The Online Railbird Report: Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn Back at It with $650,000 Win
This Online Railbird Report seeks to keep you updated on the high-stakes cash action that takes place on PokerStars, and if you've paid attention the past few weeks you'll have noticed Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn has been on an up-and-down rollercoaster ride.
Three weeks ago he was a big winner, and then last week he was the biggest loser. Well, the Russian returned to his winning ways this week by once again finishing as the biggest winner, this time up $652,845 in 6,513 hands over 38 sessions.
Likewise, last week's biggest winner, Daniel "w00ki3z." Cates, had another good week, winning $201,767 in 7,765 hands over 41 sessions.
On the other end of the spectrum, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom got hung out to dry, losing $560,067 in 10,994 hands over 82 sessions. It was also a bad week for Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov (-$299,689 in 76 sessions/7,048 hands), Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz (-$132,943 in 13 sessions/2,742 hands), and "fjutekk" (-$132,869 in 52 sessions/4,039 hands)
Cates Wins Big in Thursday Action; Blom Wins Biggest Pot
On Thursday, March 24, Cates banked $94,000 after nearly 10 hours at eight tables of $400/$800 8-game against the likes of Mike "gordo16" Gorodinsky, Kuznetsov, and Blom, just to name a few.
According to HighStakesDB, Cates later squared off against Blom in heads-up play, which is where he won an additional $53,000 to bring his daily haul up to $147,000.
Speaking of Blom, he was involved in the biggest pot of the day, albeit against Kostritsyn.
It happened in a round of $100/$200 pot-limit Omaha with four players at the table. Kostritsyn ($35,098.11) opened for $700 under the gun and was met by a three-bet to $2,400 from Blom ($35,540.90) on the button. Both blinds folded, Kostritsyn called, and the flop came down 4♦10♠8♥.
Kostritsyn checked, Blom bet $3,200, and the Russian check-raised to $10,786.70. Blom responded by three-betting to $33,140.90, and Kostritsyn called off for $32,698.11 total.
Blom: Q♠10♦6♣9♠
Kostritsyn: Q♥10♥7♣6♥
Both players had flopped top pair with straight draws, but it'd be Blom who'd complete it when the J♣ turn gave him a queen-high straight. The 5♦ river changed nothing, and the Swede was pushed the $70,496.22 pot.
A Good Day for Blom
On Sunday, March 27, Blom halted his downswing by winning $180,000 at the PLO and 8-game tables. According to HighStakesDB, Blom won $100,000 at the $50/$100 and $100/$200 PLO tables against a combination of "fjutekk," "BERRI SWEET," and Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton.
In the biggest pot of the day, action was three-handed when "fjutekk" ($10,313.80) folded the button and Haxton ($66,535.87) raised to $600 from the button. Blom ($29,171.22) then three-bet to $1,800 from the big blind, Haxton pushed back with a four-bet to $5,400, and Blom called to see the 10♥3♥3♦ flop. Haxton led out for $5,397.50 and then called when Blom moved all in for $23,771.33 total.
Haxton: A♦A♠J♠4♦
Blom: 3♣A♣J♣6♥
Blom got lucky to flop trip threes, which cracked the aces of Haxton. The turn and river were run twice, but neither the K♠K♥ on the first nor 5♥Q♠ on the second helped Haxton and he watched the $58,342.66 shipped to his opponent.
Blom went on to win $121,000 of Kostritsyn in a 90-minute session of $1,000/$2,000 8-game, though went on to lose some back at the $400/$800 tables.
How Kostritsyn Made Most of His Money
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 29, Kostritsyn won a hefty $340,900 after playing six hours at the $1,000/$2,000 8-game tables mainly against Blom and Kuznetsov, with a brief appearance by Gorodinsky. Kostritsyn won at six of the seven tables he played, winning mostly from Kuznetsov early on. The Russian logged off a $151,800 loser.
However, it was Blom who lost the most, dropping $250,000 and finding himself on the losing end of the day's biggest pot. It happened at a heads-up tabled of $250/$500 PLO when Blom ($58,582.49) raised to $1,500 and Kostritsyn ($86,807.51) three-bet to $4,500. Blom pushed back with a four-bet to $13,500, Kostritsyn called, and the flop came down 2♦7♦10♣.
Kostritsyn checked, Blom bet $26,997, and Kostritsyn check-raised to $53,994. Blom called off his remaining $18,085.49 and just like that there was a $117,164.98 pot on the line.
The turn and river were run twice, coming the 4♦2♥ and 4♣5♣ respectively, and Kostritsyn tabled the 6♠3♦8♠5♦ for a flush on the first run out and a straight on the second. Both were good as Blom simply mucked.
Biggest Winners/Losers from March 24-30
| Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alexander "joiso" Kostritsyn | $652,845 |
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $560,067 | |
|
Daniel "w00ki3z." Cates | $201,767 |
Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov | $299,689 | |
|
Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky | $105,762 |
Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz | $132,943 | |
|
"Lottenice" | $104,280 |
"fjutekk" | $132,869 | |
|
Elior "Crazy Elior" Sion | $76,076 |
Mike "gordo16" Gorodinsky | $117,732 |
Biggest Winners/Losers of 2016
| Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Andres "Educa-p0ker" Artinano | $629,611 |
Alex "Kanu7" Millar | $575,581 | |
|
Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky | $511,738 |
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $370,682 | |
|
"Cobus83" | $403,715 |
"Candela2005" | $263,665 | |
|
Dani "supernova9" Stern | $372,215 |
"ClockWyze" | $183,678 | |
|
Mikael "ChaoRen160" Thuritz | $278,287 |
"40and7" | $175,332 | |
|
Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton | $182,138 |
"Aron0621" | $174,722 |
*Lead photo courtesy of globalpokerindex.com.
Data and hands obtained from HighStakesDB.com
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
