"My mother was against it, but she sees the results, and she has to be happy now. My friends and family back home are
really proud and happy for me,” said Antoine Saout, 8th place holder at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. Initially his mother disapproved of his decision to become a
professional poker player, but he thinks he may have impressed her this time.
At only 25-years-old, Saout has been playing poker in live tournaments for merely 10 months now, but has come a long way in a short time, which may be a hint
as to what lies ahead for him. Being the only Frenchman in the November Nine, he will undoubtedly have a lot of support from his homeland. He now carries the torch that
was lit by fellow French players like Bertrand Grospellier and Ludovic Lacay. Furthermore, he and 9th-seat holder, James Akenhead, are the only two non-US players, Akenhead being
from London, England. Together the two will represent the entire European poker player base at the final table.
Saout is actually a former engineering student turned poker pro just last October. He’s a regular player at Everest Poker, known as “Tonio292,” and is best known for
mastery of multi-table tournaments online. In fact, he won his seat at the Main Event from a $50 satellite tournament on Everest Poker. He will undoubtedly incur even more fame
now on Everest Poker, in France, and throughout the world as he advances to the Main Event, though he holds the second shortest stack at the table.
Though he has no registered stats online other than a 6th place cash at the Spanish Poker Tour € 1,000 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event in last November, he’s still a good poker player.
It might be a shame though that he may be done before he even has a chance with such a low chip stack, especially considering the amounts of chips some of his competitors hold ahead of him.
Read about all the WSOP 2009 November Nine.
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