Alex Bolotin began playing poker at the beginning of the poker boom and saw his first big results come in 2006 with a couple of deep runs, including his first final table. Since then he has earned over $2 million in live tournament cashes.
We caught up with Bolotin as the players at the Event #6 final table went on their second break of the day.
How have things been going today? Is everything going according to plan?
It’s been going great. I have been running really well. A couple of people that I have been worried about got knocked out. The guy who is second in chips is a really good player, he won the PCA Main Event for like $2 million plus a couple of other events. The other guy also seems solid, but I haven’t seen him before so he can’t be the best ever. So yeah, so far so good.
Any memorable hands along the way?
We only started with 12 today. I won a big hand where I doubled up. Shawn Busse, a very good online player, was the small blind. I raised the big blind with ace-king and he called me with queen-ten off. Flop came ten-four-three with two diamonds, I have ace-king of diamonds. He checked, I bet, he raised me and I shipped it. He called it off and I was a slight favorite in the hand and I won the flip. So that hand was big.
The huge hand four-handed was against Josh Arieh. He opens under the gun. I have aces in the big blind, I three bet and he calls. Flop comes queen-ten-seven two hearts and I bet. He raises me, I guess he could have a top pair there. He was chipleader at the time but I ship it in for a good amount and he called it with a set of tens. I caught my ace on the turn which was huge. That’s the hand that propelled me to the chip lead and now I am going to close it out.
How did you find the field in this tournament? Any other tough opponents that you encountered along the way?
On my second day I beat Jordan Young heads up. I got really lucky there. He was number one online in 2011 - he’s a very accomplished online player. There were actually a lot of really good players in this small buy in event.
I heard you really wanted to play the Millionaire Maker. Were you sad to be missing it?
Very much so. I was thinking of double dipping. I decided it is the more mature and professional thing to do to concentrate on one tournament at a time. It looks like it was a good decision.
Hand #98: Alex Bolotin min-raised to 32,000 on the button, Jon Lane called from the big blind, and the flop fell . Lane checked, Bolotin continued for 35,000, and Lane folded.
Hand #99: Dimitar Danchev took down the pot with a raise to 32,000 on the button.
Hand #100: Lane folded his button, Bolotin raised to 42,000 from the small blind, and Danchev reraised to 91,000. Bolotin folded.
Hand #101: Bolotin raised to 32,000 on the button, Danchev three-bet to 92,000 from the small blind, and both Lane and Bolotin folded.
Hand #102: Danchev was on the button and raised to 32,000. Bolotin defended his big blind, the flop fell , and both players checked. The turn was the , the two knuckled again, and the completed the board. Bolotin checked, Danchev tossed out a minimum bet of 16,000, and Bolotin folded.
Hand #103: Jon Lane opened to 35,000 and Dimitar Danchev called from the big blind to see a flop fall with Lane tossing in 40,000. Danchev check-called as the turn fell the .
Danchev checked and Lane bet out 105,000 to prompt a fold from Danchev.
Hand #104: Alex Bolotin raised to 32,000 from the button and Jon Lane called from the big blind to see a . Lane then check-folded to a 35,000-chip bet from Bolotin.
Hand #105: Dimitar Danchev raised to 32,000 and Jon Lane made the call from the small to see the dealer deliver a flop. The action was checked round as the fell on the turn and Danchev bet out 35,000. Lane mucked and the Bulgarian was pushed the pot.
Hand #106: Jon Lane raised to 35,000 and Dimitar Danchev called from the large blind. The flop fell as both players checked. The turn landed the and Lane fired out a delayed continuation-bet of 45,000 which Danchev called as the river landed the .
Danchev checked and Lane bet out 135,000 which Danchev called. Lane tabled his for a set to scoop the pot and move to 780,000 in chips as Danchev slips to roughly 1.1 million.
Hand #107: Alex Bolotin bumped it up to 32,000 on the button, and won the blinds and antes.
Hand #108: Dimitar Danchev min-raised to 32,000 on the button, and took down the pot.
Hand #109: Jon Lane raised to 35,000 on the button, Danchev called in the big blind then checked dark, and the flop came . Lane fired out 40,000, Danchev called, and the turn was the . Both players checked. A repeat jack - the - comleted the board, and Danchev took down the pot with for aces and jacks.
Hand #110: Lane received a walk.
Hand #111: Danchev took down the blinds and antes with a raise to 32,000 on the button.
Hand #112: Lane raised to 32,000, Danchev defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Danchev checked, Lane tossed out 45,000, and Danchev called. The turn was the , Danchev checked again, and Lane fired out another 85,000. Danchev again called.
The suicide king - - completed the board, both players checked, and Danchev took it down with for a pair of aces.
Andrew "BalugaWhale" Seidman is crushing the $1,500 buy-in Millionaire Maker, and he joins his former student on the final episode of Strategy With Kristy.
Hand #113: Alex Bolotin raised to 32,000 and collected the blinds and antes.
Hand #114: Dimitar Danchev raised to 32,000 and collected the blinds and antes.
Hand #115: Jon Lane opened to 35,000 and Dimitar Danchev called from the big blind to see a flop with Lane continuing for 40,000 with Danchev check-calling.
The turn landed the and once Danchev checked, Lane bet out 80,000 and Danchev called as the river fell the . Danchev checked and Lane dropped in 165,000 to put Danchev into the tank for over a minute before he folded.
Hand #116: Alex Bolotin raised to 32,000 and Jon Lane defended his big blind to see a flop fall with Bolotin continuing for 35,000. Lane then check-raised to 80,000 and Bolotin quickly made the call as the fell on the turn.
Lane and Bolotin both checked as the completed the board on the river. Lane checked and Bolotin pushed out 150,000. Lane called and then mucked when Bolotin tabled his for a straight.
Hand #117: Dimitar Danchev raised to 32,000 from the button and Jon Lane called in the small blind before Alex Bolotin three-bet to 125,000 from the big blind to force two quick folds from Danchev and Lane.
Hand #119: Jon Lane had the button and he folded. Alex Bolotin raised to 42,000 from the small blind, Dimitar Danchev called in the big blind, and the flop came . Bolotin led out for 45,000, Danchev called, and the turn brought the . Bolotin checked, Danchev fired out 130,000, and Bolotin folded.
Hand #120: Bolotin folded his button, Danchev raised to 40,000 from the small blind, and Lane folded.
Hand #121: Danchev raised to 32,000 on the button, Lane called from the small blind, and the dealer fanned . Lane checked, Danchev continued for 41,000, and Lane check-raised to 185,000. Danchev snap-folded.
Hand #122: Lane was on the button and raised to 35,000. Both Bolotin and Danchev called, and the flop came . Bolotin led out for 55,000, Danchev raised to 131,000, and Lane moved all in. Bolotin folded, and Danchev snap-called.
Danchev:
Lane:
The set of deuces held up as the turn and river bricked , respectively, and Lane was eliminated in third place.
Hand #123: Dimitar Danchev raised to 40,000 and Alex Bolotin three-bet to 125,000. Danchev folded.
Hand #124: Bolotin limped in and Danchev checked to see a flop. Bolotin tossed in 25,000 and Danchev check-raised to 81,000 to force Bolotin to fold.
Hand #125: Danchev raised to 40,000 and Bolotin made the call to see a flop fall with Bolotin leading out for 55,000 with Danchev quickly folding.
Hand #126: Bolotin raised to 50,000 and won the big blind and antes.
Hand #127: Bolotin received a walk in the big blind.
Hand #128: Bolotin raised to 50,000 and Danchev called to see a with Bolotin continuing for 55,000. Danchev check-called as the landed on the turn and both players checked.
The river landed the and Danchev pushed out what appeared to be 168,000 to force Bolotin to insta-muck.
![[user153906]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Lane checked, Bolotin continued for 35,000, and Lane folded.
, the two knuckled again, and the 
completed the board. Bolotin checked, Danchev tossed out a minimum bet of 16,000, and Bolotin folded.
flop fall with Lane tossing in 40,000. Danchev check-called as the turn fell the 
.
. Lane then check-folded to a 35,000-chip bet from Bolotin.
flop. The action was checked round as the 
fell on the turn and Danchev bet out 35,000. Lane mucked and the Bulgarian was pushed the pot.
as both players checked. The turn landed the 
and Lane fired out a delayed continuation-bet of 45,000 which Danchev called as the river landed the 
for a set to scoop the pot and move to 780,000 in chips as Danchev slips to roughly 1.1 million.
. Lane fired out 40,000, Danchev called, and the turn was the 
- comleted the board, and Danchev took down the pot with 
for aces and jacks.
. Danchev checked, Lane tossed out 45,000, and Danchev called. The turn was the 
- completed the board, both players checked, and Danchev took it down with 
flop with Lane continuing for 40,000 with Danchev check-calling.
for a straight.
. Lane checked, Danchev continued for 41,000, and Lane check-raised to 185,000. Danchev snap-folded.
flop. Bolotin tossed in 25,000 and Danchev check-raised to 81,000 to force Bolotin to fold.
and Danchev pushed out what appeared to be 168,000 to force Bolotin to insta-muck.