Iermolcheva: My Gladiator Prize Money Is Going Towards a New Car

Those of you who participate in our Predator Hunt promotion will likely have crossed paths with Olga “mangustae” Iermolcheva. The popular streamer competes in the Predator with a $22 Predator ticket bounty on her head. While Olga has not managed to win the Predator, yet, she did take down the Gladiator live on her Twitch channel!

Olga spoke with our Russian colleagues a couple of days after her impressive victory.

“For me as a poker lover, the story is important, but finishing in first place is obviously more important. The prize money is also pleasing. This is my best cash this year and I hope and believe this is just the beginning.”

Putting Her Big Stack To Good Use

With only two tables remaining in the Gladiator, Olga found herself in the envious position of possessing a big stack. The usually quiet and reserved grinder switched gears, however, and used her big stack advantage to bully her opponents.

“Honestly, I usually don’t have enough aggression. I am often quieter than water, lower than grass, and only play the nuts. But when I can put pressure on my opponents, I try not to miss an opportunity, and this was exactly the case in the Gladiator. I had too much of a stack advantage, and it would have been foolish not to use it.”

Olga navigated her way to the final table, all the time giving her thoughts to her stream’s viewers. She spoke about being nervous despite keeping up a front that seemed to show her remaining cool and collected. Olga remained calm right through to the final hand, talking to her viewers despite being all-in.

“Two tables out and at the final table, nobody really created any significant problems for me; the game went like clockwork. Heads-up gave me a little sweat, but in general, everything was under control. The huge support in my chat helped, too.”

“I felt calm in the final hand because I was sure he had a good hand and would give me his stack. And that is what happened.”

Using Her Gladiator Winnings For a New Car

The Gladiator champion walked away with around $5,000, a princely sum. She has no plans to spoil herself or her beloved cat, Chu, with the money, however. Olga is putting her prize money towards a new car.

Not only did Olga win the Gladiator, she did so from a free satellite ticket awarded from the Boosted Daily Legends promotion, sending her ROI soaring.

“I was given a satellite ticket after busting from a tournament. It was extremely easy to win a ticket to the target tournament because the satellite had an overlay. I won a satellite to The 88 a couple of days before and made it to the final table. This time, I decided act the same way. I won the ticket on Thursday and entered the tournament on Friday. I made the correct decision!”

Winning the Gladiator locked up a year-best score for Olga but also propelled her up the leaderboard in our Legend of the Week promotion. Her high ranking gifted her tickets to $150, $320, and $530 buy-in Daily Legends tournaments meaning she can take shots at the big time with no risks to her bankroll.

“I am not yet ready mentally to play such expensive tournaments, but perhaps they will go well, especially taking into account the fact these tournaments will have players such as me in there. These tickets were a huge surprise, and hopefully, I can convert them into five-figures! Ha ha ha ha!”

A Career Forged From Play Money Chips

Olga has played poker for the past decade, starting off grinding play money, before receiving a free $50 bankroll, and going from there.

“My poker story is so ancient that it is almost consigned to oblivion! I played for play chips then won a free $50 from a quiz. I became hooked on poker 10-years ago and I am still here. My success is quite variable, although I do have a $113,000 score and my ambitions are huge.”

No-Limit Hold’em tournaments are Olga’s bread and butter but she does sometimes dabble in other formats and variants.

“I’ve always played tournaments and dabbled in live cash games, but I do that more for fun. I rarely play other variants such as 8-Game and Chinese Poker, but I do know how to play them.”

Like many of her fellow poker players, Olga hones her skills away from the tables by being part of a poker school. She sometimes finds it difficult but is aware constantly improving your game is key to longevity.

“I study at the Mountain Team poker school, which is great for both beginners and experienced players. Most of my training takes place at the tables; I just try to play a lot and regularly. The theory is very difficult but, as they say, hard in learning easy in battle!”

Fighting It Out in the Daily Legends Challenges

Olga took on our very own Dmitry Urbanovich in the Daly Legends Challenge and beat him. She was gracious in victory although admitted defeating the Team partypoker member was great for her confidence.

“Dima is a very cool and skilful guy, a poker star of the highest magnitude. Naturally, it was nice for my ego to win this confrontation!”

The Ukrainian starlet takes on Dasha Kurt in a similar challenge on June 11 in a battle she promises to be a lot of fun for her Twitch followers.

“Dasha is a strong player who regularly reaches final tables and has won a huge number of tournaments at partypoker. We promise the audience a fun evening where they can watch our games. This stream will be called “Blondes versus Brunette” and I invite everyone to join my camp because the bright heads must overcome the dark forces! Vamos!”

Once the clash with Dasha is over, you will find Olga playing even more tournaments as she attempts to attract more players to the name. While poker is Olga’s main interest right now, she does take time away from the daily grind to enjoy the finer things in life.

“Poker is now the priority in my life. I love it so much and I try to develop as a poker player, while attracting more fans and make the game more popular. Soon, I hope to combine poker with travelling because I have 52 countries I want to visit.”

“Away from the tables, I like to watch football and snooker, collect Lego, and eat delicious food. Tennis is another passion of mine. I play, watch, and even commentate on televised tournaments, such as the ATP-250, 500, and Masters. I also love dogs, although I am raising a cat!”

Look out for Olga at the partypoker tables where she plays under the alias “mangustae”. No doubt you’ll cross paths with Olga deep in one of our awesome Daily Legends tournaments.