Konstantin Puchkov is a Russian through and through. A native of Moscow, he makes his living in the regular business world. As a financial director for a Russian publishing house, the married father spends most of his working time running the numbers for the various printing jobs his company does around Moscow. In his free time though, Puchkov is a competitor and gambler. He owns and races horses, and like most competitors of this age, plays poker.

In his home country, poker witnessed the same popularity it did in the rest of the world and became recognized as a viable and competitive sport. Before the explosion, though, Puchkov had been playing five card draw out of a 32-card deck for more than a decade. Once Texas Hold’em’s 52-card deck rose to popularity, Puchkov learned the game and tried his hand at some local tournaments. Like almost everything else he’d done in his life, Puchkov found success.

Starting in 2001, Puchkov played exclusively in Russia. He racked up a dozen final tables in his home country. In 2007, Puchkov decided to make a trip to America. His travels landed him in Las Vegas. Before long, he found himself competing in the World Poker Tour Bellagio Cup III. It came as little surprise to anyone who knew him when Puchkov made the final table. Today, Puchkov has returned to Russia with his winnings, but chances are his competitive spirit will bring him back to the WPT tables soon.