Summary:
The poker player from Russia played a game on TV for the first time since the epidemic started. Extra action was driven by the $100 standard ante in the $50/$100 game. Extra action was driven by the $100 standard ante in the game that was in question. The cards were not in his favor and he played a good game.
The poker player played on TV for the first time since the epidemic began.
We have not seen much of Kurganov in the poker world recently. The last few years have seen him devote more and more time to his charitable work, and it wasn’t clear if poker would become a priority for him again.
The Lodge in Austin put on a high-stakes live-streamed cash game where the Russian pro bought into it. Unusually, for a high-profile table lineup at The Lodge, Doug Polk did not join the stream. There were enough Poker at The Lodge regulars who joined the stream to maintain continuity.
Extra action was driven by the $100 standard ante in the game that was in question. Before the first bet is made, $950 has been put in the pot. In a game where everyone is in with $25k to $50k stacks, this high-ante format makes for some fast-paced action.
The cards were not in his favor and he played a good game. He finished the session down $23,900.
Mr. Dr. Batman was the biggest beneficiary of the misfortune of the rest of the table. They made a $100,000 profit after the session was over.
It was back on the baize
For the last few years, Kurganov has been tied up with work outside of the poker world.
Raising For Effective giving with Liv Boeree was founded by Kurganov.
His charitable efforts and his friendship with Musk’s wife put the couple into the eccentric orbit of Musk. Musk had a charity point man named Kurganov, until court machinations made him expendable. He was off the baize for a while because of this and the Pandemic.
He was a bracelet-winning poker pro with an $18 million Hendon Mob page, a laid-back persona, and a killer instinct for cards before he became Musk’s charity maven. He seems to be getting back into the game.
With any luck, this appearance is a permanent return to poker for Kurganov. He needs to fund his trips to Burning Man somehow.
The full stream can be watched on The Lodge’s Youtube channel.