Jean-Noël Thorel is king. A quiet one. When you look him up on Wikipedia, this young man born in 1947 has a rather surprising profile: in the very first lines, the word “poker” doesn’t appear even once. You simply read that JNT, as he is often called in English to avoid the awkwardness of a tricky French pronunciation, is “a French entrepreneur and pharmacist. He is the founder and CEO of NAOS, a French cosmetics company operating brands such as Bioderma, Institut Esthederm and État Pur.” To discover that this extremely low-profile businessman is in fact an outstanding poker player, you need to scroll a little further down the page.
The most discreet number one in the poker world
Jean-Noël Thorel is discreet. Very discreet. Of course, the poker world—and especially the French-speaking poker community—knows his face, but he doesn’t enjoy the level of fame his results would normally command. And yet: he sits at the very top of the French All-Time Money List. By a mile. His Hendon Mob profile, recently updated, now shows close to $22 million in live tournament winnings.
Despite this superstar tournament résumé, JNT remains a remarkably understated figure. At the final table, his behavior was exemplary: calm, respectful, composed. Impossible not to notice this extraordinary player, if only because of his age, but also because of his very relaxed look and his “Security” or “Police” caps.
He would often stand up to give a hug to players who had just busted, and whenever he was involved in a hand, there was no visible stress on his face. It felt as if he were playing a friendly club game, while in reality he was battling in one of the most prestigious and physically demanding tournaments on the circuit. Despite his age (78), JNT showed no signs of physical fatigue. What’s his secret?
He came heartbreakingly close—just a few millimeters away—from capturing the coveted WSOP bracelet. But even without it, the story remains beautiful. JNT made France dream and gave hope to everyone who still plays poker with pure passion, far away from solvers and the GTO god. Has JNT ever seriously studied GTO? We have our doubts…
Bravo, Mr. Thorel. You are the king of amateurs.
Thorel finished second in a field of 2,891 players. He walked away with $6 million. Bernhard Binder has taken down this $25,000 Super Main Event at 2025 World Series of Poker Paradise for $10,000,000.
