Pascal Perrault plays online at Full Tilt Poker.

Although he had played casually since the mid-70s, Pascal ‘PPTHEBANDIT’ Perrault experienced his ‘poker awakening’ in 1995. It was then that he first discovered the joys of tournament poker, realizing his aptitude for tournaments while simultaneously learning his limitations. After finishing 263rd in his first WSOP Main Event that year, he vowed to read and absorb as much information and knowledge as possible in order to hone his skills.

This proved to be a shrewd move. Pascal gradually amassed more and more cash finishes. “The most important step a beginner can take is to learn as much as you can from books, poker schools and online forums,” he says. “Once you have acquired an understanding of the strategy, statistics, psychology and rules of poker, you must work on yourself – learn to improve control, adapt quicker to your table and escape the ‘tilt attitude’.”

Tournament poker, to Pascal, is a combination of outward combat and inward discipline. “I have always looked at poker as a sport,” he says. “For me, a tournament is like a gladiator fight, where you must defeat all your opponents to survive. On the other hand, it is like a martial art where the enemy is yourself – you must improve your own play to be strong enough to win.”

Nicknamed ‘Triple P: Pascal Perrault the Poisoner’ thanks to his background in pharmacy, Pascal’s scientific pursuit of knowledge has helped him forge a successful career. He competed in thousands of tournaments during his 15-year career, cashing in over 150 to accumulate more than $1.6 million in career tournament earnings. His biggest result to date came in 2005, when he won the $244K top prize at the €2,000 EPT Main Event in Vienna. A regular face at final tables all over the world, he was Europe’s top ranked player in 2000 and was voted Poker Personality of the Year in 2001.

Pascal splits his time away from the felt between his houses in Paris and Fortaleza in Brazil, where he lives with his wife Lise, who is also a professional poker player. He enjoys riding horses on the beach and running his own poker school in Brazil.

Look for Pascal at the tables on Full Tilt Poker.