World Poker Tour

Jacques Durand

Birthplace
Israel

Hometown
Paris, France

Total Winnings
$34,557

Jacques Durand was born in Israel, but he's lived in Paris for more than twenty years. He lived in Los Angeles for about a year after he left the Israeli Army. He's now a businessman in the fabric industry in France. Durand says he started playing poker "by chance."

Durand says he had never read any poker books before he started playing. He learned the game from watching. He's an aggressive player who likes to go all-in. Durand says when he sits down at the table, he has no fear. He feels like he can play with anybody. He says he hadn't been playing very long when he earned his first big cash in tournament poker.

With just a few weeks experience under his belt, Durand ended up at the Euro Finals of Poker at the Aviation Club in France. Also at that final table was Tony G. of Australia, who is known for his unusual antics. Durand says he is not a fan of table talk. He says he wants to be 100 percent inside his game when he's playing poker, and too much table talk keeps him from doing that. He says his father taught him to always be straight with people. That's how he lives his life and how he plays poker. That philosophy helped him place fourth at his first WPT event, one place ahead of Tony G. Durand earned more than $34,000 at the Euro Finals of Poker in season one of the WPT. It's not just about the money for Durand. He says the money is nice, but for him, it's about being the best player at the table.