what happened to evgeny stalev?
- Thread starter Slh
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I played 100 and 200 a game One Pocket with Bobby a couple of times. I played him 9-8 and it was a tough game. He could play.
Speaking of successful poker players who were competent pool players: Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies plays highest stakes cash games and has won two Finnish junior championships (under 18) in 8-ball and in straight pool. Among the previous winners of the said titles were such names as Mika Immonen, Aki Heiskanen and Markus Juva. Ilari met the other Finnish poker prodigy, Patrik Antonius at a pool hall. I don't know how good of a player Patrik was (or still is), but I'm sure he would have become a great billiards player too.
I talked to Evgeny when he was at Hard Times a few months ago. Someone that was with him played in the first Sunday tournament. He tried to get some one pocket action and no one would play him. He was in town playing poker but he said it is much tougher games over here than in Russia. He said he has not played pool in 5 years and was just playing cards.
Steve
Steve
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He came to my poolroom four years ago and I was the only one who knew him. I never said boo and he made a game with Cecil for 50 a game. He beat Cecil out of a couple of hundred in what seemed like minutes. Ran out, ran out and never missed a ball. That was the last time I saw him, but it was less than five years for sure. Of course a pool payer wouldn't lie, would he?
Stalev had the sickest break. It was awesome to watch him smash the rack. Sounds like a shotgun blast and he does it so effortlessly.
He played in the Derby City tourny 2007, so can't be 5 yrs. It was the last yr in Louisville. He went out to dinner with us one night. Funny guy....
Naw, Man...I haven't been playing any.
he looks very serious when he is at the table
he left pool or he left russian billiard too?
He might have meant that is was the last time he has played pool seriously. I just remember he has a lot of gamble, to much for most.
Steve
Steve
why do you think that?
He was always so much fun to be around. I enjoyed his company when he was visting the States.
OMG, his break. I remember watching him practice that break, how he hopped up on one leg after making contact with the cueball, and the balls went wild. At one tournament, he was teaching Santos his break. It was very effective, but one problem was that there was no control on whitey, which sometimes flew off the table.
I've seen him online in some poker sites but not recently. We always fondly called him "The Russian."
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He was always so much fun to be around. I enjoyed his company when he was visting the States.
OMG, his break. I remember watching him practice that break, how he hopped up on one leg after making contact with the cueball, and the balls went wild. At one tournament, he was teaching Santos his break. It was very effective, but one problem was that there was no control on whitey, which sometimes flew off the table.
I've seen him online in some poker sites but not recently. We always fondly called him "The Russian."
he is a funny guy? It is funny because he looks so serious at the table.
He's truly funny. I met him the first time he came to the States, and he could not speak English very well, but he knew what action was. And that's what he wanted. :grin-square:
At a tournament in Chelmsford, he and the late Larry Lisciotti got into a game of banks, but Larry couldn't get there. The Russian played too good. :wink:
Then my partner at that time, Keith McCready, started barking at him, after he beat Larry. We were actually backing Larry in the game, so we were stuck, too.
There was a language barrier, I guess you can say, and the Russian was asking for a spot from Keith. The spot he wanted was too much weight, after Keith witnessed him spanking Larry. It's like he wanted a lock to play, but Keith didn't want any part of that.
We started to walk away, and he pulled out two big three-inch-thick bundles of greenbacks and called out to Keith to come back. He was grinning from ear to ear, holding those weighty boodles of cabbage. I mean, they could have been all ones, but I kind of doubt it. Keith's eyes then had dollar signs in them and decided to give this Russian a game of long-rail banks.
They played a few sets, and there was a pretty big crowd watching them. That, of course, ignited Keith's pool engines. Plus, Keith was being Keith when he was at the table, cracking jokes, dancing around the table on the tips of his toes, and everybody seemed like they were having a good time, even the Russian. He started to imitate Keith when he was at the table, making Keith expressions but speaking Russian. It was funny as could be. :grin:
I do remember the Russian telling me that $500 in his country went a long way, much, much, much more than it did here. He ended up staying in the States for a while that year, traveled to Vegas and a few other tournaments before he went back home. I think he made a score and lived comfortably off his winnings at that time.
One year, he was supposed to come to the Derby City Classic in Louisville. He must have mentioned this in his pool room in Russia that he was leaving the next day. That night, some thugs came to his home and beat him up horribly, robbing him. He ended up not making the trip that year. :sorry:
He was a young pool champion in Russia, winning the national championship several years in a row when he was still a teenager.
I'd love to see him once again. He truly is a funny guy, once you get to know him, I guess.
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I think this guy was one of the most talented people I've ever played. His stroke looks like water.... his determination and demeanor is like The Terminator....and well, he almost never misses.
I played Evgeny in the DCC banks event and I was playing REALLY good at the time. I just came off a definitive win and was looking forward to banking a hole in Evgeny's heart. Couldn't WAIT to play "the Russian."
I'll never forget it--- I missed my first bank and from there on out---- I was kissed on the middle diamond of the short rail in the kitchen for the rest of my innings. Wow--- did that guy play perfect.
I played Evgeny in the DCC banks event and I was playing REALLY good at the time. I just came off a definitive win and was looking forward to banking a hole in Evgeny's heart. Couldn't WAIT to play "the Russian."
I'll never forget it--- I missed my first bank and from there on out---- I was kissed on the middle diamond of the short rail in the kitchen for the rest of my innings. Wow--- did that guy play perfect.