The poker world continues to grow, evolve, and scale new heights every year. Likewise, the global poker scene is also witnessing a new wave of rising poker stars who are consistently making their mark on the felts. These new and emerging players have been displaying exceptional skill, determination, and a passion for the game. As a result, they have captivated audiences worldwide with their talent. Be it dominating on online platforms, clinching notable live tournaments, or registering consistent deep runs in competitive fields, these rising stars are the shining future of poker.
Fresh talents from all continents are establishing themselves, challenging seasoned pros, and redefining traditional strategies. Their ability to adapt to the modern dynamics of the game, while bringing forth an unrelenting passion to succeed, has made them formidable contenders on the global poker stage.
Thomas Santerne
One such player is Thomas Santerne, who is France-based, and currently residing in Portugal. He often spends most of his time travelling for live poker events around the world.
Over the years, he has ascended to newer heights at a rapid pace. What makes his journey noteworthy is that five years ago, Thomas was working a factory job and unsuccessfully playing poker online. He recalls back then, his dad would often ask for his bank account, and his mum, “always said I’d be a pro.”
Interestingly, within just a year, his mother’s prediction came true, when he had begun displaying a swift rise online. He began attacking at the big $10K events on GG, and gradually dedicated his life to the game. He joked, “I played 350 days a year for three years. This is why I wear glasses now.”
Taking his virtual successes forward, within just two years, Santerne has ascended to the 12th spot on France’s all-time money list. In the process, he has also picked up four EPT SHR trophies and one title from a Winamax High Roller.
Thomas Santerne’s live poker exploits
Santerne stormed onto the live poker tournament scene just last in 2023. And had already cashed in two events in Morocco and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure even before the first month of the year concluded.
Come February 2023 and Santerne cashed in the €2,100 EPT Mystery Bounty event and the €10,300 EPT Paris High Roller. Santerne’s impressive form continued in March, wherein he registered his first live victory. He clinched the €1,500 Winamax Poker Tour La Grande Finale for a career-best €56,000.
After a solid run of making headlines, Santerne went underground for the best part of six months. He recorded no live scores for the next six months. However, his dry spell didn’t last long and he made a roaring comeback by registering three cashes in Cyprus in October. He picked up from where he left six months ago in a true champion style, making the point that he was still in the scene.
The French player then headed to the inaugural World Series of Poker (WSOP) Paradise in The Bahamas in December 2023, and once again proved his mettle.
2024
2024 turned out to be a breakout year for Thomas Santerne as he clinched two EPT €50,000 Super High Rollers bagging combined cashes of over €1.2 million. Additionally, he also recorded the biggest cash of his career at the Triton Montenegro $100,000 event, wherein he finished runner-up for a massive $1,735,000 paycheque.
He also took the runner-up spot in another $100,000 at the Super High Roller Bowl Series Cyprus for another handsome $870,000.
He didn’t stop there, he went on to finish in the money in the record-breaking €1,100 FPS Main Event at the 2024 EPT Paris festival held in February. The Freshman also entered the €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller and went on to defeat Chris Brewer heads-up to grab the title, along with €889,480 in prize money. In the process, he denied Brewer what would have been his back-to-back €50K victories.
Thomas then topped the victory with a series of high-roller successes in Montenegro and Cyprus that summer. Later he headed to EPT Prague, where he won the €20,000 High Roller to kickstart the festival with a bang. His hunt for glory again found fruit at the EPT Prague €50,000 Super High Roller, just ten months after his Paris success.
Recent spotlight
He seems to have no stopping and his recent exploits prove it. He registered three high-roller titles along with three victories, all in a single week.
He first took down the €20,000 High Roller on December 6 2024 and pocketed $ 184,597. He followed it up with a €50,000 EPT Super High Roller win just three days later on December 8, 2024, and added another $ 407,657 to his kitty. In the following three days on December 11, 2024, he captured the €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance for a handsome $ 138,287.
Although the €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance had a narrow field of just 11 entrants, it was still a significant one in terms of the stakes and the names involved. The high-stakes showdown witnesses some of the biggest names in poker, such as Niklas Astedt, Steve O’Dwyer, and Teun Mulder in contention. Irrespective of who he was playing against, Santerne had an invincible level of confidence that’s to the previous two victories at the series already under his belt.
These three historic wins earned him a total of $733,494, taking his lifetime total earnings close to the $5.30 Million mark.
Apart from the victories, he also nailed a humble cash that went unnoticed in the big figures of the High Rollers. He finished 20th at the € 920 + 180 + 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – Hyper Turbo Knockout Freezeout (Event #19) for a modest $3,013.
Thomas Santerene Stats
Thomas Santerene has earned a mammoth $5,121,473 in total Live Poker earnings in just two years of his live poker career. His best live cash to date has been $1,735,000, which he bagged after finishing runner-up in the $ 100,000 + 6,000 No Limit Hold’em – 8-Handed (Event #8) at Triton Poker Super High Roller Series held in Montenegro, Budva.
According to Hendon Mob, Thomas Santerene ranks 394th on the global All-Time Money List. As far as France’s All Time Money list is concerned he sits gloriously at the 12th place.
Talking of Thomas’ World Series of Poker (WSOP) exploits, he has yet to grab a gold bracelet or a ring. Nevertheless, he has earned a humble $370,455 from WSOP, thanks to his 5 cashes at the series.
Likewise, he has one World Poker Tour (WPT) cash at the WPT Prime Paris Championship at Club Circus Paris in 2024. He finished 32nd and pocketed $6,038.
As a promising player, Thomas Santerene continues to polish his skill and rise through the ranks. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the future of poker has never looked more exciting with players like Thomas in the mix. The poker community eagerly waits to witness his next breakthrough performance soon and keeps an eye on the poker endeavours of this round pro.
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