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Biography

Vitaly Lunkin is a Full Tilt Poker Pro from Russia. Playing since 2001, he is 38 years old and is the proud winner of over $3 million in career tournament earnings. Lunkin got his first cash in a tournament in 2003 when he took down a pot-limit Omaha event at the Moscow Open in 2003. He earned almost $12,000 for that win.

It wouldn’t be until 2006 that Lunkin would get his first WSOP cash. He finish in the money in the Main Event that year for about $5,000 profit. The following year in 2007, Lunkin hit a score worth $25,500 in the Moscow Millions Main Event.

Big things would happen to Vitaly come 2008. He traveled back to Las Vegas for the World Series and placed first in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. Lunkin earned $629,417 for his win and his first WSOP gold bracelet.

In 2009, Lunkin cashed in the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo before returning to his home of Moscow, Russia for the Russian Poker Tour’s Main Event. The event was a $7,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at Lunkin walked away with the victory and over $440,000. In the same month, Lunkin’s poker career would get a lot better.

The 2009 WSOP was host to a $40,000 anniversary event composed of 201 of the toughest players in the game. When it was all said and done, Lunkin bested Isaac Haxton in heads-up play to earn the nearly $1.9 million first-place prize. This was Lunkin’s second World Series gold bracelet and will be considered one of the greatest tournament victories of all time.