Émilien Pitavy: the future of poker joins Team Winamax. At 29, one of France's most promising poker players is joining Team Winamax. A natural move for a rising star who will now wear the red W in the biggest high roller events on the circuit. In just a few years, he has established himself as one of France's leading players, one of the few French pros regularly competing in the most expensive tournaments on the circuit and going head to head with players often considered the final bosses of the game. A seasoned competitor and respected coach, Émilien Pitavy represents the standards of elite-level poker at just 29 years old. Today he opens a new chapter in his career with a red W on his chest. "You don't know him yet, but he's your favorite player's favorite player. Meet him before he becomes unavoidable." "A name still absent from poker headlines, but already well known among insiders, who consider him one of the best French players right now and a future top reg." That is what we wrote on our French website in March 2025 about Émilien Pitavy in an article titled A Star Ready to Shine. We hope you used the past eleven months to get to know the young player from the Rhône region, because his star is now shining brighter than ever, not only in France but on the international stage. Highly visible and respected for his talent at the biggest live festivals, a regular at online high-stakes tables, and part of some of the most exclusive circles in world poker, Émilien now takes the next step by joining Team Winamax. The circle is complete: his poker journey began on Winamax eight years ago with a few €1 Expresso tables played between classes. "This is a huge step in my career and I'm extremely proud of it. Representing Winamax is a bit like representing poker in France. I was almost surprised to receive the call, but in a way I think it rewards all the work and dedication I've put in over the past few years." A meteoric rise. It did not take long for Émilien to make an impression and catch the attention of Stéphane Matheu. "He has been on my radar since he started becoming visible on the live scene," says the Team Winamax manager. "It probably started in Vegas in 2024 when he won that massive tournament at the Wynn during the WSOP [a $10,500 buy-in for nearly $155,000 in winnings]." Since then, his progress has only confirmed that first impression. "Signing Émilien was actually quite simple. For the past two years he has established himself as one of the top French players both live and online. His rise has been incredibly fast." A quick look at his résumé explains why. Runner-up in a Winamax Series Highroller Million for €98,000. Finalist in a $10,000 WSOP Online event for $400,000. Third place in the Winamax Series 5 Million Event for more than €200,000. Émilien has also posted regular deep runs in the biggest tournaments at the WSOP, including 148th place in the 2024 Main Event and seventh in the $100K the following summer, as well as strong results on the Triton circuit. Among them is a fourth-place finish worth $584,000 in the $25K WPT Global Slam in Jeju last September. But beyond the results, it was Émilien's overall profile that convinced the Coach. "On paper he is a perfect fit with what we are building at Team Winamax, whether it is his personality, his values, his work environment or his performance level. I wanted to keep the same values within the team. With him I clearly see that same commitment to excellence and performance." Pierre Calamusa shares the same enthusiasm and is delighted to see one of his close friends join the team. "Émilien is quite simply someone who changed my life as a player. He is someone I appreciate deeply both as a person and as a poker player. He has had a huge impact on my life and it is truly an honor to share the Team Pro experience with him. Maybe now it will be my turn to teach him a thing or two about being a sponsored poker player," he says with a smile. The two have worked together for nearly two years. Among the very best. For Émilien, joining Team Winamax goes far beyond a contract. It also represents joining a team he has long admired and drawn inspiration from. "It feels like a dream in many ways. I started playing and studying the game through content created by the Winamax Team Pro. That is pretty much all I watched. For me it has always represented excellence." Those words say a lot about what this moment means to him. Émilien will now share the biggest high-stakes festivals with two of the circuit's most iconic figures, Adrián Mateos and João Vieira, players he deeply admires. "Adrián and João are two players I have enormous respect for at the table. Their track records speak for themselves. They are without a doubt two of the most charismatic players on the global circuit." But Émilien does not intend to remain in the shadow of his role models. He plans to stand alongside them. "I am very proud to be, in a way, the third piece of the puzzle and the French one who will be battling all the high-stakes festivals alongside them. I am really looking forward to working with them and helping each other improve." A mentor named Fedor. For both sides, the signing feels like a natural fit and the continuation of a demanding learning journey guided by someone many consider one of the greatest players in the world. "If there is one person in poker I should thank for everything he has brought me, it is Fedor Holz. Everything that has happened to me over the past months and years would never have happened without him. At least it would not have happened this quickly. You can clearly call him a mentor." By joining the German champion's training group in 2023, Émilien developed in a highly structured and ultra competitive environment. That detail weighed heavily in Coach Matheu's final decision. "When you add to all the arguments mentioned earlier the fact that he was selected to be part of Fedor Holz's study group, it became very difficult not to make signing him a priority," Stéphane concludes. At 29, Émilien Pitavy arrives not as a promise but as a confirmation. A player already respected by his peers and now entrusted with an additional responsibility: wearing the red W on the biggest stages in world poker. For a long time he thrived in the shadows. Now the spotlight awaits him. Perhaps as soon as his first appearance under his new colors at the Triton Jeju festival in South Korea from March 14 to April 1, and on the Winamax tables under the alias EmillionS00n. Welcome Émilien. Make us dream!

French online poker operator Winamax has introduced a brand-new feature to its poker client called Legends, which enables players to display their various accolades directly at the tables.