Salaheddine Yatim

Salaheddine Yatim was born in Morocco and worked as an expert accountant in Casablanca. He is the son of Mohamed Yatim, a senior member of the Moroccan Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD). In interviews, Salaheddine described himself as not religiously committed and stated that his father raised him to make his own choices.

In October 2014, Yatim finished third in the World Poker Tour National (WPTN) Marrakech, held at the Casino Es Saadi from October 6–12. He earned a prize of €45,143 (approximately 500,000 Moroccan dirhams). The tournament was organized by PMU.fr. Yatim had qualified for the event through an online satellite, meaning he did not pay the buy-in out of pocket. During the final hand, his A♠8♣ held against Adil Touil's 8♥6♥ on a board of 8♠2♦2♥7♥5♠, securing his third-place finish.

Yatim's win sparked a public controversy in Morocco because of his father's high-profile role in the PJD, an Islamist party. Critics questioned the compatibility of poker with Islamic law, which prohibits games of chance. Both father and son defended the game. Mohamed Yatim stated that poker is a skill-based competition akin to TV game shows, and that his son is an adult responsible for his own actions. Salaheddine himself argued that poker is based on psychological analysis and probability, not luck. He also mentioned that his father initially texted him asking whether he had won a competition or a bet, but later accepted it after being reassured that no money was wagered to enter. The PJD distanced itself from the matter, stating that Salaheddine is not a party member.

While specific details of Yatim's playing style are not publicly documented, he described poker as a game of skill requiring intelligence and mathematical analysis. He emphasized that he plays for competition rather than financial need, as his accounting career provides sufficient income.