Seat 2. Max Lykov, 23, Moscow, Russia – Team PokerStars Pro - 1,495,000
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Russian pro Max Lykov started playing poker back in 2005 while studying engineering at university. By 2006, he’d started crushing the online game and says he has still only ever made two $40 deposits. He now has a huge bankroll and is one of the highest earning Russian live tournament players of all time. Lykov’s breakout year came in 2009 with a run of deep finishes at events around Europe, including winning a Red Sea Poker Cup event. In Vegas, he came close to winning his first WSOP bracelet , finishing third in a $5,000 NL Shootout event for $145,062. Just a few weeks later, Lykov scored his first major title, winning the inaugural EPT in Kyiv, Ukraine, for $468,504. He finished 13th at EPT Snowfest last season and won a $1k side event at the 2010 PCA for $100,000. At this year’s PCA he topped that with a third place worth $369,490 in the $25k High Roller tournament. A month later, he final-tabled WPT Venice, bringing his total live tournament earnings to over $1.4 million.