Eugene Katchalov was born in Ukraine, but his family moved to Brooklyn, New York in United States of America when he was just 10 years old. He studied in a Russian speaking Jewish school where he enrolled in the 5th standard, though he was supposed to study in the 7th standard. He studied in the school with his cousin, but he found it highly difficult to adjust there. Later he got admitted to a public school where he finally found his deserving success.
As a teenager, he was very active in sporting activities. He took part in many sports namely basketball, tennis, and he even joined the school bowling team. Then he registered in the Stern School of Business at New York University where he achieved two degrees. At first, he took up trading as his job, and he used to play poker with his friends just for fun. Then he started to play poker on a regular basis along with his day job. It is around this time that he took up poker as an easy way of income for paying off his bills. Gradually, he turned his interest into a flourishing career.
Eugene Katchalov started his career with participating in online poker tournaments and then by the year 2003, he announced himself to be a professional poker player. He entered the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas on the insistence of a friend and stood 5th. He entered the World Poker Tour Main Event collaborating with the same friend and soon found exposure to the top level of the game. He earned 48 thousand dollars from the tournament which covered all his expenses.
He was completely engrossed in the game of poker and was not able to work in the shadow of a big company where he lacked independence. Thus he decided to open an independent trading firm where he will not be bound. For this purpose, he used poker as a tool for collecting the capital needed to start the firm. The firm was the gate way to independence for Eugene Katchalov, which will enable him to dedicate more time to the game of poker.
2007 was a golden year for this sensational poker maestro. He started off his campaign with the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Tour Classic where he achieved victory, and he followed this performance with victories in all the tournaments he took part in the Belliago in that season. He rounded off his year by winning the Full Tilt tournament in Vegas, which saw him win the 119 thousand dollars prize money. This money acted as the capital for Eugene Katachalov and his partner for opening the independent firm they dreamt of.
World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) was the next stop for this highly talented poker player, and he conquered this event too winning a bracelet as the prize. The poker career of Eugene Katchalov has some very important highlights. One of the most important events in his career came when he won the World Poker Tour (WPT) title along with nearly 2.5 million dollars of prize money defeating poker greats like Raymond Davis and David Ulliott. Then he competed in the High Roller event on the European Poker Tour (EPT) London where he was placed 3rd. He recently competed in the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure High Roller Event and won it comprehensively.
Eugene Katchalov is a poker genius who has conquered the game with his intelligence and strategic mind. He was signed by pokerstars as a permanent member of their team. He is indeed a truly extraordinary poker champion.
