Eugene Katchalov

Originally from Kiev, Ukraine, Eugene Katchalov moved with his mother to United States in 1991, when he was ten. At that point, his home country was torn by conflicts as Soviet Union was on the brink of the collapse. Upon arrival to the States, they settled in Brooklyn, New York, living with his father who had moved two years earlier. It took some time before he managed to adjust to the new environment, but he eventually found his place. Staying active through middle and high school, he participated in numerous sports activities. In spring of 2003, he graduated from the Stern School of Business with degrees in both international business and finance. Untypically for the young generation, Eugene Katachalov has only made his first contact with poker several months after graduation. He started playing with his friends, but as he did not even know the rules, he wasn’t very successful. He started learning the game, but it was not until he found the online poker that he became really intrigued. He started playing on Party with mixed results, but eventually figured out that he could be making $30-40 a day from poker, which was nice money for him at the time. He worked during the day and grinded during the night. In December of 2004, his friend invited him to come along to Las Vegas, and this is where the serious passion for poker was born. His friend helped him get into the $3k Five-Diamond Poker Classic event, and he eventually ended up taking 5th place and banking $48,000. Cashing in another tournament during his stay in Vegas, he returned home with the passion for the game like never before. In 2007, after making a few more scores, Katchalov finally had enough money and confidence to start up his own small hedge fund with a friend – the dream he had from the day he started working as a day trader. Not long after, there came the biggest result of his career so far. As the year was drawing to an end, he took part in the $15k Five-Diamond World Poker Classic event, and after besting the field of 663 other players, he took the WPT title along with the first prize money just shy of $2.5 million. As it turned out, this was only the beginning for the young player. He finished 3rd in the 2010 WSOP $10k H.O.R.S.E. championship for nearly $350k, and in 2011 he took down the PCA Super High Roller to the tune of $1.5 million. This was the year when he seized his WSOP bracelet in the 7-card Stud event as well. Together with numerous other cashes, the most recent being 2nd in the EPT Deauville Main Event in 2014, his overall winnings currently stand at more than $8 million. Schulman, one of his closest friends, describes him as one of the most honest and kindest people he had ever had an opportunity to meet, and, as for his poker skills, results certainly speak for themselves. With his strong presence on the live circuit, he has found his way to numerous featured tables, and you can enjoy many of these showings here at Pokertube.