Bruno Fitoussi

Bruno Fitoussi

Date of birth: September 21, 1958

Birthplace: Paris, France

Place of employment: VIP–GAMING.com

Current title: Chairman and Owner/Card Player European Representative

Family members with interesting accomplishments: My wife, Isabelle, is a fashion designer for KENZO. I have two wonderful children – Jason-Bowie (8 years old) and Fleur-Ilana (4 1/2 years old).

Nonpoker hobbies: The Stock Market

Favorite poker games: Pot-limit Omaha and no-limit hold'em

Interesting past accomplishments or experiences: I am an architect, and for a few years I was a music publisher and producer.

How and where did you get started in the industry? Through the creation and management of the first poker cardroom in France at the Aviation Club de France in Paris.

How has your career progressed? From the unbelievable success of the cardroom and its international tournaments (four seasons), to the European poker championships (EFOP – Euro Finals of Poker), to the present adventure of VIP–GAMING (a gaming travel agency for VIP gamblers).

How has the industry changed for the better since you have been in it? The European poker scene has grown dramatically – you can see it through the number of successful European poker players.

What do you like most about your job? With no hesitation, the players themselves. They are incredible people – probably some of the most interesting people on this earth.

What would you suggest to make poker better to the masses? As many people think, exposure through the media is the key – either TV, the Internet, or publications such as Card Player.

How can we as an industry expose more people to poker and make it more appealing to the masses? Internet poker is probably the future, but not the only future. If it can bring more people to poker, it should also, at the same time, be able to make people feel that it's far more interesting to play in real casinos and card clubs with real people.