Would Elon Musk Make a Good Poker Player? Former Aide Igor Kurganov Gives Answer 

Contents. Kurganov Hopeful About Musk’s Role in Trump’s America. Assisting Boeree from over 2,000 miles away. Have you ever thought about whether Elon Musk would excel at playing poker? In an interview with PokerNews on Day 3 of the $393,400 WPT World Championship (WPTWC), Igor Kurganov, a former aide, shared his experience of nearly playing against the world’s richest person for one million DOGE coins. Although Kurganov, who has earned over $18 million in live tournaments, isn’t a frequent participant on the poker circuit these days, he has made it a point to attend the WPT World Championships at Wynn Las Vegas for the past three years, a choice that has proven beneficial. On Tuesday, he reached an impressive achievement by cashing in the WPT’s top tournament for the third consecutive year, becoming Russia’s all-time money list leader. This achievement puts him in rare company with Michael Gathy, as the only other player to cash in all three editions of the WPTWC. Kurganov finished in 31st place in 2022, earning $119,300, and came in 48th in 2023, bringing in $111,403. This time, his journey ended earlier than usual, as he was knocked out on Day 3. Nonetheless, his $29,500 earnings from finishing in 144th place demonstrate that Kurganov is still a formidable player, even with his decreased poker schedule. As he has stepped back from poker, Kurganov, who has been in a ten-year relationship with fellow poker player Liv Boeree, has turned his attention to philanthropy and artificial intelligence (AI).