Anatoly Gurtovy

For the Russian-born Anatoly Gurtovy, poker is a hobby first and a money-earner second. His main source of income is provided by his work in the drinks distribution industry, and he enjoys playing cards as a bit of fun on the side.

Even though the St. Petersburg native could be considered a recreational player, his list of tournament scores suggest that he is anything but. In 2016, Anatoly finished runner-up in the 2016 €1,000,000 buy-in Big One For One Drop event in Monte Carlo. The second-place finish earned him almost $6,000,000 in prize money – more than most pros will earn in a career.

Other notable scores include a final-table finish at the EPT Main Event in Warsaw back in 2009 and another deep EPT run in Barcelona in 2011. The following year, Gurtovy finished 12th at the €10,000 EPT Main Event in Monte Carlo. Though he fell just short of making the final table, he finished ahead the likes of high-stakes tournament regulars Pratyush ‘Shane Gamble’ Buddiga and Justin ‘ZeeJustin’ Bonomo.

For a player that sees poker as a hobby, Anatoly’s list of successes have proven that he has a knack for the game even if he isn’t fully committed to it. Poker pros be warned: don’t go underestimating him.