- Winamax.fr signs November Niner Sylvain Loosli as Team Pro.
- His first event as a Winamax sponsored player is at EPT Barcelona.
- The declining poker market in France could get a real boost from a French victory at the WSOP Main Event.
The top French site Winamax has added Frenchman Sylvain Loosli to Team Winamax. Loosli has the sixth largest chip stack of the nine players who are due to reconvene in November to play out the WSOP Main Event Final Table.
CEO Canel Frichet enthused about the new signing: “When we see his results online at the Winamax tables, we realise that reaching the final table of the world championships is not down to chance. We will all be completely behind him this November in Las Vegas.”
If the 26 year-old player from Toulon brings the Main Event bracelet back to France, Canel Frichet will be even more enthusiastic. Winamax is the top ranked site in France, even ahead of PokerStars’ French site, though poker is declining significantly in the country as a whole.
High taxes have seen a substantial fall in player numbers, especially In the critical younger age groups. Sylvain Loosli with a WSOP bracelet and over $8,300,000 in winnings could give a huge boost to the game’s popularity.
JC Tran has the chip lead, and will be a formidable opponent. Loosli is also a cash game specialist, regularly playing at stakes up to $25/$50 online.
His poker skills are sharp enough to take the title, but his live tournament experience—especially at big money final tables—may count against him. He is doing his best to rectify that with plenty of practice in the run up to November.
This week, in his first event as a Winamax Tem Pro, he is playing the EPT in Barcelona—a large field big prize money tournament which has attracted a lot of the top tournament professionals.
Other Winamax Team Pros include Gaëlle Baumann who finished in 10th place at the 2012 WSOP Main Event as the highest finishing female player. Triple Crown winner Davidi Kitai and Ludovic Lacay can also be certain of showing a full measure of team spirit in helping Sylvain prepare for November.
Loosli sounds very pleased to have the backing: “Joining the Team gives me the best possible chance of becoming world champion. With help from the rest of the team, I will be fully prepared and have the best possible chance at the final table.” He added, “I just need to remind myself that I only need to beat 8 out of the original 6,352!”
