Who is Poker Pro (and MMA Fighter?) Olivier Busquet?
Native New Yorker Olivier Busquet is a unique, eclectic, and talented poker player, heralded as among the best heads-up, sit-and-go players in the world.
Having gotten his start with online low-stakes games, Olivier Busquet has quickly progressed to high-stakes match-ups both online and live while building quite the bankroll along with impressive fame and fortune. His background in finance meshes well with poker, thus resulting in a skill set that has provided this talented (and quite attractive) player the necessary tools to become a popular and rising star in the poker world today.
Olivier Busquet pre-poker
While in school in New York City, Busquet was a chess competitor and also sang in the choir. After graduation he attended Cornell University and ultimately graduated with a philosophy degree.
Olivier Busquet worked on Wall Street before making the jump to poker full-time. He credits the skill set overlap between a Wall Street trader and poker professional that provided the impetus for his own jump into the online poker world. After a quick bankroll build-up, he increased his stakes from $5/$10 to $25/$50 and became the first person to win seven figures at heads-up sit-n-go tournaments.
In 2009, Busquet made the leap into live games and the rest is history.
Olivier Busquet on poker
The 36-year-old Busquet competes in both online and live tournaments and is renowned for his aggressiveness. After losing his bankroll more than once early in his career, Busquet discovered his prowess in heads-up sit-n-go tournaments. In fact, many regard Busquet as one of the best heads-up, sit-n-go tournament players in the world.
In 2009, Busquet won the WPT Borgata Open, besting the largest field in WPT history—1,108 players—thus earning him nearly $926,000—his largest cash winning at the time. It was this moment that, essentially, put him on the poker map. A mere few months later, Olivier Busquet earned runner-up honors behind Tobias Reinkemeier at the European Poker Tour (EPT) 6 Grand Final High Roller in Monaco and his second largest cash–€597,000 ($794,771).
Between 2007 and 2014, Busquet boasted 21 WSOP cashes and made one final table. Since then, he’s added 16 additional final tables including four first-place finishes at various other tournaments around the world.
Even more recently, Busquet won his largest live cash–€896,434 ($1,188,996) at the EPT 11 €50,000 No-Limit Hold’Em Super High Roller Event in Barcelona on 18 August 2014. Take a look at this sick hand from that tournament.
Olivier Busquet has continued to do well since. To date, his live tournament cashes total nearly $8.36 million and he is 94th on the All Time Money List.
King of the Hill 2 and 3
Back in early October, 2017, Busquet went on to claim victory in the Poker Night in America King of the Hill 2 tournament, besting a field of top pros including Parker (tonkaaaa) Talbot, Shaun Deeb, and Phil Hellmuth—even unseating former champion Hellmuth in the process.
Take a look at the entire first match where Busquet beats Talbot. Enjoy commentary by Hellmuth and Upswing’s own Doug Polk.
Later that month, Busquet finished second in King of the Hill 3 versus Scott Blumstein, Dan Colman, and Brandon Adams.
Hit me with your best shot
Not only does Busquet slay at the poker table, but he is also Olivier Busquet MMA fighter. Let me tell you, this man can fight. In fact, in 2016, Busquet and Mexican poker player JC Alvarado each put up $150,000 in a mixed martial arts MMA prop bet after Busquet advertised his wares on Twitter and announced he was looking for some non-poker action, Alvarado—a jiu-jitsu blue belt took him up on his painful offer. Here is Busquet after pounding Alvarado. Warning, not for the squeamish.
Or, if you’d prefer the full brawl, check out this clip.
Olivier and out
For more information on this intriguing player, his insight on poker, love of Noam Chomsky, and his beautiful and amazing dog Sofia…
Sofia has doubled in size since I got her a month ago. 😍 pic.twitter.com/0S5PJcr4Cd
— Olivier Busquet (@olivierbusquet) December 24, 2017
Sofia learned how to use the ice machine 😱 pic.twitter.com/ovSsvXrPcp
— Olivier Busquet (@olivierbusquet) February 4, 2018
…you can follow Olivier Busquet on Twitter or around YouTube where he has been featured on many poker pros’ vlogs.
And now, your moment of zen. Just two beautiful people playing heads-up poker. Ladies and gentlemen, I present, Olivier Busquet and Liv Boeree in a little heads-up action.
Until next time.
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