Record Jackpot winner in The Deal
The progressive jackpot game from Full Tilt Poker was won for the sixth time when this lucky Russian scored a record breaking win.
The progressive jackpot mini game at Full Tilt poker, The Deal, has been claimed for a sixth time, on this occasion by Russian player Ronal7do.
The game rewards the best five card hands and uses StarsCoins to build up a jackpot that starts from $25,000. The largest amount the jackpot has reached so far is $384,040 which was recently won by Ronal7do.
The Russian player, real name Andriy, actually walks away with 50% of that figure, with the remaining 50% split among the other players who had played The Deal in the previous 12 hours, which in this case meant 1,157 people receiving $165.96 each.
This is what he had to say about his win.
Hi Andriy, congratulations on your win! Tell us a little about yourself; where are you from and what do you do besides poker?
I was born in Moscow and still live there. I work for the government and have two hobbies outside work. One of them [poker] you already know which gave me a "little" surprise-gift for my upcoming 45th birthday. The other one is my love for sports! I have been doing sport since I was young and I still love it. I have many titles in different disciplines such as; ski, track and field athletics and in all-around competitions. I am fan of hockey and for the last three years, I have been playing in the night hockey league. I’m also Married. No children yet, although we are working hard on this issue.
"There's one common thing in poker and sport; adrenaline"
Your nickname is a good one; does it reflect a preference for football?
As I've already said, I love sports, including football. I play it whenever I can and watch matches as much as possible. I particularly enjoy cheering on teams in international games. I find many, many players interesting and Ronaldo is just one of these.
You definitely have a versatile personality; when and how did you start to play poker?
I don't remember exactly. It happened many years ago, maybe 12 years ago. I started with card games like Preferans, which are popular here. Then the poker boom happened and I started to play poker with friends. Gradually, we gathered less and less, mainly due to personal commitments, so I moved to online poker. I started from the lower stakes and then worked my way up from there. I fell in love with the risk. In my mind, there's one common thing in poker and sport; adrenaline.
What have been your best results in poker during those 12 years and do you prefer tournaments or cash games?
No significant results actually. I played in the tournaments very rarely and always wanted to climb higher, to stay longer in the battle. The only negative aspect of the tournaments for me is time which is why cash games are the most convenient option. You can join the game and leave it whenever you want. Cash games are more goal and win oriented which leads to failure. In tournaments, and in sport, you always try to win or to become one of the best. But again, I have no time to enjoy it.
"I never imagined I’d hit a straight flush and afterwards I couldn't believe it"
Do you play The Deal often and if so, which buy-in do you prefer, 7 or 70 StarCoins?
The moment I get the necessary amount of Coins to play, I do. I always buy-in with 70 Coins with the understanding that if I win something, I win the maximum (full-house, flush, four of a kind). I could never have imagined I’d hit straight flush and even afterwards, watching the Wheel of Fortune, I couldn't believe it happened to me, it was like a fairy-tale ending. I would have been happy with any prize; they are all significant. But when the arrow pointed at the jackpot and the prize amount appeared on the screen, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, of happiness obviously.
Have you already decided what to do with the prize?
Where there's money, there are ways to spend it! To be honest, I haven't decided yet. It's always so difficult to answer and I'll try to be wise with the prize.
And the final question, are you planning to continue playing poker and will your prize influence your game or stakes?
I'm not planning to quit poker at this stage or change anything in my life. My stakes will stay at the same level. As for playing live, it’s open.
I’d like to wish everyone playing this unpredictable and fascinating poker game good luck.
