Antoine Saout

The 33-year old Frenchman from Morlaix now lives in London and has amassed over $5.5million in live tournament winnings, despite never landing a major title, although he has come very close, including an excellent 3rd place in the WSOP Main Event back in 2009, which earned him $3,479,670.

That 3rd spot is the largest WSOP payout of any French player in history, and Saout currently stands 5th in the all-time French tournament money-winners list – his final  table run this year guaranteeing him $1million which will vault him lover Sylvain Loosli and Fabrice Soulier into 3rd spot, less than $1million behind 2nd placed David Benyamine.

Should he take down the Main Event and the $8.15million top prize, he would instantly overtake Bertrand Grospelier in the number 1 spot.

Saout was also to the fore in last year’s Main Event, finishing in 25th place for $269,430 and according to WSOP.com, ‘the former engineering student has long credited his math and analytical skills for his success in the game’.

He told PokerNews that:

“I really want to be the first (French Main Event Champion). I was the first to final table. It’s not like an EPT. This is the biggest tournament. I really want this.”