Andrey Pateychuk

Total Winnings
$630,263

It took Russian poker player Andrey Pateychuk just six months to go from complete unknown to one of the most successful poker pros in Russian history. Pateychuk kicked off his astonishing six-month run in July of 2011 with an appearance at the final two tables of the WSOP Main Event that netted him over $400,000. That kind of score helps make an unknown name recognizable, but it was Pateychuk’s win at the EPT San Remo Main Event three months later that really put him on the map. He defeated a huge field of 837 players to pick up his first major title and €680,000.

What really propelled Pateychuk from the list of notable grinders to one of the top players to watch in Europe was his WPT title. Less than six weeks after winning in San Remo, Pateychuk followed it up with another gigantic victory, this time at the WPT Prague Main Event. The 571-player event was the largest European tournament in WPT history and resulted in a payday of €450,000 for Pateychuk.

That trio of scores, plus some other minor cashes puts Pateychuk’s lifetime earnings at more than $2 million and counting. It also cements his status on the top ten money list in Russia, a country that has been producing some of Europe’s best and brightest young players. Pateychuk is indeed young, having racked up all these accolades before the age of 23.