The most romantic city in the world welcomes players to the French capital this Valentine’s Day as love – and playing cards – will be in the air as the European Poker Tour returns to Paris.
You can bid to become a champion in the city of the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre without stepping foot in France by backing half a dozen superb players heading into EPT action. Will you triumph without even visiting the Arc de Triomphe?
Let’s break down which players are selling their action to the festival in a few days’ time.
Home Country Heroes
Two of the best players to take on the field at EPT Paris hail from their home country. Antoine Saout and Bruno Fitoussi are two of France’s best exports in the poker world and both are selling action to the festival. For now, Saout is only selling to Event #3, but he represents great value. The third event on the ticket is the €10,200-entry Mystery Bounty event, so depending on any bounties Saout – an attacking player of great repute – might win, you could win very big indeed.
Saout – who has won over $9.9 million poker tournaments alone in his career – is selling to that Mystery Bounty Event #3 at a markup of 1.25 for his first bullet and 1.20 for the second bullet. Selling at between 1.15 and 2.00 is Bruno Fitoussi. He’s got a great record in live ranking poker events too, with over $3.5 million in winnings.
Fitoussi is selling to the 17th event, the Main Event at a markup of 1.15 for the first, second or third bullet. He’s also selling to Event #18, the €5,200-entry Pot Limit Omaha event, with two bullets both on offer at 1.15 markup too. The final event Fitoussi is selling to is the €10,300 buy-in EPT Paris High Roller, something of a speciality, which he is selling at 2.0.
Female Superstars Selling to Two Main Events
Two huge female names are selling to multiple events on the ticket too. Selling to EPT Paris in the ‘City of Love’ is Lexy Gavin-Mather. With over $600,000 in live tournament winnings alone, Gavin-Mather is a powerful presence at the poker felt and her experience in cash games too marks out her consistency.
Winning a Rungood Poker Series (RPS) event for the ring in 2023, as well as cashing five times in 2024 already, Gavin-Mather is another major talent not to be missed. Playing the first event on Valentine’s Day itself, February 14, Gavin-Mather is selling to the €1,100 buy-in FPS Main Event at 1.19 markup and also the 17th event, the Main Event, at the same markup.
Another poker superstar selling to two events is Ukrainian player Olga Iermolcheva. Many poker fans will recognise Iermolcheva from the phenomenally popular GGPoker show Game of Gold, which has revolutionized televised poker, with its blend of action at the felt and reality TV asides. Iermolcheva is selling to the Main Event at a markup of 1.25 and for bullets #1 and #2. She is also selling to the €10,300 EPT Paris High Roller at a 1.15 markup.
Austrian Superheroes Represent Amazing Value
Austrian WSOP bracelet winner Jessica Teusl is sure to be a massive threat to her opponents in the Main Event and is selling to both her first and/or second bullet at a markup of 1.35. With over $735,000 in live tournament earnings alone, Teusl is a force of nature at the felt and sits 31st on Austria’s all-time money list, with four cashes at the recent WSOP Paradise series alone.
Another Austrian who looks to be an excellent investment is Stefan Jedlicka. Having won close to $2 million at the live felt, Jedlicka’s biggest cash came on the European Poker Tour when he won the 8-Max side event at the 2016 EPT Malta tournament for $365,495. Jedlicka is selling to the 13th event of the EPT Paris 2024 series first, the FPS €2,200 High Roller, at 1.32 markup.
Also selling to the €5,300-entry Main Event (Event #17) at 1.40, Jedlicka doesn’t stop there, offering his action in Event #26, the EPT Mystery Bounty event at 1.30 and High Roller Event #35 at 1.10.
Whoever you back at the 2024 EPT Paris festival, good luck… or as they say in the French capital, “Bon Chance!”
