Article

Fabrice Soulier

Most people think that the life of a professional poker player is filled with glamor, excitement and lots of money overflowing from your pockets. Well, that's not entirely the case. Sometimes, you can enjoy the dizzy heights of success… but often you'll find yourself at the other end of the spectrum. The life of a professional player is a lot more complicated and difficult than poker fans seem to realize. At least, that's been my experience.

I started playing poker when I was in my teens in France. That was only five years ago. Well, OK, maybe more like 20 years ago. I loved it and got quite good at it but hadn't really thought about trying to make a living at the sport. As time progressed, I began working as a TV director in France. It was a good living, but the poker bug kept getting to me and I started playing more and more. It became difficult to try to combine poker with my career. And believe it or not, I was getting bored with directing and the whole television scene. In 2000, I won two big tournaments in a row in France. The money was substantial enough that I could actually retire for a year. So I decided to quit my job and try to play poker professionally and see how it went.

I've been playing at a professional level ever since. So does that mean I've been living the high life? No, not exactly. There have been times when I've made a great deal of money and things have been going great. There have also been several occasions where I've gone broke, or at least close to it.

EURO STAR

The first few years were very difficult. Getting increasingly low on my funds often made me reconsider my decision to choose this lifestyle. But then things would pick up, I'd start doing well, and I'd feel confident again. Then I'd hit a bad period and the cycle would repeat itself. I was playing almost exclusively in France, but then I started expanding my field. Eventually I was playing throughout Europe, in Amsterdam, London and so on. When I made my first stab at playing in Vegas, I nearly lost everything I had. That's not uncommon for European players on their first foray into the Vegas experience. What with jet lag, the change of play you encounter at Vegas casinos and a totally different environment to adapt to, a lot of Europeans get absolutely creamed when they first visit Sin City.

By 2003, I was playing all over the world. I based myself in the United States because I was married to a girl who lived in New York City (although she was actually French, not American). That's when I made the official jump from France. I started playing in larger tournaments, although the World Poker Tour main events were still a bit too expensive for me. Up until 2006, I was only playing in one or two of the $10K tournaments a year.

Finally, by 2006 I was ready to step up and play with the big boys. That's when I really started to hit the WPT circuit. I played in nine main events last year and had the best season of my life. The crowning moment was making the final table at the Bay 101 Shooting Stars Tournament. I was feeling more confident than I had in a long time entering that final table. But poker is largely about timing and, unfortunately, the timing wasn't right for me that night. Or maybe I simply wasn't getting the hands. Whatever the reason, I wound up cashing out in fifth place, banking $240K. That's a great amount of money, but I would have loved to have performed better. It was Nam Le, a sensational player, who won that event and deservedly so. And as far as being on international television was concerned, it really meant nothing to me. Remember, my previous career was in TV, so I was used to virtually every facet of it.

The year continued to be a good one for me. I wound up cashing in four WPT events, including a 13th place finish at the World Poker Challenge in Reno. I cashed in almost half the tournaments I entered – not too shabby. But most of those positive results happened early in the year and, little did I know, the worm was about to turn...

LADIES' NIGHT

Suddenly, I had one of those poker moments that really messes with your head. It was at the Festa al Lago at the Bellagio in Vegas in October. I was having a good tournament – in fact, I ended the first day fifth in chips. The second day, I was close to the money. There were around 105 players remaining and the top 100 would cash. So in this instance, everyone was playing very carefully, very close to the chest. I had around 70K chips, which wasn't too great but I was pretty certain it would be enough to guide me into the money. I looked down at my hand and saw pocket Tens. I raised it up to 6K pre-flop and the Button smooth called me. The flop was a dream: 10-6-2 rainbow! I bet 9K. My opponent raised to 25K. I was ecstatic. I moved all-in and he called instantly. He flipped over pocket Queens. I had him dominated. Personally, I didn't understand his decision to call. Obviously, this close to the money, I had to have something huge – probably a set or possibly Aces. If I was in his position, I would have assumed my Ladies were beat. But then the poker gods frowned on me. The turn and even the river were Queens! His quads beat my boat and just like that, I was out of the tournament and didn't make a penny. It sent me into a spiral.

Since then, I've been relatively quiet. I got crushed in Foxwoods, and sneaked into the money at the Five Diamond Classic. Then I traveled to the Bahamas last month where it looked like my luck was starting to change again. I had a sensational first day, accumulating a mountain of chips. I really liked my table and was able to read my opponents well. Then I got moved to a different table with three ultra-aggressive young players and the man himself, Daniel Negreanu. Not the place I wanted to be. Suddenly, my chips started disappearing at an alarming rate. Soon I made a big gamble with A-K off-suit, knowing the guy I was up against had a middle pair. But there was so much money already in the pot, I didn't want to lay my hand down. I was right about his hand – he had pocket Jacks. The board was no help and I lost the race. That beating left me decimated. Daniel Negreanu had the honor of ultimately busting me out of the tournament on the very last hand of the day. Ouch.

Next, I'm on my way to the European circuit to play in several EPT events starting in March. I'll be hitting Monte Carlo, Germany and Poland to name a few. Should be fun and I could definitely use a change of scenery to refresh my mind.

CAREER ADVICE

To succeed in these big tournaments, you need a good rush of cards. There are so many players in each of these events that luck plays a huge part. And that's my reality. The life of a poker player can be very tough. There's an enormous amount of travel – sounds glamorous, but you feel like you live out of your suitcase and, if you are not sponsored, you have to pay for everything yourself. It can be a real grind. And nothing is guaranteed. of course, I'm not sure any career is guaranteed, but when young people ask me about the possibility of turning pro, I usually advise against it. However, if you're absolutely determined to give it a go, hoist it up the flagpole and see who salutes. After all, that's what I did – and it's not all bad!

**FABRICE FACT**

Fabrice is a member of Pairs' Aviation Club de France – home to the WPT Grand Prix de Paris.