess and helping promote the game during its boom, this doesn't mean Saout isn't a beast on the felt in his own right. Saout made a name for himself in 2009 when he took third place in the WSOP Main Event for $3,479,670.

Remarkably, Saout appeared on the WSOP Main Event final table once again in 2017, this time banking $2 million for finishing in fifth place. This followed up a 25th-place performance in the 2016 WSOP Main Event for $269,430.

Antoine Saout Poker Stats ^{(July, 2018)}

Twitter: @tonio292

5) Sylvain Loosli

Admittedly, the fifth spot on the list was the most difficult to decide with so many great players to choose from including Fabrice "fabsoul" Soulier, Roger Hairabedian, Gaelle Baumann, Ludovic Lacay, Rui Coi, and Jean-Noel Thorel to name a few.

However, the Winamax Team Pro Sylvain Loosli got the nod for both his consistency and current relevance. While his online dominance isn't fully known, Loosli has amassed $7 million in live cashes to place him in fifth place on The Hendon Mob's French All Time Money List.

Like both Pollak and Saout, Loosli's biggest cash came after a deep WSOP Main Event run. In 2013, the Frenchman finished in fourth place in poker's most premier live tournament of the year for $2,792,533. This year, he went deepest in the WSOP Main Event among players from France before he bowed out in 18th place for $375,000.

Sylvain Loosli Poker Stats ^{(July, 2018)}

Twitter: @SylvainLoosli

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• Tags Bertrand Grospellier David Benyamine Fabrice Soulier Gaelle Baumann Ludovic Lacay partypoker PokerStars Sylvain Loosli Poker Players
• Related Players Fabrice SoulierDavid BenyamineBertrand GrospellierLudovic LacayGaelle BaumannSylvain Loosli