QUALIFIERS - Atanas Georgiev

What's your home town?
Sofia, Bulgaria.

How about your education?
Military school.

What's your marital status?
Not married.

What do you do for a living?
I’m a full-time poker player.

Any kids?
Yes. A great 2-year-old son.

How long have you been playing poker?
Three to five years.

What or who inspired you to start playing?
A friend of mine. We used to play backgammon together.

How long have you been playing at Bodog?
A bit more than a year.

Tell us about your best poker win...
Online: Win in the Bodog $100K event, good for $25K; FTOPS sixth place – $78K.

Live: EPT Monte Carlo 2007 – 42nd place for 23K euros. I was against Josh Arieh with A-A vs J-J  and the river was a jack!

How did you win your seat?
During the first hour I had about twice the average at all times. Then I bluffed my chips and was left with 420 - the average was 5,000. Got to 900 when I get a call from a guy with 23. Eventually I was heads up with him and all my bluffs were good. I made a couple of winner calls with king high on the river… and I won it.

What do you think your chances are of winning the WSOP*?
As great as every good player.

Who is your favorite poker player?
I have no particular favorite. You could say I like Phil Ivey… 

What would you do if you won?
I have no idea. I guess I’ll figure it out when I do.

How much would you need to win to make you quit your job?
I like to play and I have no plans of quitting – poker is my day job.

What would your tagline be if you turned pro?
I really don’t know. Maybe something like “Ice Man.”

How will you spend your time off in Vegas?
Rest, visit the beaches, hang out with friends…

What type of player are you?
I like to shift styles a lot, from tight-aggressive to passive-aggressive. One thing you can be sure of is that I’ll be aggressive.

Have you ever been to Vegas before? If so, any good stories?
Yes, twice. Played backgammon last year along with the World Series. I got busted out of the Main Event all-in pre-flop with the board showing J-7-2-6-Q. I had J-J and was against Q-Q. It was the end of Day 1.