If anyone could become a poker legend overnight, it was Marat Sharafutdinov, who became the first Russian to win the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker Main Event last week. It was not his nationally that was the big deal, though. It was his story.InsuredPlay makes PocketFives' WCOOP coverage possible. InsuredPlay provides all-in equity insurance for cash games and bubble insurance for tournaments. Buy bubble insurance for the WCOOP events by clicking here.
Sharafutdinov, who goes by maratik on PokerStars, is the ultimate micro-stakes grinder. He plays the games that many other online poker players do: $6 buy-in and lower sit and gos. He plays them in much larger quantities than many of us, but he’s still that tiny buy-in player that most of were or still are.
A guy like this does not have the bankroll to play in the $5,200 WCOOP Main Event, but he used 40 FPPs to enter a WCOOP satellite, eventually gaining entry into the big tournament. He made it all the way to the final table and during a six-handed deal, typed the phrase that has become a rallying cry for online poker underdogs, “I wont million.”
Sharafutdinov was second in chips at the time and was insistent that he receive a million dollars in prize money as part of any deal (this was readily understood despite his English-as-a-second-language misspelling). He did not get exactly what he wanted, but still had a chance at his million, as he received $900,000 with a shot to win the remaining $100,000 on the table.
And win it he did, coming back from a 5:1 chip deficit during heads-up play to take down the title and get his million bucks.
A few days later, the PokerStars Blog was able to catch up with maratik to give us all the opportunity to get to know the new micro-stakes legend. Right off the bat, he relayed a lesson that all players would be wise to heed.
When discussing a nightly $150 tournament, he said, “In that nightly tournament, I was chip leader, but when I got close to the bubble, I couldn't decide if I needed to play to get to the final table or just to cash. I played aggressively in one hand, but at the point where I had to go all-in, I checked and lost half of my stack. After that, I promised myself that if I was in an important tourney again, I wouldn't be afraid.”Many people figured maratik’s win was just another story of a low-stakes fish donking his way to an improbable victory. But if his detailing of a key hand is any indication, plenty of skill went into his WCOOP run.
The Russian narrated, "There was a hand where I had Q-Q and the big blind three-bet me and then bet all three streets. It was not far from the money and I understood that it was a regular who was trying to push out a micro-limits player. He thought I would be afraid of elimination, but I called without much doubt. He had bluffed and after that sat out for some time."
After going card dead for a while, Sharafutdinov didn’t get discouraged, but rather used it to his advantage, telling the PokerStars Blog, “I started using my rock image to start opening with bluffs.”
Even though he was willing to take chances in the tournament, Sharafutdinov is not a risk-taker when it comes to money: “For some time, I played six-max $6.50 sit and gos with a stable ROI of 11%, and $4.40 180-man sit and gos with an ROI of around 80%. At that time, I had problems with my internet connection and had constant disconnects. One time, I registered in 40 $5 tournaments and got disconnected for 45 minutes. As a result, I lost one-third of my bankroll and stopped developing as a player. After that, I played $3 and $1 sit and gos even when I had a bankroll for $6 games and higher… I know the value of money.”
“Take risks,” he said, “but remember about bankroll management.”
