American player captures World Series of Poker Europe title

American poker professional Elio Fox had to go to Cannes, France, to win his first World Series of Poker championship bracelet.

Fox, 25, from New York City, captured the Main Event in the World Series of Poker Europe on Thursday, topping a field of 593 players in the no-limit hold’em tournament and earning more than $1.9 million.

Prior to winning the Main Event, Fox had relative small success on the live poker circuit. His most notable victory was at the Bellagio Cup in July when he earned $680,000.

Fox played in 17 events during last summer’s World Series of Poker at the Rio, but he did not cash once.

“I think the most important thing to me is knowing whether I played well,” Fox said after the victory. “I get really hard on myself when I play poorly. Obviously, winning a lot of money is a great feeling.”

Fox resides in Manhattan, but he also has a residence in Canada, which he set up primarily to play online poker. He graduated from Bard College in New York where he majored in economics.

Fox started to play online poker during his freshman year of college and decided to pursue the game after graduation. His bankroll had grown considerably and he lacked a college loan debt.

“I like living a lifestyle that involves a lot of freedom,” Fox said. “I don’t like being on a set routine. The idea of going to the same job every day over and over for 10 hours a day sounds horrible to me. Poker is just the opposite of that.”

The runner-up to Fox was Chris Moorman, a 26-year-old professional poker player who lives in Cyprus. He earned $1.1 million for his efforts.

The seven-event World Series of Poker Europe took place at the Hotel Majestic Barriére in the home of the famous international film festival. Fox was one of four Americans to win events.

The buy-in for the Main Event was 10,000 Euros, which translated into $13,765. The field of 593 players was the largest in the five-year history of the World Series of Poker Europe.

In the previous four years, the World Series of Poker Europe took place in London. Previous winners were Annette Obrestad (2007), John Juanda (2008), Barry Shulman (2009), and James Bord (2010).