If there is one nation qualified for the Global Poker Masters that can easily select a Team Captain it has to be the Ukraine. Eugene Katchalov (GPI#48) is, by far, the most successful Ukrainian poker player of all-time, and this coming March in Malta, he will be looked upon to lead Team Ukraine, the final team to qualify for the inaugural edition of the Global Poker Masters.
Katchalov, formerly a #2 ranked player on the GPI World Poker Rankings, has six career wins on the live tournament circuit, totalling well over $8M in winnings. The WPT and WSOP Champion came close to completing poker’s triple crown last February, when he was runner-up to Sotirios Koutoupas (GPI#297) in the EPT Deauville Main Event. Katchalov has earned six-figures in nine consecutive seasons on the circuit – he crossed the $2.5M mark in two of those seasons (2007, 2011).
Three-time tour winner Olesksandr Gnatenko (GPI#186), who has cashed in 40 events since 2009, and 2012 WSOP prelim event runner-up Artem Metalidi (GPI#194) – in the $3,000 buy-in NLH Six-Max event – have also confirmed their participation at the Global Poker Masters.
TEAM UKRAINE
Eugene Katchalov
Oleksandr Gnatenko
Artem Metalidi
Player #4
Wildcard player
