This player from Yvelines qualified for the national final of the Winamax Poker tour

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He compares poker to a sport. At the end of October 2024, Jean-Baptiste Beltran qualified at the Grand Palais in Lille among 1459 other players during the Winamax Poker Tour. This is the largest live poker circuit in France.

This inhabitant of Montigny-le-Bretonneux (Yvelines), by his nickname Prentoutwon his ticket for the national grand final of the Winamax Poker tour. It will take place from March 29 to April 7, 2025 at the Pasino Grand Partouche in Aix-en-Provence.

“It’s an incredible experience”

“This allowed me to win my entry fee of 500 euros. It’s an incredible experience. Playing live and on the internet are not the same thing. I met some poker enthusiasts. I was lucky to have put up a lot of chips quickly. I had good hands. I managed to quickly double my chips and hold on,” recalls the only Yvelines player qualified at the moment.

Observation, concentration, adrenaline…

The length of a poker game varies. Stress is at its peak. In this gambling game, concentration is therefore crucial. It’s this adrenaline that appeals to Jean-Baptiste.

“You have to eat and hydrate well. You have to stay focused for several hours. It is also a mental preparation. I played rugby for a long time and I find that poker is comparable to a sport. You have to know how to observe the good moments. It’s technical, it’s not just luck. »

The player from Montigny-le-Bretonneux (Yvelines) does not wear glasses or any special clothing during games. “You have to be in comfortable clothes since we sit for hours at the table. At the start of the day I had a hoodie on but I got hot so I took it off. This helps hide the carotid artery, where signs are visible when bluffing since the blood flow is visible. »

Preparation begins for the grand finale

Aged 42this amateur player resumed poker during the Covid confinements. Since then, he has played two to three times a week online, and on Monday evenings in person at the bowling alley in Montigny-le-Bretonneux.

He goes increase its frequency in order to prepare for the grand finale. To stay the most days, such is with strategies. “I will try to make the most of good hands and good plays in order to go as far as possible and be crowned best player in France. Last year, the winner collected 170,000 euros. This would make it possible to finance work in the house,” confides this IT project manager in Massy (Essonne), who is already planning to take time off to participate in this final.

More than 10,000 players will try, over the coming months, to qualify for this event.

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