Thomas Boivin
Thomas Boivin is a Belgian professional poker player and tournament coach from Charleroi. Known online as martomchat, he developed his game in online tournaments before building a substantial live record across the European Poker Tour, American festivals, the World Series of Poker and the international high roller circuit.
The Hendon Mob profile checked for this article records 19.591.387 $ in live tournament earnings, placing him first on Belgium’s all-time money list and 79th worldwide. His largest individual cash is 2.290.000 $, earned for fifth place in the 2025 WSOP Paradise Triton Invitational.
His career combines major victories with valuable runner-up and third-place finishes. The progression from a large-field Venetian title in 2016 to seven-figure high roller cashes in 2025 shows how his schedule and results have developed over time.
Background, Education and Birth-Year Information
Boivin comes from Charleroi, Belgium, and his Hendon Mob profile lists St. Julian’s, Malta, as his residence. His exact birth year is not consistently documented in the sources checked for this profile. Contemporary MSPT reporting described him as 26 in June 2016, indicating a birth around 1989–1990; that range is an inference rather than a confirmed date.
He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering. During his university years, poker became an increasingly serious pursuit alongside his studies, eventually offering an alternative professional direction after graduation.
The engineering background is also relevant to how he discusses the game. In interviews and coaching material, analysis, structured decisions and understanding the reasons behind a strategy feature prominently.
Online Poker and the martomchat Identity
Boivin built his bankroll through online poker, including short-handed turbo sit-and-go tournaments on PokerStars. The screen name martomchat became associated with his online tournament play.
After completing his studies, he chose to continue with poker and moved to Malta. His development involved both playing and a more deliberate commitment to studying his decisions, rather than relying solely on the volume of hands he could put in.
Online results remain distinct from the headline live earnings figure. The live money list does not provide a complete account of everything he has won, lost or spent across online play, cash games and tournament travel.
The 2016 MSPT Venetian Breakthrough
Boivin’s first major live breakthrough came at the 2016 MSPT Venetian Main Event in Las Vegas. He topped a field of 2.887 entries and collected 352.153 $ after a heads-up agreement with Mukul Pahuja.
The tournament set an MSPT field-size record at the time and generated a prize pool of more than 2,8 million dollars. For Boivin, it was a substantial change from the smaller live results that had preceded it.
The result demonstrated success in a large field before he became closely associated with high rollers. Winning a tournament with thousands of entries represented a different challenge from the smaller, more expensive events that later became a regular part of his schedule.
Two Deep WSOP Runs in 2017
At the 2017 WSOP, Boivin finished second in the 1.500 $ No-Limit Hold’em Shootout for 159.273 $. Ben Maya won the bracelet after the pair contested a lengthy heads-up match.
Boivin also finished third in the 5.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em event for 264.306 $. Those results established him as a serious contender in bracelet events well before his later million-dollar finishes.
The shootout format required players to win successive tables before reaching the final. His runner-up finish therefore added another type of tournament result to his developing live record.
Winning the 2018 EPT Prague High Roller
In December 2018 Boivin won the 25.000 € Single-Day High Roller at EPT Prague for 375.520 €. The event drew 46 entries and ended with Steve O’Dwyer as runner-up.
Boivin explained in his post-victory interview that it was only the second 25.000 € tournament he had played. The result was an important early step into a buy-in level that would later become familiar.
The Prague trophy was a high roller title at an EPT festival. It should be distinguished from an EPT Main Event championship when describing his achievements.
A Major Florida Victory in 2023
Boivin won the 25.500 $ High Roller at the 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for 711.300 $. He outlasted 105 entries in an event that featured several established high roller opponents.
In a subsequent strategy interview, he discussed the importance of ongoing study and adapting to an opponent’s tendencies. The account also described his recovery from a large heads-up deficit against Frank Lagodich.
The Florida win became his largest live cash at that point. It was later surpassed, but remains one of the clearest examples of a major championship victory in his record.
Wynn and Further High Roller Results
At the 2023 WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas, Boivin finished second in the 25.000 $ High Roller for 958.278 $. That side-event result was separate from his participation in the festival’s Main Tour championship.
His schedule also included recurring appearances at Florida festivals and international events. The growing collection of final-table finishes gave his live career a broader base than any single title.
When comparing those results, event categories matter. A high roller held during a WPT festival is a significant tournament in its own right, while remaining distinct from a WPT Main Tour championship.
Seven-Figure WSOP Scores in 2025
Boivin recorded two major third-place finishes during the 2025 WSOP in Las Vegas. He received 1.212.020 $ in the 100.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em High Roller and 2.057.430 $ in the 250.000 $ Super High Roller.
Together, those two results accounted for more than 3,2 million dollars in gross payouts. They were important milestones in a year that would produce another career-best cash in December.
The prizes did not come with bracelets: both were third-place finishes. His official WSOP profile checked for this article still lists no bracelet victories, a useful distinction when summarising the scale of his results.
Runner-Up at NAPT Las Vegas
In November 2025 Boivin finished second in the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event for 518.575 $. Gal Yifrach won the title after a heads-up deal, with Jennifer Shahade completing the podium.
The 5.300 $ event attracted 738 entries. Boivin had built a substantial lead, but the closing match changed direction before the players adjusted the remaining payouts and continued for the trophy.
The result added another large-field final table to a year already marked by success in very expensive WSOP events. It also illustrated the importance of recording agreed payouts rather than assuming the original prize structure remained in place.
Career-Best Cash at WSOP Paradise
Boivin’s largest recorded cash came at the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival in the Bahamas. He finished fifth in the 250.000 $ Triton Invitational for 2.290.000 $.
The tournament attracted 133 entries and was won by Kayhan Mokri. Its invitational structure combined selected recreational players and professional opponents before the field came together.
For Boivin, the result was a third seven-figure cash during 2025 and another increase in his personal best. It was a fifth-place finish, rather than a tournament victory, despite the exceptional size of the prize.
Further Victories in 2026
In January 2026 Boivin won the 25.500 $ Lucky Hearts Poker Open High Roller at Seminole Hard Rock for 310.255 $. The event drew 28 entries, and he defeated Giuseppe Iadisernia heads-up.
He also won Event #10 of the 2026 PGT Summer Series for 429.000 $. The 25.000 $ event attracted 52 entries and ended with Igor Yaroshevskyy as runner-up.
These results continued the pattern of success at high buy-ins after his exceptional 2025 season. They added titles to a record whose largest monetary results had often come from deep finishes rather than outright wins.
Coaching and Approach to Tournament Poker
Alongside competition, Boivin works as a poker coach. His own coaching website and coaching profiles present him as a tournament specialist with particular interest in final-table decisions, ICM and making advanced concepts usable in practice.
His public teaching material combines theoretical analysis with adjustments to particular opponents. That combination helps explain why his discussion of a hand often considers stack depth and player tendencies alongside the strength of the cards themselves.
Coaching is a separate part of his professional activity, not a component of the live tournament earnings total. The public results record does not establish his income from teaching or other work.
Selected Career Results
| Year | Tournament | Finish | Prize |
| 2016 | MSPT Venetian Main Event | 1st | 352.153 $ — after a deal |
| 2017 | WSOP 1.500 $ No-Limit Hold’em Shootout | 2nd | 159.273 $ |
| 2017 | WSOP 5.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em | 3rd | 264.306 $ |
| 2018 | EPT Prague 25.000 € Single-Day High Roller | 1st | 375.520 € |
| 2023 | Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown 25.500 $ High Roller | 1st | 711.300 $ |
| 2023 | WPT World Championship festival 25.000 $ High Roller | 2nd | 958.278 $ |
| 2025 | WSOP 100.000 $ No-Limit Hold’em High Roller | 3rd | 1.212.020 $ |
| 2025 | WSOP 250.000 $ Super High Roller | 3rd | 2.057.430 $ |
| 2025 | NAPT Las Vegas Main Event | 2nd | 518.575 $ — after a deal |
| 2025 | WSOP Paradise 250.000 $ Triton Invitational | 5th | 2.290.000 $ |
| 2026 | Lucky Hearts Poker Open 25.500 $ High Roller | 1st | 310.255 $ |
| 2026 | PGT Summer Series 25.000 $ Event #10 | 1st | 429.000 $ |
Career Figures and Place in Belgian Poker
The Hendon Mob snapshot places Boivin at the top of Belgium’s live tournament money list. His record connects an online foundation with victories in Europe and the United States, followed by sustained results in international high rollers.
The figures below are gross tournament payouts. They do not deduct entry fees, re-entries, travel costs or any private staking arrangements, and they cannot establish his profit or net worth. Rankings change as new results are recorded.
| Category | Profile information checked in October 2026 |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Hometown | Charleroi, Belgium |
| Listed residence | St. Julian’s, Malta |
| Birth-year information | Approximately 1989–1990, inferred from contemporary age reporting; exact year unconfirmed |
| Online identity | martomchat |
| Recorded live tournament earnings | 19.591.387 $ |
| Largest recorded live cash | 2.290.000 $ |
| Belgium all-time money list | 1st |
| All-time money list | 79th |
| WSOP bracelets | 0 in the official profile checked |
Career figures checked on October 25, 2026. Recorded live tournament earnings are gross cashes and exclude private cash-game results. Image positions refer to three separately supplied AI-generated illustrations created in October 2026.