Vitaly Lunkin – WSOP 2009 interview

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Posted on: June 3, 2009

Posted in: Video, WSOP

Vitaly Lunkin – WSOP 2009 interview
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Winner of the $40,000 No Limit Hold’Em, he bested one of the hardest No Limit fields in tournament poker history at the 2009 World Series of Poker to score his second bracelet.

While he’s a well known and respected player in his native Russia, Vitaly Lunkin has recently made a name for himself on the international scene. Originally a backgammon player and Renju champion, he was first introduced to poker by a friend several years ago. Vitaly rapidly ascended to the top of the game, establishing himself as one of the country’s most prominent professional poker players. He’s currently in 4th place on the Russian All Time Money List and holds several national records. Most recently he achieved yet another record by reaching five consecutive final tables in domestic championship events between November 2007 and April 2008.

Vitaly made his first WSOP cash finish in 2006, where he went deep in the Main Event to take home $15K. While this was an impressive first performance, 2008 saw Vitaly make his mark. He worked his way to the top of a starting field of over 2,700 entrants in the $1.5K No-Limit Hold ‘em event to claim his first WSOP bracelet and $630K. Not one to let the cards get cold, Vitaly immediately followed this with another final table appearance. Just a couple of weeks later, he took 5th place in the $2K No-Limit Hold ‘em event at the Bellagio Cup IV, adding another $17K to his career earnings.

While he’s an aggressive opponent at the table, Vitaly is known as a reserved, quiet character outside of the tournament environment. Born and raised in Moscow, he’s actively involved in developing the Russian poker scene, working as a professional poker trainer and coach for Poker Moscow.

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