WSOP Circuit Paris | Pierre Chevalier wins Main Event and prepares to retire from poker, taking home €260,000

On September 15, 2026, the WSOP Circuit Paris €1,500 Main Event concluded at the Partouche Pasino Club in Paris. French player Pierre Chevalier emerged victorious from a field of 1,282 entries, eliminating several strong opponents in the Final Table before finally defeating Hervé Gouzil in a head-to-head match to claim the €260,000 prize and his first WSOP Circuit championship ring.

Even more surprisingly, this significant career victory did not prompt Chevalier to commit to more major tournaments. On the contrary, he revealed after the match that he used to only play about one or two tournaments a year, but now he believes this is "a good time to stop" and will significantly reduce his poker tournament appearances in the future.

1,282 entries set a new record for the European WSOP Circuit Main Event.

The main event buy-in for this year's Paris leg is:

€1,500

The final total is:

1,282 participants

This figure sets a record:

WSOP Circuit European Main Event record for most participants

Total prize pool reached:

€1,661,472

Ultimately, Pierre Chevalier won:

€260,000

as well as:

First WSOP Circuit Championship Ring

In addition, he also gained value:

€5,000

The next WSOP Paradise entry package.

Main game core data

The final table was star-studded, but Chevalier was not the top favorite.

The Final Table lineup is not simple.

These include:

• Hervé Gouzil

• Luca Bernardi

• Davidi Kitai

• Natasha Mercier

• Tristan Clemencon

Several players with extensive experience in live competitions.

Chevalier admitted after the tournament that he was not the most obvious favorite to win the title when facing such a final table.

However, he believes that the biggest advantage in this match comes from:

Switching between aggression and patience.

When he has a lot of chips, he is willing to increase his attack frequency; when he has fewer chips, he is willing to patiently wait for a better position.

This control of rhythm became a core factor in his eventual victory.

Day 3: 11 members return, Ankit Ahuja becomes a bubble in the Final Table.

At the start of the final day, the following remained on the field:

11 contestants

Maxime Doki-Thonon was the first to be eliminated, finishing in 11th place.

€15,786

Ankit Ahuja also failed to double its value afterward.

His final ranking:

10th place

Also received:

€15,786

And became the final table bubble contestant for this year's Main Event.

With Ahuja's departure, the final nine players officially formed the final table.

Natasha Mercier went all-in on the river but was caught by Chevalier.

Early in the final table, Hervé Gouzil broke AA with JJ, completing a crucial double-up.

Then Natasha Mercier and Chevalier played an important hand.

Mercier's choice on the river:

All-in

But Chevalier ultimately succeeded in calling the bet.

Chevalier finished on the river:

gourd

Therefore, Mercier successfully caught his opponent's all-in, and ultimately won with:

9th place

Stop, obtained:

€20,500

Chevalier specifically mentioned after the match that this was one of the most memorable calls he received throughout the entire game.

Bernardi led the race but finished third.

Italian player Luca Bernardi was in very strong form during the first half of the Final Table.

He was eliminated first:

Alberto Ah Line

8th place, €26,500.

Then they were eliminated again:

Valentin Blot

7th place, €35,000.

With a series of eliminations, Bernardi further extended his chip lead.

He also had a chance to achieve a "double title" at Partouche Pasino Club – because he had just won the Unibet Open title at the same venue in May of this year.

But in the end, Bernardi was eliminated by Chevalier at the three-person table, with:

3rd place

Takeaways:

€123,000

Unable to reach the summit again.

Davidi Kitai QQ was overtaken by AK.

After the game entered the 6-player table, Tristan Clemencon was eliminated with KJ against AK.

He ultimately achieved:

6th place, €46,500

Next up was the Belgian star Davidi Kitai.

Kitai supports:

QQ

Against Chevalier:

AK

The two sides formed a race.

Chevalier hit the flop:

Top pair

They have completed the comeback.

QQ ultimately did not improve further, and Kitai concluded:

5th place

Takeaways:

€63,000

Chevalier continued to accumulate chips after this hand.

Chevalier acquires both Selides and Bernardi, and enters Heads-Up.

After eliminating Kitai, Chevalier's offensive did not stop.

He then saw them off:

Mathieu Selides

Let the latter be:

4th place, €87,000

Stop.

He then eliminated Luca Bernardi, who had the most chips at the start of the game.

This series of eliminations propelled Chevalier from the middle of the final table to the final two.

He was initially behind in the head-to-head match, but a crucial flush resulted in a significant doubling of his winnings.

At the start of Heads-Up, Chevalier had slightly fewer scoreboards than Hervé Gouzil.

But he quickly closed the gap, in a huge pot:

Double up with a flush

This hand gave Chevalier a clear lead.

Shortly after, the two went all-in again.

Ultimately, Chevalier leaned on:

Lucky River Card

He completed the final comeback and ended the match, officially becoming the 2026 WSOP Circuit Paris Main Event champion.

Hervé Gouzil finished as runner-up:

€175,000

Final Table: Complete Results

Chevalier believes that the two crucial calls were the turning point in winning the championship.

In his post-match review of the entire game, Chevalier specifically mentioned two hands.

The first thing is:

River call to Natasha Mercier

The second option is:

A key call for Luca Bernardi

Chevalier believes the latter was the turning point that truly changed the entire tournament.

He stated that he had approximately:

4 million chips

After completing the game, you will be directly promoted to:

20 million chips

It was this leap that allowed him to adopt a more aggressive style of play in the future.

He only played 15 or 16 games in his entire career, but he almost always made the money.

Chevalier's professional background is quite unique.

He is not a full-time tour player.

According to him, his career probably only included:

15 to 16 tournaments

But about one of them is:

Entering the money circle in rounds 13-14

Such an extremely high proportion is quite rare.

He usually only participates in about 10 events a year:

1 to 2 matches

Poker is not his core profession in life.

After winning the championship, he plans to fade out of the poker world.

Generally speaking, a €260,000 championship, a WSOPC ring, and a WSOP Paradise pass will often make players consider playing more high-stakes tournaments.

But Chevalier is exactly the opposite.

He said after the match that he had actually been waiting for a championship like this.

Now that the goal has been achieved, I feel that:

"This is a perfect moment to stop and relax."

He may not stop competing immediately, but he may only compete occasionally in the future.

I. Two matches

Moreover, the frequency of participation will decrease.

Family and friends are more important than poker.

Chevalier's decision to step back from the game was not because he lost interest in poker.

The real reason is that he doesn't want to be completely absorbed by the world of professional poker.

This young father even changed his original train itinerary at the last minute because he wanted to attend the Final Table.

For him, the focus of life remains:

Friends and Family

Instead of a series of professional tour events.

This makes his championship story quite different from that of traditional professional poker players.

WSOP Circuit's next stop is Malta

With the main event in Paris concluded, the next stop on the WSOP Circuit European tour is:

Casino Malta

The event dates are:

September 25 to October 5

Several more WSOP Circuit championship ring events will be held at that time.

For Pierre Chevalier, this Paris Main Event championship may not be the start of a full-time professional career, but rather a perfect ending.

Breaking through the record-breaking 1,282 participants in the European WSOPC tournament, defeating formidable opponents such as Davidi Kitai, Luca Bernardi, and Hervé Gouzil, and finishing with €260,000 and his first Circuit ring, it would be hard to find a more fitting moment for a player who only plays a few tournaments a year to retire.

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