Ami Zaicik

Ami Zaicik is a French businessman who served as the CEO of a company with 30 employees. Starting as an errand boy at age 17, he eventually bought the company where he began his career and built it from near-zero into a successful enterprise. He later stepped back from day-to-day management to focus on strategic roles.

Zaicik discovered poker relatively late in life, learning the rules from television broadcasts featuring Patrick Bruel. About two to three months after learning the game, he told a friend that he would one day have a poker team — an ambition he later pursued through the Lekhaïm project.

Zaicik first met Bertrand Grospellier (ElkY) during a dinner in Las Vegas two years prior to a 2009 interview. They quickly formed a close bond, with Zaicik taking on a quasi-paternal role. He helped ElkY organize his travel, administrative matters, and eventually hired Stéphane Matheu, a former high-level tennis junior, to assist full-time. Zaicik openly acknowledged being mistaken for ElkY's father, joking that he was 'almost' one.

Zaicik's early tournament results include a first-place finish in the Wynn Classic Side Event on February 26, 2009, earning $65,597 from a field of 460 players. On June 11, 2011, he placed 18th in the Deep Stack Extravaganza III ($340 buy-in), winning $1,726 out of 727 entrants.

In WSOP events, his cashes include (listed as Jaques Zaicik): 36th in the 2009 $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship ($12,784), 79th in the 2009 $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed ($4,863), 159th in the 2010 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($2,589), and several others in the 2020s, including a 51st-place finish in the 2023 $1,500 MONSTER STACK ($25,021). Total WSOP earnings exceed $84,998.

He also recorded a 12th-place finish at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (EPT), contributing to reported overall live tournament earnings of approximately $200,000.

While detailed analysis of his playing style is limited, Zaicik is described as a passionate amateur who plays for enjoyment rather than as a full-time professional. His legacy is intertwined with ElkY's career, as he provided crucial off-table support. He remains a relatively low-profile figure in the poker world, known primarily through his connections and a modest but respectable tournament record.