If you were to look at his live tournament results, you might assume Sylvain Loosli is in over his head at this World Series of Poker Main Event final table. After all, he has just a single cash from an event in Deauville, France worth just shy of $3,200. Don't let the lack of live results fool you though. This French player is a poker pro who regularly logs hours at the high stakes online tables when he is home in London. He is a rookie when it comes to the WSOP Main Event, but after chatting with him, he has no shortage of confidence in his ability to bring the World Championship title back to Europe:
Name: Sylvain Loosli
Twitter: @SylvainLoosli
Age: 26
Birthplace: Toulon, France
Hometown/Current place of residence: London, UK
Occupation: Poker Pro
Employer/Company Name: Self-employed
Education: Masters in Business
Marital Status: Single
Children (names and ages): None
Years playing poker: 7
Years entered Main Event: 0
WSOP Earnings: $0
WSOP Cashes: 0
WSOP Final Tables: 0
Best Main Event Finish: None
We spoke with Loosli shortly after the November Nine was set:
WSOP: You’re the lone French representative at the final table. How does it feel?
Loosli: It’s really positive to be representing my country. We were down to three French players with 27 left today and I was hoping it could be maybe two of us at the final table, but I’m the only one, so I will try to do my best to prove that French players can be as good as American ones.
WSOP: Was playing the World Series Main Event a goal of yours?
Loosli: Of course. It is a dream for every poker player. It is my first Main Event, because I don’t play many tournaments. Finally, this year I decided to come play in it. I think I made the right decision (laughs). It’s kind of a dream, and I have met so many nice people at all the tables. There are always people chatting. It is a very good ambiance. Really great, really secure.
WSOP: You had control through most of the day today. At what point did you realize you were going to make the final table?
Loosli: I think maybe four hours before the end. I was up to 31 million in chips and I was playing really good and really focused. I had no pressure the whole day, so I knew I had the chip lead. Then I lost the big pot like a ten million pot where I was really hurt, but I knew it wasn’t a big hit, and I just needed to say focused.
WSOP: Who is your toughest opponent?
Loosli: That’s a good question; I think JC Tran is quite a tough opponent. At the end of the day, I don’t know if he got lots of cards or if he was changing the way he played, but the American guy, Ryan [Riess]. He played really crazy at the end of the day he was quite short for a long time, then he completely changed pace of game and he did really well. He put a lot of pressure on and was very tough.
WSOP: This is a final table with a lot of people that people knew coming in they and know about their game. I think you’re probably one of the people that we know the least about because you don’t play live as much because you’re an online guy. Do you think that is going to be a big advantage for you in November?
Loosli: Maybe. So far in the tournament, I think many people underestimated me because they didn’t know anything about me. I knew what kind of image I have and I can do some good bluffs using this image and I could change my pace and my game a lot. So maybe in November they will find out I am not some random player and I am not just a lucky guy, but we will see and we will find out.
WSOP: What do you think the poker world should know about you now that you are a November Niner?
Loosli: That I am going to win the Main Event. One time for France.
WSOP: What do you plan on doing for the next two or three months?
Loosli: Vacation, and then I think more live tournaments to keep improving my game live and my game implements and work with some coaches on tournament game.