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Arsenii Karmatckii is a world-class professional poker player from Russia who has long been a dominant force in both the live and online arenas. Based in Yekaterinburg, he is widely regarded as one of the most calculated and fearless competitors to emerge from Eastern Europe. Before he was collecting trophies on the global circuit, Karmatckii built a reputation as an online “crusher,” amassing millions in winnings under the screen name “josef_shvejk.” As a former European Poker Tour champion, he has proven time and again that he can outlast the biggest fields and handle the pressure of the highest stakes in the game.
Career Earnings & Biggest Results
According to The Hendon Mob, Arsenii Karmatckii has total earnings of over $3.8 million. He currently sits inside the top 20 on the Russia All Time Money List. His career reached a historic peak in 2018 when he won the EPT Sochi Main Event on home soil, defeating a field of 861 entries to take home $478,451 and a prestigious PokerStars Platinum Pass.
Karmatckii is a prolific champion with major titles across various tours. His biggest results include a victory at the partypoker German Poker Championship in 2017 for $217,238 and a massive win at the Mediterranean Poker Party (MPP) Warm Up in 2022 for $310,000. In 2024, he continued his high-stakes run by finishing 8th in the EPT Monte Carlo High Roller for $191,687. His 2025 campaign remained highly active, highlighted by a 9th place finish in another EPT Monte Carlo High Roller for $162,004 and a deep run in the WSOP Main Event, where he finished 98th for $85,000.
Biography & Poker Background
Born in the early 1990s and raised in Russia, Arsenii Karmatckii was a student of strategy long before he became a poker professional. He first got interested in the game around 2012, starting with small-stakes online games. He says that his background in competitive gaming helped him develop the discipline and analytical mindset needed for professional poker. He spent years grinding on sites like PokerStars and GGPoker, eventually reaching the number 4 spot in the worldwide online rankings. After conquering the virtual felt, he decided to take his game to the live circuit, quickly becoming a national hero after his EPT victory in Sochi. Even with his massive success, he remains grounded, often celebrating big wins with his close-knit group of fellow Russian pros.
Play Style & Strategy
Karmatckii is best known for his unrelenting aggression and technical precision. Because of his extensive online background, he is a master of the “Game Theory Optimal” (GTO) style, using solvers and data to stay ahead of his opponents. At the table, he is famous for putting immense pressure on his rivals, often making large, polarising bets that force them into uncomfortable decisions. While he can be very aggressive, he is also a very stoic and disciplined person at the table. He prefers to stay focused and rarely gives away information through table talk or emotional reactions. This “robotic” and hyper-aggressive approach makes him one of the most difficult players to play against in any tournament, especially in the later stages where every chip matters.
Social Media & Online Presence
Want to keep up with Arsenii Karmatckii as he competes in the biggest events across Europe and the United States in 2026? You can follow his career and see his latest results through these links:
