The France Poker Series (FPS) was established in 2010 and is a poker tournament circuit organized Pokerstars. It caters to both amateur and professional poker players, with tournaments held at various locations across France, as well as tournaments in Morocco and Monaco.
These tournaments featured a range of buy-ins to accommodate players with different skill levels and bankrolls.
The inaugural FPS season saw six stops, all in mainland France, culminating in FPS Paris. This event was the largest of the six, with Germany's Marvin Rettenmaier emerging as the winner, topping a field of 567 players.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May-10 | FPS Beaulieu | 149 | € 157,345 | Jose Ignacio Barbero | Argentina | € 40,123 |
| Sep-10 | FPS Divonne | 399 | € 421,344 | Serge Didisheim | Switzerland | € 108,894 |
| Oct-10 | FPS Saint-Amand | 228 | € 235,488 | David Jaoui | France | € 42,175 |
| Nov-10 | FPS Lyon | 228 | € 342,144 | Christophe Monnin | France | € 88,444 |
| Dec-10 | FPS Forges-les-Eaux | 265 | € 279,440 | Mathieu Thiry | France | € 75,000 |
| Feb-11 | FPS Paris | 567 | € 979,776 | Marvin Rettenmaier | Germany | € 244,036 |
A bumper eight-stop schedule greeted players on the second season of the France Poker Series, with two stops in Mazagan, Morocco accompanying a veritable selection of French destinations.
The largest in this second season belonged to Deauville, won by Patrick Braga, with the event attracting 828 players, proof of the event's popularity right from the start.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov-11 | FPS Mazagan | 305 | Dhs 3,579,785 | Anas Tadini | Morocco | Dhs 900,000 |
| Jan-12 | FPS Deauville | 329 | € 315,840 | Ludovic Sultan | France | € 82,000 |
| Mar-12 | FPS Snowfest Evian | 296 | € 284,160 | Veronika Pavlikova | Czech Republic | € 70,000 |
| May-12 | FPS Amnéville | 317 | € 304,320 | Ben Dobson | England | € 70,000 |
| Jun-12 | FPS Gujan-Mestras | 172 | € 165,120 | Florian Desgouttes | France | € 43,000 |
| Oct-12 | FPS Mazagan | 208 | Dhs 2,219,360 | Karim Rharbaoui | Morocco | Dhs 505,000 |
| Nov-12 | FPS Paris | 715 | € 709,738 | Mateusz Rypulak | Poland | € 150,000 |
| Jan-13 | FPS Deauville | 828 | € 794,880 | Patrick Braga | Canada | € 165,000 |
The schedule for Season 3 helped the tour continue to grow, with each event larger than the last, culminating in Niels van Leeuwen winning the first FPS Main Event to attract over 1,000 players and generate over €1,000,000 in total prize pool in Deauville.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar-13 | FPS Snowfest Evian | 280 | € 268,800 | Neil Raine | England | € 60,000 |
| May-13 | FPS Amnéville | 417 | € 400,320 | Ibrahim Feliani | France | € 92,000 |
| Sep-13 | FPS Sunfest Cannes | 559 | € 536,640 | Giedrius Gradeckas | Lithuania | € 92,000 |
| Nov-13 | FPS Paris | 818 | € 811,980 | Rodolphe Dethiere | France | € 153,000 |
| Jan-14 | FPS Deauville | 1,095 | € 1,051,200 | Niels van Leeuwen | Netherlands | € 175,000 |
In 2014, Yury Nesterenko became the first player to win two FPS Main Events, and he did it in spectacular fashion after winning back-to-back events in Monte Carlo and Cannes. His first victory came in the second-largest FPS Main Event to-date, and just six months later he doubled his tally for combined cashes of over €240,000.
Another shocking story in 2014 was the cancellation of FPS Paris, scheduled for November that year. Following an operation by French police at Cercle Cadet, the room French authorities decided to close the venue down for an "undetermined amount of time", forcing PokerStars management to cancel the upcoming FPS.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr-14 | FPS Monte Carlo | 837 | € 811,890 | Yury Nesterenko | Ukraine | € 150,000 |
| Oct-14 | FPS Sunfest Cannes | 582 | € 558,720 | Yury Nesterenko | Ukraine | € 91,000 |
| Jan-15 | FPS Deauville | 1,355 | € 1,300,800 | Anthony Apicella | France | € 197,000 |
With no Deauville in the FPS schedule this year, the tour returned to FPS Monte Carlo while there were also debut stops in Lille and Enghien. The events were a huge success, with the 1,000 player mark almost surpassed in two events, for what would have been only the third time in history — and the first time outside of Deauville.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr-15 | FPS Monte Carlo | 993 | € 963,210 | Sebastian Supper | Germany | € 177,000 |
| Jul-15 | FPS Lille | 745 | € 715,200 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | € 122,000 |
| Dec-15 | FPS Enghien | 940 | € 902,400 | Arnaud Desbrosse | France | € 147,000 |
Building on the success of the 2015 stop, FPS Monte Carlo finally surpassed 1,000 players as Stephane Dossetto won €218,000 for topping a 1,261 player field and defeating Niall Farrell heads-up. It was an all-France year with Fabrice Casano and Gabriel Nassif also winning FPS titles.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr-16 | FPS Monte Carlo | 1,261 | € 1,223,170 | Stephane Dossetto | France | € 218,000 |
| Jul-16 | FPS Lille | 726 | € 696,960 | Fabrice Casano | France | € 121,000 |
| Sep-16 | FPS Deauville | 615 | € 590,400 | Gabriel Nassif | France | € 113,030 |
Following this season, the FPS was discontinued, with regional tours replaced by PokerStars Festivals. These were in turn discontinued in 2018.
In 2022, the France Poker Series returned with three events. FPS Monte Carlo attracted a record field of 1,918 players, almost 600 more than the previous record, while Divonne held its first event since the inaugural season and second-ever event back in 2010.
Meanwhile, Anthony Apicella became the second player to win two FPS Main Events, adding FPS Aix-en-Provence, in its debut season, to his FPS Deauville title from 2015.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr-22 | FPS Monte Carlo | 1,918 | € 1,841,280 | Lucas Scafini | Brazil | € 250,000 |
| Oct-22 | FPS Divonne | 628 | € 603,020 | [PLAYER="nicolas-hamouni"]Nicolas Hamouni | [/PLAYER]France | € 113,670 |
| Nov-22 | FPS Aix-en-Provence | 779 | € 747,840 | Anthony Apicella | France | € 141,200 |
The France Poker Series went from strength to strength with not one, but two events breaking the 2,000 player mark in 2023 as PokerStars regional tours continued to flourish.
Poker in Paris: A Brief History of Poker and Gambling in the Capital
Japan's Daisuke Ogita won not only the largest FPS Main Event in history, but took home the largest first prize after beating a field of 2,138 players to win €307,160. The event also broke the record for largest FPS Main Event prize pool in history, with €2,052,480 being awarded to players.
| Date | Event | Field | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-23 | FPS Paris | 2,071 | € 1,988,160 | Alan Goasdoue | France | € 287,830 |
| Apr-23 | FPS Monte Carlo | 2,138 | € 2,052,480 | Daisuke Ogita | Japan | € 307,160 |
| Jul-23 | FPS Stade Jean-Bouin Paris | 1,384 | € 1,328,640 | Lorenzo Arduini | Italy | € 211,000 |
| Oct-23 | FPS Aix-les-Bains | 475 | € 456,000 | Alban Juen | France | € 90,070 |
| Nov-23 | FPS Aix-en-Provence | 611 | € 586,560 | Sahil Chutani | India | € 110,400 |
The France Poker Series will return in 2024 as part of the 2024 EPT stops in Paris and Monte Carlo.
| Rank | Player | Country | Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisuke Ogita | Japan | $ 342,502 |
| 2 | Marvin Guido Rettenmaier | Germany | $ 335,075 |
| 3 | Yury Nesterenko | Ukraine | $ 321,781 |
| 4 | Alan Goasdoue | France | $ 309,599 |
| 5 | Lucas Scafini | Brazil | $ 262,889 |
| 6 | Stephane Dossetto | France | $ 247,313 |
| 7 | Lorenzo Arduini | Italy | $ 238,944 |
| 8 | Niels van Leeuwen | Netherlands | $ 237,031 |
| 9 | Fabio Peluso | Italy | $ 236,132 |
| 10 | Nicolas Hamouni | France | $ 222,630 |
Stats correct as of January 1, 2024
| Rank | Date | Event | Entrants | Main Event Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr-23 | FPS Monte Carlo | 2,138 | Daisuke Ogita | € 307,160 |
| 2 | Feb-23 | FPS Paris | 2,071 | Alan Goasdoue | € 287,830 |
| 3 | Apr-22 | FPS Monte Carlo | 1,918 | Lucas Scafini | € 250,000 |
| 4 | Jul-23 | FPS Stade Jean-Bouin Paris | 1,384 | Lorenzo Arduini | € 211,000 |
| 5 | Jan-15 | FPS Deauville | 1,355 | Anthony Apicella | € 197,000 |
| 6 | Apr-16 | FPS Monte Carlo | 1,261 | Stephane Dossetto | € 218,000 |
| 7 | Jan-14 | FPS Deauville | 1,095 | Niels van Leeuwen | € 175,000 |
| 8 | Apr-15 | FPS Monte Carlo | 993 | Sebastian Supper | € 177,000 |
| 9 | Dec-15 | FPS Enghien | 940 | Arnaud Desbrosse | € 147,000 |
| 10 | Apr-14 | FPS Monte Carlo | 837 | Yury Nesterenko | € 150,000 |
Stats correct as of January 1, 2024
| Rank | Date | Event | Main Event Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr-23 | FPS Monte Carlo | Daisuke Ogita | € 307,160 |
| 2 | Feb-23 | FPS Paris | Alan Goasdoue | € 287,830 |
| 3 | Apr-22 | FPS Monte Carlo | Lucas Scafini | € 250,000 |
| 4 | Jul-23 | FPS Stade Jean-Bouin Paris | Lorenzo Arduini | € 211,000 |
| 5 | Jan-15 | FPS Deauville | Anthony Apicella | € 197,000 |
| 6 | Apr-16 | FPS Monte Carlo | Stephane Dossetto | € 218,000 |
| 7 | Jan-14 | FPS Deauville | Niels van Leeuwen | € 175,000 |
| 8 | Apr-15 | FPS Monte Carlo | Sebastian Supper | € 177,000 |
| 9 | Dec-15 | FPS Enghien | Arnaud Desbrosse | € 147,000 |
| 10 | Apr-14 | FPS Monte Carlo | Yury Nesterenko | € 150,000 |
Stats correct as of January 1, 2024
The France Poker Series has visited 17 destinations in three countries. As of the end of the 2023 season, the most popular destinations, having each hosted the FPS on five occasions are Paris, Monte Carlo and Deauville, despite not hosting an event since 2016.
Six destinations have hosted FPS events twice: Lille, Mazagan, Cannes, Amnéville, Aix-en-Provence and Divonne, with eight destinations hosting on a single occasion.
Two players have won two FPS titles: Anthony Apicella and Yury Nesterenko. Apicella won FPS Deauville in 2015 (€197,000) and FPS Aix-en-Provence in 2022 (€141,200) while Yury Nesterenko won back-to-back FPS Main Event titles in 2015, winning FPS Monte Carlo in April (€150,000) and following that up with FPS Sunfest Cannes in October (€91,000)
The largest FPS Main Event came in April 2023, when 2,138 players entered the FPS Monte Carlo Main Event. The winner was Japan's Daisuke Ogita who won €307,160.
The largest FPS Main Event first prize came in April 2023, when Japan's Daisuke Ogita won the FPS Monte Carlo Main Event, defeating a field of 2,138 players.