Oh, tech problems. This author especially hates technology, like when he strolls over to his computer only to find 10 updates that have to be installed before he can check his e-mail. Also in my camp with a disdain for tech issues is Russia’s harrrrmonica, who won the Full Tilt Sunday Brawl in recent weeks for $26,000.

There were almost 1,000 entrants in the Brawl and harrrrmonica said he had just come back from playing in his first European Poker Tour event in Barcelona. Therefore, it was his first Sunday session after a mini-break of sorts from grinding online. “After two hours, my Hold’em Manager went nuts,” he told PocketFives, “so I had to stop my PC and switch to my laptop, reducing the number of tables I had open.”

Despite the tech SNAFU, harrrrmonica said having to trim the number of tables might have helped his concentration, but added, “It was not a fun experience. I usually tilt a lot about any tech problems during a session. I stopped registering around the Warm-Up and Brawl and kept my early tables.” He persevered through the initial issues and finished tops on the leaderboard.

He planned to take the $26,000 and sink a chunk of it into the ongoing WCOOP on PokerStars. He told us, “It’s the first time I will be able to play the No Limit Hold’em schedule with a comfortable bankroll, so hopefully I keep running well. I will also try some Limit games if I find time to refresh myself on the rules.”

If you take a look at his recent scores, you’ll notice that he final tabled the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up a month ago for $36,000, his largest online tournament score to date. The Brawl was his second largest cash ever, meaning he has been on a lucrative run as of late. “Any given tournament you run deep in is a lot of luck, but lately I feel much more comfortable psychologically,” he told us.

harrrrmonica added, “My success is also because of my girlfriend, who helps me in everything I do, as well as my great poker friends.”

The Russian got started in poker after a career in television production. As he rationalized, “It was a moment in my life when I needed a new challenge. What attracted me to poker the most was the fact that all you earn is yours whether it’s success or failure; it’s the Wild West. If you start getting lazy and stop working, other guys will come and take all you have. It helps keep your motivation high and forces me not to spend every night of baseball season watching my Rays.”

PocketFives has over 1,500 registered members from Russia who have combined for $142.2 million in career online tournament winnings, including $11.9 million in the last three months. Russian PocketFivers are closing in on 300,000 total in the money finishes and harrrrmonica is #10 in the massive nation. He is #2 in the western city of Krasnodar.

The Sunday Brawl runs weekly on Full Tilt. Sign up for Full Tilt through the links on PocketFives to get a 100% up to $600 deposit bonus and one free month of PocketFives Training with no sign-up fee. Click here to get started.

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