Poker is all about position!

Every detail counts in Texas Hold'em. One's position at the table and whether one is the first or the last player to speak dramatically changes one's game and strategy. Read on for an explanation.

All players know that their position around a poker table is crucial for deciding whether to raise or not or to bluff or not and for analysing the enthusiasm of other players. One understands the term “position” as a player’s place in relation to the button, i.e. the dealer. Players measure their position by the people on their right, for example, those on their left have a better position than them. In hold’em poker the player who speaks last has the best position, because he has time to analyse what is going on around him and to make his decision and adapt his strategy after everyone has had their go. The player who has to go first has the worst position, because he has to make his decision with no information.

In poker, although a risk may pay out, it can also be one’s downfall

The reason that the majority of players like to be one of the last to speak, is because these positions allow them to collect as much information as possible on their opponents, their game and their tactics. In this case, it is always easier to play an intermediate hand like for example. The player can either take a chance at winning the pot by raising, or call hoping to improve his hand from the table. On the other hand, if the player finds himself in the first position with same hand and his 7 opponents are behind him, he must absolutely realise that there are 7 potential threats likely to raise or even go all in. In poker, although a risk may pay out, it can also be one’s downfall. So the first to speak must, generally speaking, only play when he has a strong hand at the risk of loosing his chips. His scope for manoeuvre is therefore limited.

Drawing is best for players

Of course everything is relative, and everything depends on the context. If the first player to speak raises by a lot, although he shouldn’t as the first, everyone will think that he has a good hand. This is why it is harder to work out if he is bluffing or not. Another important factor is one’s the position relative to certain players. If one finds an aggressive player to one’s left, raising will not pressure or scare him into a battle for the strongest hand. It is the same for players who are too cautious, who, impressed by your zeal, will have a tendency to fold two out of three times.

The importance of one’s position is therefore crucial. A good position allows players to know their opponents, their game tactics and their strategy at specific moments. In poker it is better to know before thinking.

Dr Glaude's prescription

Coming to Divonne for the first time, Eddy Laurent Glaude had no idea that he would qualify for the Main Event in Cannes. During his night at the hotel, the 32 year old doctor concentrated like never before to fulfil his dream, ending in fourth place. A showman was born at Divonne!

If he manipulates the cards like he does the surgical knife, you would say that Eddy Laurent Glaude is a formidable doctor. Because in terms of poker at the Super Satellite, the doc. proved that he had no reason to be jealous of the better players. With sun glasses, a hoodie and a broad smile, one would have thought that this showman was used to tournaments with their spotlights and camera flashes. He said: “it was awesome but scary! The spotlights, the photos, the camera men and the crowds, I did not think that it would have media coverage. It was mind-blowing!” That is why at this second Super Satellite of the PPT he was surprised that: “at the breaks, I compared my bets with those of the others and was amazed to see that I was always in the middle and surprised that I was still in the game. I enjoyed each moment and shared them with my friends. I called everyone, my family, my girlfriend and my friends”. It is the emotions of the game, that this poker enthusiast loves most, except of course the strategic dimension: “When you are completely bluffing and you win the pot, it rocks and particularly as you do not have to show your bluffs. It is really exciting. It is what I like about poker.”

" A performance that will always be remembered! "

The doc. is a born competitor. When he first saw the poster for the PPT at Pharaon, he only had one thought: to qualify for Cannes! After two Satellites and a Super Satellite, this dream has been fulfilled. This frequenter of the Parisian circle and big amateur tournaments, finds the money in tournaments is more satisfying and the game more interesting than cash games: “I by far prefer the atmosphere and style of the game that one finds at tournaments. At Divonne for example, when the 35th player was knocked out, everyone shook hands, very happy to have won something concrete. It was amazing. The game is also more serious and more strategic in tournaments, seeing that everyone starts with the same amount of chips. It is for this reason that a winning performance in a tournament will always be remembered.” His performance will certainly be remembered by all the card enthusiasts who were at Divonne. And as for his style, his kindness and his capacity to perform to the crowd, Eddy Laurent Glaude showed that he has everything we like in a poker player. That is why we are already impatient to see the showman at Cannes next September!

* Eddy Laurent was keen to say a big hello to his supportive friends Susanne, Vincent, Samy, Gary, Raphäel, Anthony, Sylvain and his other poker friends from Lille, without whom he would never have made it this far. This is what makes a champion!

Azeddine Yessad: “A great event for poker!”

54 year old Azeddine Yessad, restaurateur from Grenoble and great amateur card player, has played poker for "some time now". His love affair with Texas Hold'em reached a peak a year ago in Divonne-les-Bains. He finds this version of poke simple and pleasant to play and it has led him to discover the world of casinos. One year later, he is back in Divonne for the Partouche Poker Tour Super Satellite. Calm, tranquil and patient as usual, Azeddine Yessad dreams about his beautiful victory. These are the words of a wise man:

Hello Azeddine, how have you been since your beautiful victory in the Super Satellite at Divonne?
Very well thank you. I am very happy that I experienced such a great moment. I mad it to the end out of 347 players; that is not bad [smiles]. That Super Satellite was a great event for poker and also for me. I came with about ten friends who suggested I register. Today, I do not regret it one bit. They were eliminated, some even came close to the end, but they will try again in Lyon on the 15th March.

How did you find that Super Satellite?
It was my first tournament and I have to say I am smitten! It was really very nice, comfortable and well organised from beginning to end. The breaks were good and important for the players. The Partouche Poker Tour team always took care of its players, particularly with the dinner buffet that was spectacular. I’ll say it again; it really was a great event for poker and for the players. I met people that I hadn’t seen for ages, and got to know others that I didn’t know before. We had a good laugh, ate well and played well…we really had a lot of fun.

And the level of play?
I found the level of play very high. There were some very tough players, particularly at the final table. For example I found Samir Chaib [his final opponent] very good. He played seriously until the end, except maybe for the last move where he thought I was bluffing, but I wasn’t…After that, he lost a bit of clarity due to tiredness. I on the other hand was exhausted [laughs].

At what moment did you think that this tournament could be yours?
There was not a particular moment. But I said to myself at one specific point that maybe I should concentrate. It is for sure this that helped me get to the end. I remember that I got up to speak to a player behind me and when I came back to the table, I saw that my hand was a queen and an eight of diamonds. But the croupier said to me “too late”, so I folded…the flop was dealt with 3 diamonds including a king and an ace. Three players went all in and I had the best hand. It was a reminder about fate…

Now it is Cannes and its mythical Palm Beach!
I like poker and what I want most is to have fun. I registered for Divonne to have fun and play cards, it was that simple. But it is true that when there were only 100 players left, I said “why not?”. Now I will go to Cannes with the same mentality. That is to say calmly, and then we will see if I play well.

Calmly ok, but there are 2,000,000 euros to be won! What would you do with this much money?
[Dreaming] It is true that it is a lot of money. I would give some of it to the associations that I have supported since I stared. Then I think I would use the rest to travel a lot.

These women who are gaining chips!

For many men, playing poker against a woman is far from fun. Too unpredictable, too cautious, sometimes even too charming; women players use everything they can to beat their appointments. It's a woman's world now!

For those of you who still think that poker is a man’s game, invite a woman to play with you and you will not be disappointed…Even if there have not yet been enough women to really break into the middle of the poker scene, they have over time become as experienced and capable as men. The reasons for this are multiple, for example the explosion of the poker hold’em phenomenon, the opening of women only tournaments and the media’s promotion of American female players such as Jennifer Woods or even Kathy Liebert as well as the coaches of the Hollywood stars such as the actor James Woods. Women have in the past won a tournament called “the battle of the sexes”. This is proof that even in poker, ladies and kings do not always get on well.

Partouche Poker Tour has its princesses

In France, there are still no international “poker ladies” like Shannon Elizabeth or Liz Lieu, but their presence as talented players in the Partouche Poker Tour is helping to counter balance this. At the first Super Satellite of the season in Pasino de Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, there were certain women who brilliantly stood out, such as the gorgeous actress Alice Taglioni who gave one of the best female performances of the tournament and who was only eliminated just before reaching one of the qualifying places. The Swiss woman Margareth Kuno became the first female player to qualify for Cannes finishing 26th at the Super Satellite in Divonne after a superb run. Of course there are not as many female players as there are male. 9 out of 334 players at Saint-Armand and 6 out of 347 players at Divonne. But this did not stop them from lighting up the evening with wins that were each more spectacular than the last. When watching them play, one might wonder if it is the female nature in general that helps their poker talent. Whether it is bluffing, intuition or prudence; they have formidable skills.

“The majority of “winning” players are not effected by the physical appearance of their opponents” - Liz Lieu

So formidable are these female players that men don’t loose in the same way against them. This is a problem in the unmerciful world of poker: do women just play differently or do men insist on reading them differently? Both questions can be answered. But in this Valentines period, the gorgeous and talented Liz Lieu thinks that certain men play differently against women and it is these men that sometime make bad decisions. In an interview with our colleagues from pokernews, she adds that male players will do anything to eliminate female players before they take their money. According to the American champion, this is an error: “From my observations, I have noticed that the majority of “winning” players are not affected by the physical appearance of their opponents, no matter what their sex, age or race is. But if the fact that you are a woman gives you an advantage, grab it!”

They are ready for anything!

According to Liz Lieu, some men insist on playing differently against women. Various testimonies from players, taken throughout the tournament, claim that this is because men and women play the game differently. According to these testimonies, women place more importance on intuition than men do. Some even take big risks, often after the flop, where they will persuade themselves that on the Turn or the River a combination will arise to make them win. They also equally claim that women will do anything to win a game; they have the use of their charm and can be more tolerant and restrained. In effect, despite that there are more men in the cruel world of poker than women, the women feel like they are at home around the table. So good are they that they can take the taunts and jibes of other players better and do not unnecessarily loose their chips under the pressure of “if you don’t have it, leave the table!” Female players never get worn down.


INTERVIEW
Margareth Kuno, the iron woman!

Margareth Kuno is the first woman in the Partouche Poker Tour to qualify for the Main Event in Cannes. This Swiss woman, originally from Hungary, finished 26th out of 347 participants after a magnificent run. In her first big tournament, Margareth has proved that women have a place around the poker table. Unassuming and mysterious, she talks about her very first time.

Hi Margareth, so how does it feel to be the first female player to win a place for the Main Event in Cannes?
I am very proud to have got this far. It proves that all other women can also get here. I am also extremely happy to go to Cannes! It was my main aim for my first big tournament. I have never been there so I am very excited to explore the town and the Palm Beach.

As your first big tournament, how have you found this Super Satellite at Divonne-les-Bains?
Very exciting and very nerve wracking! I heard about Partouche Poker Tour on the radio and I said that I would participate in it. I registered for a satellite tournament in Divonne and I qualified, it was as simple as that. Next I found myself here in this huge room, it was really awesome.

How long have you played poker for?
I started to play closed poker privately with friends about 5 years ago. I started to play Texas hold’em only a year ago. The first time that I played for money, I had such an adrenaline rush and really strong feelings, things that I had never experienced before. I liked it straight away.

And how much adrenaline will you have at the Main Event in Cannes? 2,000,000 are in play!
Olalla…I don’t want to think about it (laughs).

CLOSE UP:
Margareth Kuno was knocked out by one of the seven Divonne Super Satellite finalists, Jonathan Khalifa. They found themselves locked in a game between just the two of them where at the end Jonathan Khalifa had the last word. This is what happened:

The blinds were 6,000 and 12,000. Margareth had no more chips and had no other option than to go all in with . Everyone folded except Jonathan Khalifa, the chipleader at the table. “The man of aces” as Margareth likes to call him, put down . Several matches had already been played in the past between the two young players, all in good humor, but this ultimate head to head ended this love affaire.

The Flop:
Khalifa had a pair. But Kuno could still get a flush.
The Turn and the River:
The Turn and the River gave Jonathan Khalifa a full house. The man from Casino le Pharaon in Lyon eliminated the last women left in the Divonne Super Satellite with an impressive full house.

Divonne-les-Bains, another success for the PPT!

The excitement at Divonne is all over! The second Super Satellite of the season was an event worthy to be part of the largest tournament in the world. Seamless organisation, an outstanding welcome, superb décor and talented players: a perfect location for this long and beautiful evening of Poker to take place. Azeddine Yessad, the winner of the stage, is passionate about cards and football. It is green surfaces that he knows!

The sixth Partouche Poker Tour has made the Alps tremble and the Mont Blanc fade and rightly so; the size of this super satellite is simply enormous. After the success of Saint-Armand-les-Eaux, Divonne-les-Bains has confirmed that the Partouche Poker Tour is the definitely the European poker event of the year. This amazing night of poker was filled with joy, tears, screaming and laughter. What a treat for Texas hold’em amateurs! Divonne-les-Bains also beat the participation record of Saint-Armand with a total of 347 registered players. It could not have started better.

The participants streamed into the room that had been reserved for the Partouche Poker Tour, to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”. Each player was invited to take their place around one of the 37 tables. Along the side of the huge room, a giant screen was set up to keep players updated with the tournament’s progress. The croupiers stood by ready, waiting for the master of ceremonies Numa Benhamou to start it all off. No sooner had this been done than the cards were dealt… and the sound of chips clicking echoed around the room. It was 4pm.

“the speed of a derby race”

From the beginning, the tone was set: the players wanted to fight as soon as possible! The blows followed one another and the all in bets flew in every sense of the word. Like at Saint-Amand-les Eaux, the players teased each other, showing off their regional poker skills and their home casino respectively. 275 of the players there had qualified through satellite tournaments and they teased each other continually. A good war, as one says. Between Divonne-les-Bains and Lyon Vert, Palavas and Nice, the matches took on the appearance of a derby race. Poker is more than just a game, it has become a sport! An inter-casino tournament was even born. Each player wanted to prove to the next that their town is the best in terms of poker. It was not rare to hear “look, he is not the only one left from Palavas. It is about honour!” At 5pm, there were only 318 participants left. As for the unhappy losers, they consoled themselves at the 5 cash game tables in the Grand Casino.

At 6pm, certain players had already differentiated themselves from the rest by the size of their all in bets. This was the case with David Tavernier at table 25, Frank Mihalic at table 23, Samir Chaib at table 12 and Thierry Bourdoulous at table 11. The break for dinner began and again Divonne did itself proud with the sumptuousness and refinement of its dishes. A huge buffet was provided for the players with exquisite savoury dishes from the four corners of the world and only good tastes. After the royal feast, the tournament continued. Pepped up, the participants continued their struggle, always more aggressively. With all in bet after all in bet and from bad beats to bad beats, the losers continued to add up until the Prize Pool was displayed on the giant screen. A sign that everyone’s desire, to know who has qualified for Cannes, was approaching quickly.

Standing Ovation!

12.30am. The 35th player left to thunderous applause. There was a collective sigh of relief…The final group had been formed. The chip leader, and one of the seven future finalists, Philippe Olivier had 179,000 chips. One would have thought, therefore, that the players would play without raising and that discussions would become shorter. This was not the case. The losers left the tables in dribs and drabs. It was only an hour an a half later at 3am that the seven finalists were known: Yann Reytier, Philippe Olivier, Eddy Glaude, Jonathan Khalifa, Samir Chaib, Azeddine Yessad and Massimo Confortin. And finally it was the eldest of the group, Azeddine Yessad, who emerged brilliantly as the winner to end a fantastic and emotional final. The second Super Satellite drew to a close with applause from a large audience. The standing ovation was not reserved only for the finalists, but also for the Partouche Poker Tour team, lead by its project manager Maxime Masquelier, who worked throughout the night to have the best tournament possible. And it paid off….I am looking forward to the next Super Satellite in Lyon Vert on the 15th March.

* A big thank you to croupier Geoffrey Doco for his priceless help. See you soon Geoffrey!

DIVONNE SUPER SATELLITE 9TH FEBRUARY 2008

Here is the definitive list of qualifying players for the Main event of the Partouche Poker Tour. Out of the 347 players of the second Super Satellite in Divonne-les-Bains, 34 won a place in the Grand Final in Cannes. The Prize pool was 50,000 euros and the winner Azeddine Yessad won 15,000 euros. The 33 other players split the rest of the Prize pool.

1 YESSAAD Azeddine 15.000 euros

2 CHAIB Samir Allaoua 7.000 euros

3 REYTIER Yann Claude 4.000 euros

4 GLAUDE Eddy Laurent 3.000 euros

5 OLIVIER Philippe Maurice 2.000 euros

6 KHALIFA Jonathan Isaa 2.000 euros

7 CONFORTIN Massimo 1.500 euros

8 VEILLON Frédéric Rémy 1.500 euros

9 FARDEL Thierry Michel Junior 1.000 euros

10 POPOT Frédéric 1.000 euros

11 GARROUMA Adil 500 euros

12 VERGNAUD Adrien 500 euros

13 COLOMBERO Michel Julien Alfred 500 euros

14 ANNEN Cédric 500 euros

15 PAULO Sergio 500 euros

16 KOSKAS Eric 500 euros

17 HIGGINSON David Graham 500 euros

18 PIERRARD Julien Paul 500 euros

19 ORENGO Alain 500 euros

20 SZTANDERA Jacques 500 euros

21 LASSERRE Marc 500 euros

22 ROCHAT Frédéric Henri 500 euros

23 ROY Alain Emile Bernard 500 euros

24 VIGIER Mathieu 500 euros

25 ULRICH Omar Geronimo 500 euros

26 KUNO Margareth 500 euros

27 SITHIDEJ Thavisak 500 euros

28 MESSINA Fabrice 500 euros

29 BAVEREL Patrice Jean 500 euros

30 SCHUHL Patrick David 500 euros

31 ANGLERAUD Jean Luc 500 euros

32 ZUNINO Philippe 500 euros

33 COHENDET Robin 500 euros

34 CARTILLIER Mickael 500 euros

5 days before Divonne!

The Mont Blanc is already a fading image next to the Partouche Poker Tour…Since the great success of the first super satellite at Saint-Amand-les Eaux, we have been looking forward to following PPT on its tour around France. After the north, the magnificent casino at Divonne-les-Bains in the east will welcome the second super satellite of the season.


An air of folly called the Partouche Poker Tour is blowing through the Alps. There will be huge poker evening with no less than 300 players attending, coming from the four corners of France, Switzerland and even Europe. Whether they are professionals, semi-professionals, aficionados, beginners or simply curious, they know that Divonne-les-Bains is one of the five stepping stones left that can send them directly to the Main Event in Cannes and to a 2,000,000 euros prize. What a unique opportunity.

If online registration has closed, interested players can go directly to the venue until Saturday or to the Partouche head office until Friday (141 bis rue de Saussure – Paris 17ème from 9am to 6pm). They can also register themselves in all the other group Partouche casinos. The participation fee is 1,075 euros. At the end, a prize pool of 50,000 euros will be split between the best players (10% of participants). And of course, they will also be registered directly for the biggest poker event in France, the Main Event in Cannes. So who will join Remy Biechel and his 32 sidekicks from Saint-Armand-les Eaux on the huge red carpet at the Palm Beach? If you dream of it, don’t let this opportunity pass!

* Please note that 5 cash game tables, from 100 euros to 2,000 euros, will be available to clients from 5pm to 4am!