Gaëlle Baumann (O RLY)

She's one of the most influential players in French poker. A regular poker player who has worked her way up the ranks in online rooms, Gaelle Baumann saw her life change when she reached 10th place in the Main Event for nearly half a million euros in prize money. Known by her nickname "O RLY", Gaelle has been one of the leading figures on Team Winamax since 2012.

After studying English in Perth, Australia, Gaelle discovered poker in 2007. Small wins with friends, her first successful deposit on Winamax, a bankroll built up in Sit&Go and Gaelle got hooked. "O RLY" also tried her hand at Cash Games and won a Challenge that helped her to be spotted by the "Limpers" community. The Strasbourg native then benefited from six months of coaching with renowned players such as Cyril André and Alexandre Luneau.

2012, a year of many emotions

With a degree in translation, Gaelle launched herself as a professional player in 2010. Her career was to take a turn in 2012. Having just joined Team Pro Winamax, Gaelle contested the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas that year. After a magnificent run, in which she took the chiplead on Day 2 and led the way brilliantly until Day 8, the Frenchwoman finished in tenth place, just a hair's breadth away from the final table. She still managed to console herself with a cheque for $590,000. On this occasion, the Alsatian achieved the best female performance since 17 years ago and Barbara Enright's 5th place, and the most lucrative female performance in the history of the Main Event. Following this tournament, Gaelle will catch the eye of the international media to the point of becoming one of the figures of women's poker.

The grinder of French poker

Installed in London, Gaelle Baumann has been criss-crossing the circuit flocked with the W Logo for many years. In particular, she finished runner-up in the 2014 Winamax Poker Tour at Cercle Montmartre for €65,000. The following year, she reached 5th place in the Vienna WPT. In 2016, she again achieved the best female performance in the WSOP Main Event, with a deep run (102nd) rewarded with almost $50,000. Before confinement, she climbed to 20th place in the EPT Barcelona, cashing for €61,710.