Poker Pierre Neuville
Over the past decade, poker has transitioned into a young person’s game, with 20-somethings dominating the pro scene. Of course, this isn’t to say that there aren’t still some older players grinding on the felt, including 72-year-old Pierre Neuville, who’s officially now the oldest guy ever to make the WSOP November Nine. Pierre Neuville is a professional poker player and a member of the November Nine at the 2015 World Series of Poker. Find his Poker Biography & Videos here. 72-year old Pierre is an anachronism in the poker world.
Pierre Neuville is, by some way, the oldest player in the High Roller field. We know this not because he looks in any way ancient, but because he just told us it is his 69th birthday today. While many retired gentlemen of a certain age may be happy to stay at home with their slippers in front a log fire, Neuville is today going toe-to-toe with some of the fiercest young poker players on the planet. And he laid $25,000 on the line to do so.
Neuville is something of a trailblazer; I have discovered he is currently undergoing regular medical tests that should go on to prove that when you get to a certain age in life, playing poker will make you younger, at least in a mental and physical way. I'm not kidding; this is not some far-fetched fantasy, but part of a real study by proper medical folk at a scientific medical center back in Brugge, Belgium.
It started some years ago when Neuville thought he may be losing his memory a little. Though not unusual for a man of a certain age, Neuville was understandably concerned and went for specialist tests, six hours worth of physical and mental examinations that give a 'true age' as opposed to an individual's genuine age. Neuville was asked to return every six months for the tests to be repeated so any changes could be noted.
The results have been staggering: in the course of the past two years, Neuville's 'true age', as determined by the tests, has fallen 18 months since he first went. Simple math tells you, therefore, that he is now, physically and mentally at least, 3.5 years younger than he was when he first walked through the medical experts' door two years ago.
So excited are the men at the center that have now asked Neuville to keep coming back every six months at no expense; they believe they will gather enough evidence to produce a paper showing that playing poker can not only keep you mentally alert, it can improve your faculties.
This would be wonderful news for Team PokerStars Pro Neuville, who has long been an inspiration for people of a certain age wanting to play poker.
'At first many people who were retired like me were telling me I was too old to play poker,' Neuville said. 'But now they have seen what I have done, and now they too would like to try and qualify for PokerStars EPT events. It's funny, no one wants to be the oldest, but let's be honest, with me around there is no danger of that - not even for Barry Greenstein!'
Neuville always believed playing poker would help keep him young. He became rather good at it, and finishing runner-up at EPT Vilamoura in 2009 for a $384,000 score was a stand-out performance in total live tournament winnings of more than $1 million in just a few years. But what has also made Neuville's name is his 'Serial PokerStars Qualifier' tag that I first gave him some years ago, thanks to his extraordinary habit of qualifying online for just about every PokerStars live event going. As well as his Team Pro patch, his shirt also sports his home made Serial PokerStars Qualifier logo.
'The tests I have been getting have given me extra belief that playing poker not only keeps you young, but makes you younger. I see it in all areas - where I used to struggle playing two tables online at once, I can now play three with no problem.
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'The doctors say this is encouraging, which is why they want me to keep going for six-monthly tests to confirm what the results over the first two years have shown... mentally and physically at least, I am getting younger! Normally, once you reach about 66 years old, your mind starts slowing down; it's the natural thing to happen. But for me, mine is proving to get more active.
'The doctors have given me extra dietary tips, and of course advise me not to smoke or drink, but they need not worry, I am careful about that. They are excited to think that in a couple more years they can produce a study that shows that playing poker can help your mental and physical ability. It will be great to prove it!'
Being a man of certain age has benefits at the table for Neuville. He explained: 'When I sit down, a young player who does not know me will look at me and think, 'Who is this old guy? What is he doing here?' They play me in a way that is profitable for me, but it does not take them long to realise I know what I am doing.
'I am living a bit of a dream. To be playing in this $25,000 High Roller event on this, my 69th birthday, is amazing. I feel very lucky, but I know it is something others can do. I hope I am inspiration to older people to feel they can do this, too. It does not have to be a young person's game.'
Neuville starts this event in the Bahamas in traditional fashion, stuck as he is between two of poker's most fearsome young guns. On his right? Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst. On his left? None other than new WSOP world champion and fellow Team PokerStars Pro Pius Heinz.
As we have explained, however, that does not faze Neuville one bit. In fact, a couple of towers of green, 25 chips suggest he's been the more active at this table in the early levels. Watch out for the old timer, folks.
Happy birthday, Pierre, from Team PokerStars Blog (proved by medics to slow down mentally and physically after a couple of years in the job).
Pierre Neuville is the living proof that successful poker players don’t always have to be young, multi-tabling, internet whiz kids.
The 69-year-old Belgian PokerStars Team Pro holds a record for qualifying online for EPT main events 23 times in a row.
Today he'll start to reveal his secrets in an exclusive poker tournament strategy series on PokerListings.com.
The Pierre Neuville Story: Almost Too Good to Be True
Pierre Neuville first showed up on the EPT circuit early in 2008 when he made the last two tables of the PCA main event.
He was eventually busted by eventual winner Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier but his 18th-place finish for $48,000 made for his starting bankroll and foreshadowed the big things to come.
Pierre decided to commit to poker, a game he has loved since he made enough money to pay for his studies in the 1960s, and started working intensely on poker theory.
After his second EPT main event six months later in Barcelona, won by Sebastian Ruthenberg, he started his amazing run of 23 consecutive qualifications by winning a package to EPT Warsaw in November 2008.
What followed sounds like a story almost too good to be true.
In April 2009, Pierre came 9th at EPT San Remo and half a year later he was runner-up to Antonio Matias at the EPT Vilamoura in Portugal.
He cashed seven times in EPT Season 7 alone.
From ranking below the top 1,500 on the EPT all-time leaderboard in 2009, he skyrocketed to 25th place in 2010 and reached his best position after the EPT Grand Final in Madrid 2011, when he was in 6th place.
In October 2011 he reached the money in the WSOPE main event and busted in 64th place.
A Teacher Helps His Students Become Better Than Himself
Poker Pierre Neuville - Video Results
Neuville's success story didn’t go unnoticed and he's often approached by players of all ages and asked for advice.
Until now, though, he's stuck to his plan to never to coach more than two students on a regular basis.
Despite his success, Pierre has never lost his humble, down-to-earth attitude.
“You don’t have to be better than your students”, he says. “In the long run, my best students will become better than me.
'It’s like the Chinese say. ‘It’s the goal of the teacher to help their students to become better than himself’.”
Learning to get better in poker and helping others is a reciprocal process, according to Neuville.
“Your progress in poker should be a constant exchange of information. To become a good player, you have to communicate with other players as much as possible.
'And teaching also means learning from your students.”
Staying ambitious is also essential for success, says Neuville and the Olympic fan motto “being there is everything” doesn’t apply.
“You have to give something to get something,” he says.
Not everybody has the proper mindset to keep his head above the water in the poker business,either.
Some don’t have the perseverance you need to survive the dry times, and some just can’t take the success.
“For some players, success backfires,' Neuville says. 'They win an international tournament, and then they think they are now better than everybody else.
'These players often vanish again and never get a second result.”
Neuville Shares Secrets of Success in Seven-Part Series
Cached
After establishing his record of 23 consecutive EPT main events, Neuville is now going to reveal the secrets that helped him do so in a seven-part strategy series published exclusively on PokerListings.com.
He explains his motivation:
“As a player I want to get the best possible results. But as a fan of poker, I also want to be part of its history.
'So I have to get involved and give back, and that means helping players and helping the game.
'The more players get better, the more players will love the game. And the more players that love the game, the better it is for the game in the long run.
“I want to give something back to the game that has given me so much. And this means more to me than winning a tournament.”
For the future, Neuville isn't just aiming for personal success. He's also convinced that poker will reach new levels.
“One day,' he says and smiles, “poker will be part of the Olympics.”
Read the Pierre Neuville strategy series exclusively on PokerListings starting today. Click through to the strategy section for Part 1 here.
Read more about Pierre Neuville on his website www.pierre-neuville.com.