Arnaud Mattern

Unlike many poker pros, Parisian-born Arnaud Mattern did not find poker whilst in his late teens. Instead, he was busy dominating another strategy game – backgammon. The Frenchman competed on the international circuit and became a doubles national champion before he found cards in 2004. Since then, Arnaud has accumulated over $2.2 million in live tournament earnings with a major EPT title to boot.

Although Arnaud’s entrance to poker came at the online tables, his choice to start playing live tournaments was one that was handsomely rewarded. In 2005, he won the first ever live event that he cashed in – a modest €150 No Limit Hold’em tournament in Italy that earned him $12,931. He made it back-to-back wins when he took down the Gutshot London Poker Masters Main Event the following year.

It was in 2007 that Mattern enjoyed a life-changing score when he took down the EPT Prague Main Event for a huge $1,038,010. In a typically tough field that included legends of the tour such as Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald and Tobias Reinkemeier, Arnaud beat 554 other players to seize the trophy. This victory saw him win four of the first eight live tournaments that he cashed in.

In addition to his successes on the live circuit, Arnaud is well-known in the online world. He teamed up with PokerStars in 2009 to become an ambassador for the cardroom giant in a partnership that spanned three years. He can be found playing online under the pseudonym ‘FrenchKiss’.

Still playing poker regularly both live and online today, Arnaud now resides in London thanks to the UK’s favourable tax situation for poker players.