"For me, poker is not just a game, it's a lifestyle. Poker is present in every minute of our existence. Every choice we make is connected to open and closed information. Every time, we look for a "win-win" solution."
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
- World Class High Stakes Short Deck player
- Short Deck variant advocate
- Extremely popular poker Twitch streamer
‘SantaZzz’ was born in Kyiv in 1983. Since his childhood, he has played every game he could. Cards, chess, sports, and video games. Almost every day, he would solve a quest, learn something new or search for a perfect strategy.
In 2004, he completed his higher education and received his legal degree. ‘SantaZzz’ worked in his field for four years before starting his own business. When the financial crisis of 2008 hit, he was forced to find a stable income.
In February 2009, ‘SantaZzz’ locked himself in his home and devoted his time to learning poker for 40 consecutive days. Over the first few months, his main challenge was finding an answer to, "Why does this person do this action?”
SantaZzz’s poker career began with SNG tournaments. Within approximately one year, he had made poker his full-fledged career. About one year after he started, SantaZzz switched to cash tables and eventually played with blinds of $25-$50 and $50-$100.
In 2018, having gained financial confidence, he decided to try his voice as a streamer. Once he started screaming, he broadened his poker sense and made new friends. During this time, he discovered the poker variant, Short Deck, which unexpectedly became a further career boost.
The excitement of seeing this new, high-action game being streamed was vital in developing a community around the game, of which SantaZzz was a central figure. You can find SantaZzz at the ultra-stakes tables on GGPoker and streaming on Twitch when he is playing. He is currently working on developing the Ukrainian poker community, which is forming a different society with unique features.