Seat 2: Eric Afriat, 54, Canada (2,525,000)
A three-time champion on the World Poker Tour (WPT), Eric Afriat is making a rare appearance on the other side of the Atlantic to his native Canada – and has secured the first EPT Main Event cash of his career.
His previous absence from the EPT was mainly owing to his business endeavours. He worked in the clothing industry and travelled from North America to China regularly, which meant he tended to play his poker more close to home. He has since sold his previous business and focuses now on real estate, splitting his time between his hometown of Montreal and Miami Beach, Florida.
Afriat has made an instant impact on the EPT, where he has spent plenty of time on the feature table and courted some controversy with some potential breaches of etiquette. But he says that he is acting when he sits at the poker table; how he appears is not what his real personality is. He also says that he thinks his WPT experience gives him an advantage while on the feature table. His first final there was alongside Phil Ivey, from whom he learnt a lot.
“When I’m on TV, seven out of 10 people will hate me, but that’s not who I really am,” Afriat says. “It just helps my game to be talkative at the table.”
Afriat is alone here in Paris, but says his wife watches the streams from home. He was full of praise for the EPT, saying he considered everything from the registration process to the dealers and organisation have been first class. He won’t be able to make it to Monte Carlo, but is already considering a return for EPT Barcelona in August.
Away from poker, he is a huge sports fan, particularly hockey, where he supports the Montreal Canadiens.