There once was a friendly French poker genius and recent winner of the 2008 PCA.

Elky, you remain my best and worst memory in poker; each time I see a KK hand, the same hand with which you beat my AT and got me out in the Bahamas in 18th position, I tell myself “if only that AS had appeared, the course of our history would have changed”. However, losing in that great tournament to a champion like you remains a great poker moment.

Poker kid, probably the greatest poker champion… of all times ; but definitely the nicest and most sympathetic !

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A great actor and a charming golfer.

Dunhill 2006, we meet Michael at an inaugural party, he’s charming, relaxed, very courteous with my wife Claudine. We end up betting on who of the two of us would pass the cut in the tournament… and I lost that bet. The dramatic end to my Dunhill adventure… To be read shortly.

A gentleman, a great tv host and a very good poker player !

At the 2007 Belgian Championship in Namur on day 2, my table neighbor is none other then Michel Abecassis. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t get a single good hand but still ends up leaving on a high. I feel a great emotional moment when we shake hands. It’s my first tournament and the champion is leaving whilst I remain. A few months later, I gather some improvement under the alias “Zoutechamp”. Michel interviews me at Daniel Negreanu’s table at the Bahamas PCA and produces a very good reportage, still visible on Win a Max.

I played tennis for about 40 years. It was my sports. I liked hitting the ball, I loved the competition, I actually liked it so much that at the age of 46 I was still trying to become the Belgian veteran champion… but without any luck.

Being moderately talented, I tried to compensate this lack of talent with my passion, without forgetting to train for hours in succession. But one day, my Achilles tendon had enough of these excesses and gave up during an endless match against Jean Paul Colonval (another story).

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