Igor Kurganov Wins 2017 PSC Barcelona Super High Roller

Igor Kurganov has one of the scariest names in the whole of poker, sounding like a cross between a Gothic villain and the ultimate baddie in the Highlander movie, but the Russian pro is also an equally feared player at the tables, where he has accumulated a massive $14,089,225 in live earnings.
Despite enjoying one of his most successful years to date, however, including winning the WSOP $10,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold’em Championship for $273,964, the 29 year-old player has just scored his biggest score of 2017, after taking down the PokerStars Championship €50k Super High Roller for a whopping €1,084,100 ($1,273,165).
The event was held at the Casino Barcelona in Spain, and attracted a total of 86 players to create a prize pool of €4,129,290 ($4,849,430). With only 11 paid money places available, Isaac Haxton and Daniel Colman subsequently managed to make it into the money in 10th and 11th place respectively, before falling short of a final table apperance.
At the final table, Igor Kurganov then proceeded to eliminate Daniel Negreanu (9th), Stanley Choi (8th), and Dietrich Fast (4th) in short order, before being dealt A-Q and doing likewise to Koray Aldemir (K-Q) in 3rd to set up the final battle against Poland’s Bartlomiej Machon for the title.
After agreeing a deal, the end came soon for Machon whose Q-J faltered against the pocket queens of Kurganov to consign him to a runner-up finish worth $1,022,669. Meanwhile, the PokerStars Team Pro was crowned the 2017 PokerStars Championship €50k Super High Roller champion, and commenting upon his experience in the tournament, stated:
“It’s incredible! I’m so happy!. It was relatively simple today. I won the first three, four hands in a row and immediately became the chip leader… I think I was leading all the way except for about 20 minutes.”
Final Table Results:
1: Igor Kurganov $1,275,071
2: Bartlomiej Machon $1,022,669
3: Koray Aldemir $625,054
4: Dietrich Fast $481,109
5: Ivan Luca $380,946
6: Christopher Kruk $297,921
7: Bryn Kenney $234,410
8: Stanley Choi $183,199
9: Daniel Negreanu $139,203