Konstantin "pustelga" Puchkov

Konstantin Puchkov is a WSOP bracelet winner who has cashed 46 times and made 33 final tables. Although he lists his profession as a horse breeder and trainer, he is a very successful poker player who has earned $1,202,019 as of July 2011.

Puchkov started playing poker in 1999 online and entered the live tournament arena in 2004 in his hometown of Moscow. Although he may be considered an amateur, Konstantin has a very impressive tournament record, especially in his home country of Russia, where his first three cashes were all at final tables in the 2004 Korona Russian Poker Championships in Moscow.

In 2006 he had three cashes with his best effort being a second place finish for $13,620 in the $300 Omaha Hi/Lo event at the Russian Poker Championships in Moscow. In 2007 he cashed five times and made four final tables. His biggest win was when he travelled to Las Vegas and finished sixth in the WPT $10,000 Bellagio Cup III NLH event for $103,280.

Konstantin started winning in 2009 when he came in second in the €5,000 NLH Six Handed EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo to take home €144,000 ($189,339). Two months later he was back home cashing in two Russian Poker Tour events in Moscow. For the year, he made four final tables and would cash nine times including taking home money in seven WPT events.

At the age of 58, Puchkov had his biggest year by cashing in 18 events and making nine final tables. He started 2010 by placing in six EPT events in Berlin, San Remo, Monte Carlo and Snowfest in Hinterglemm. He would finish the year by cashing in EPT events in Tallinn, Kiev, Prague and in Barcelona, where he finished third in the €5,000 NLH Main Event to win, €300, 000 ($410,038).

But it was on his trip to the 2010 WSOP in the summer where he would become famous. Beating a highly-competitive field of 828 players, he won the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event to take home his first gold bracelet and $256,820. This achievement made him only the fourth Russian-born player to hit gold at the WSOP. While at the WSOP he also cashed 27th in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event for $8,008 and finished 252nd for $3,093in the $1,500 NLH event.

By July of 2011, Konstantin had already cashed eight times and made one final table when he came in second in the €1,000 NLH EPT Snowfest event for €14,200 ($20,131). He cashed in five EPT tournaments which included taking home money from two Deauville events and one event in Berlin. His last three cashes were all at the WSOP where he made his best showing in the $2,500 8 Game event where he finished 21st for $8,098.

Away from the poker tables, Puchkov is a financial director for a Russian publishing house. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children. A self admitted gambler, he also owns and trains race horses which he names after poker terms. He has also said the two things he loves most are poker and horses, which is why he entered the event in which he won his gold bracelet in 2010 – because it was called HORSE.