WSOP Q and A -- Vitaly LunkinThe Russian Professional Talks About his Second Bracelet Victory |
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Vitaly Lunkin won his first World Series of Poker event one year ago in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event to take home $628,417 in prize money after beating a field of 2,706 players. In 2009, the very first event he entered was for much higher stakes.
Lunkin was one of the 201 contestants who bought into the 40th-annual no-limit hold’em event for $40,000. He played solid poker throughout the event and distinguished himself at a final table full of stars both young and old. He walked away with the top prize of $1,891,012 and his second bracelet. It was the second major tournament win of the month for Lunkin, who also won the PokerStars Russian Poker Tour Moscow main event to take home $443,731.
Card Player caught up with Lunkin after he received his gold bracelet in the Amazon Room at the Rio, and the Russian star talked about his strategy at the final table, as well as the recent growth of Russian poker.
Ryan Lucchesi: In just one month you have picked up your second gold bracelet and won the first Russian Poker Tour event in Moscow. Did you feel more pride booking the win against this tough field or for the victory at a prestigious tournament in your homeland?
Vitaly Lunkin: They are both very important for me, because it shows my ability to adjust. People here do not know about my wins in several local tournaments in Russia. My win at the RPT tournament was a rehearsal. There was a similar structure here as in Moscow, and there were some very strong players at the tournament in Russia, as well. That win gave the support and confidence that was ingrained in me during this tournament.
RL: The start of the Russian Poker Tour in 2009 is thanks to your success, along with other Russian players like Alexander Kravchenko, Ivan Demidov, and Alexander Kostritsyn. Many of them were here today for your bracelet ceremony; do you take pride as a group to be introducing the Russian poker scene on a world stage?
VL: I think it is good for Russian poker whenever one of us wins, but I don’t think of myself personally as an ambassador. Soon we will have an EPT tournament in Russia, in Moscow. I was very glad to see many of them here this morning, because we are all good friends and try to support each other.
RL: What can you tell us about the growth of Russian poker that is not visible here in the United States?
VL: There are a lot of young, creative, outstanding players who are very difficult to play against over there. My experience against tough opponents back home has allowed me to finish so high in this event.
RL: You made some great plays against a tough field in this tournament. Do you feel that your experience and success have really allowed you to develop complexity in your strategy against top pros?
VL: I rarely watch TV back home in Russia, so I play each person the same. In any case, I feel very strongly about my game. During this tournament, I really tried to tune my game and adjust to the players at my table during each stage of the event to be able to compete at the highest level.
RL: Did the attention you paid to adjusting your game lead you to lay a trap for Isaac Haxton a second time when you held aces? Did you know you had him in a spot where he felt forced to draw against you?
VL: After the big hand where I moved all in with the flush, I decided not to enter big pots, I just wanted to use small pots against him. I tried to beat him, not get lucky. Isaac is known to be a very good heads-up player, and prior to the break, he was beating me. After the break, I changed my strategy dramatically. It also helped that I started to receive nice hands, and the results were right for me in the end.
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