Alex Balandin

Alex Balandin’s name may not be familliar to the readers at home, but to the people at the tables, he’s known as a scary good player. With over a half-million chips now, he’s becoming a real force in this tournament.

Balandin held the chip lead at this year’s World Series of Poker before a couple of cold decks saw him tumble out of contention. A year earlier, he took home $484,700 at the WPT’s Caribbean Poker Adventure.

Balandin comes from a collective of New York players that includes WSOP bracelet-winner Eric Kesselman, Chris Pikula, John Finkel, Tony Tsai and David Price. The group, all living in New York, trade theory and dialogue on the game to help one another improve. If Balandin’s example today is any indication, it’s worked.