If Monte-Carlo is where dreams are made, they’re the goals of aspiring poker gamers the world over.
A well-recognized face to many, Aliaksandr Shylko is in motion right here at PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo, enjoying within the €100,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler.
Whereas many acknowledge him from his victory on the 2023 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC), it is his more moderen foray into greater buy-in occasions that maybe indicators the following chapter of his profession.
The EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler marks his second-ever six-figure buy-in event, and says that the expertise of enjoying in his first was a particular one.
“At first, I believed it could be very emotional for me,” he instructed PokerNews about enjoying in his first £$100,000 event. “And it was. However after enjoying some 25Ks, then increasingly more 25Ks, you begin to get used to it.”
Ultimately, he says, the greenback quantity fades.
“Whether or not it is $25K or $100K, it is the identical gamers. And if you perceive that these prime gamers are additionally human, it turns into simpler to imagine in your self. Everybody could make errors.”
“You by no means know the way your profession will go”
Simply over 5 years in the past, Shylko was enjoying sub-$1,000 buy-in tournaments throughout jap Europe. Now he is rubbing shoulders on the tables with among the largest gamers within the phrase. Earlier than breaking by means of together with his PSPC title, Shylko says he by no means assumed he’d discover himself commonly enjoying six-figure tournaments.
“You by no means know the way your profession will go,” he says. “However for positive, I am an formidable man. I’ve at all times aimed greater. I am investing a lot time within the sport, and I wish to play the best stakes attainable.”
However getting into the elite $100K fields is not nearly having the bankroll. It is about getting ready for battle towards the perfect minds within the sport.
“It is not solely in regards to the talent,” Shylko says truthfully. “If it was solely about talent, I would not play these tournaments, as a result of a few of these guys are too good.”
What separates Shylko’s mindset is his give attention to the intangibles: self-discipline, presence, and perception.
“In any specific event, for those who’re extra targeted, extra within the zone, for those who go deep into each hand, then you’ve a possibility to win,” he explains. “Even when your opponents are extra expert in some areas.”
For Shylko, competing on the highest stage is not nearly trophies or cash. It is about development, and Shylko is fast to acknowledge that he is early in his high-roller journey.
“You need to be in there to play towards the perfect and study from the perfect,” he says. “A variety of my mates play 100k tournaments, and I am actually grateful to share data and experiences with them. That is helped me develop.
“I would like extra time to show, to start with to myself, that I actually belong right here.”
Managing Editor
Trending Merchandise
