Short Deck Poker has been enjoying enormous popularity in the global poker scene especially among high-rollers in Asia. The new poker variant which offers a more challenging gameplay and intense action has turned out to be very popular with players participating in major tournaments.
Some players have found it a little difficult to adjust to the new format while others have quickly embraced it. One player is well on his way to conquering this newest game in town and his amazing run in 2018 makes him worthy of being crowded the Short Deck Poker King.
Nikita ‘Mikita’ Bodyakovskiy, a young player from Belarus has been on a tear winning multiple short deck poker events over the last three years. He made the headlines in the global poker community after he took part and won a popular short deck poker event which took place at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The event was held during the 2018 WSOP Europe but it still received a lot of attention because it had a €25,000 buy-in. There were only 9 players who signed up for this event but between them they had another six re-entries which brought the guaranteed prize money up to €356,250.
Badziakouski topped eight other players, including Short Deck regulars Paul Phua, Richard Yong, Winfred Yu and the runner up Ivan Leow. He won the event in style and took home €213,750 for his efforts.
Badziakouski Having A Great Year
Badziakouski managed to clinch back-to-back wins this year. In May, he won big at the HK$1,000,000 Main Event at the 2018 Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro, finishing in first place and winning $2,499,090. He also reached two final tables worth $219,256 and $52,650 at Short Deck events in Manila, Philippines.
In August, he won the HK $2,000,000 Triton Jeju event, topping a field of 55 entries to take home $5,255,456. He earned another $588,657 for being one of the finalists at another event in Jeju, South Korea. Badziakouski won a total of $12,658,265 in 2018 and there are still two months left in the year.
Triton Poker
He currently sits at the top of Belarus’ all-time money list with lifetime winnings of more than $18.8 million. He also ranks 22nd in the global money listings. Expectations are high for the Belarusian poker pro as one more Short Deck Poker event is set to take place later this month. The €50,000 King’s Short Deck Hold’em Championship takes place on October 31.
