I think there are many Russian poker players of excellent calibre. I have heard that they have a reputation for collusion. But, you know, I do not really go along with statements like that without proof. The Russian, Canadian, Brazilian and United Kingdom players truly offer some of the best playing moments I have had online.
I am going to say now, and please take it as gospel, that I play online as a way of practising for live events. I do things online that I would never do at the casino or with some of my poker playing friends. Now, I know there is a lot of differences between online and live playing, but that does not really matter to me.
What matters to me is how the other players play against me.
Particularly, and I will keep this to the Russians, I find they are pretty gutsy with their bluffs. I find at times that they are pretty fast to go all-in pre-flop to scare off their opponents, and often they aggressively try to steal the pot at the flop.
I find also that they are pretty good slow players when they want to be. By this I mean that they often will allow others to build up the pot while they are sitting back and holding high pairs which they do not show until the river.
And, often, of course, this style of play, chancy or whatever, allows them to walk off with the chips in the pot. In other words the Russians, not all of them, but some are fairly well-rounded players who mix up their playing style.
Playing against the Russians can be quite interesting. Call their bluffs at your own risk online because, while there are some
tells, it is not the same as playing live where the reads are far more visual. It is the same when the Russians try to take the pot at the flop. Is it a
bluff or does the opponent really have something? I have seen it go both ways many times. I like how the Russians mix it up.
So that is my take on Russian players. Some can be pretty damn interesting and enjoyable to play with. Are they better than Canadian, Brazilian and United Kingdom players? At times, yeah, they can be. But, in the end, I think it all evens out online because, let's face it. There are some pretty damn good players from those other countries too.
And, that, more than anything else, is what I want online. Like I said, what matters to me is how the other players play against me. I like it lively. I like it real. I like the practise.