In the poker documentary “Nosebleed“, director Victor Saumont follows high-stakes poker pros Alex “Alexonmoon” Luneau (pictured) and Sebastian “Seb86” Sabic on a quest to capture their first World Series of Poker bracelet.

The 90-minute film opened on the pair as they grind high-stakes cash games online from the kitchen of their London flat. Already a successful mid-stakes No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha player in 2009, Luneau described meeting Sabic in Thailand and learning of the potential profits that could be made playing Mixed Games. That’s when they decided to team up and become partners: “I would teach Seb NLH and PLO and he would teach me Deuce to Seven and the other games,” said Luneau.

With the online competition much softer away from the Hold’em tables, the French grinders decided to take a risk and make the jump to the nosebleeds. After a few failed shots, the young pros won around $1 million in a month, allowing them to play comfortably at the highest levels. When asked how it felt to play against world-class players for the first time, Seb described feeling “happy to get to play against Phil Ivey, the final boss of the game.”

Thus began the period that Luneau and Sabic described as the “golden days.” It was around this time that Gus Hansen began his epic losing streak and Viktor “Isildur1” Blom made his debut on Full Tilt. “Those are the only nights of my life I slept with the computer turned on so that if someone popped up at the table, it would wake me up,” said Sabic. To keep tabs on others, the pair also asked friends to message them if Isildur1 appeared in the lobby and had a “guard duty” system in which one would stay home while the other went out to socialize.

At that point, the two were so far ahead of the competition in Mixed Games that they considered Blom’s and Hansen’s losses simply donations. “Ivey once came to play me in $1,500/$3,000 Deuce to Seven heads-up,” recounted Luneau. “He told me that ‘you need to play the best to keep improving,’ referring to me.”

While the French grinders may respect Ivey’s play, they clearly saw Hansen as little more than a glorified ATM machine. Throughout the film, Luneau and Sabic (pictured) made references to the Danish pro, thanking him for contributing so much cash to their bankrolls. Hansen later graciously appeared in the documentary and admitted the pair often got the best of him at the tables.

At the WSOP, Luneau and Sabic played a number of events with only a few cashes. As the two prepared for a night on the town with Ivey, Sabic celebrated a six-figure win after a marathon cash game session at Aria, which featured other big-name pros. “Junglemanwas in the game,” he said. “He’s completely autistic when he plays; he ripped two-card decks, he threw cards high in the air, and he shouted like mad when he lost a hand.”

In 2014, a WSOP bracelet was not in the cards for the Frenchmen, but the pair took it in stride. “You can’t win every time. I’ll get two next year,” said Luneau.

In all, “Nosebleed” is a well-produced poker documentary that gives a rare behind-the-scenes look at the lives of two of the world’s elite players. You can watch it now for free on YouTube.

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