Giorgiy Skhulukhiya

Giorgiy Skhulukhiya was born in Georgia and began playing poker online, cutting his teeth in the growing Eurasian poker scene before establishing himself as one of his country's most successful tournament professionals. His first recorded live results came in 2019, when he cashed four times in WSOP-affiliated events across Europe and Sochi, including a ninth-place finish in the €1,100 Turbo Bounty Hunter at WSOP Europe and a fourth-place showing in the Pot-Limit Omaha event at WSOP Circuit Sochi. Those early results hinted at the versatility that would define his career, as he collected cashes in both hold'em and Omaha. Skhulukhiya's breakout year was 2019. In September he won the $10,000 Eight Max event at the Merit Poker Retro series for $225,000, and a month later he finished runner-up in the EPT Open Sochi main event for $182,991. That deep run put him on the international radar and preceded a string of results in 2020, including a victory in the Merit Poker Western $5,000 no-limit hold'em event for $220,643 and a 29th-place finish in the EPT Sochi main event for ₽488,600.

Skhulukhiya's career-defining triumph came in September 2021 at the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS North Cyprus festival. He took down the $5,300 Main Event, a $3 million guaranteed tournament, and collected the $683,285 first-place prize — the largest cash of his career. The win was widely reported as a landmark moment for Georgian poker and cemented his status as a high-stakes regular.

He continued adding titles in subsequent years. In March 2023 he won a $3,000 no-limit hold'em event at Wynn Las Vegas on the PokerGO Tour, earning $124,300. Earlier that year he also claimed the Merit Poker Gangster Series $5,300 High Roller for $149,200. His other major results include a runner-up finish in the EAPT Altai Palace main event for ₽1,536,650 in May 2021 and a sixth-place finish in the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December 2022, worth $153,000. With 14 recorded tournament wins and more than $3.8 million in live earnings, Skhulukhiya has one of the most decorated résumés in Georgian poker.

The World Series of Poker has been a recurring stage for Skhulukhiya's deepest runs. He has recorded 33 WSOP cashes and three final tables, earning more than $430,000 in WSOP events. His WSOP.com profile also lists him with over $560,000 in tracked earnings and five final tables across multiple tours, with a victory in the 2023 PGT/Wynn $3,000 event counting among those wins.

One of his most prominent WSOP moments came in the summer of 2026. In Event #99: $5,000 8-Handed No-Limit Hold'em, Skhulukhiya bagged 1,450,000 chips on Day 1, placing him second among the 72 returning players and behind only Australia's Josh Norvock. The tournament drew 884 entries and a prize pool of $4,066,400, with the winner receiving $695,256. Skhulukhiya entered the final day among a star-studded field that included Phil Hellmuth, Cliff Josephy, Joseph Cheong, and Leo Margets, all chasing one of the last bracelets of the summer. Although the bracelet ultimately went to Darren Rabinowitz, Skhulukhiya's presence at the top of the leaderboard reinforced his reputation as a threat in major events.

Beyond the WSOP, Skhulukhiya has cashed regularly on the European Poker Tour, including a 274th-place run in the 2024 Merit Poker Eureka Main Event for $2,210 and a 203rd-place finish in the same event in 2023 for $2,550. He also finished 18th in the WPTDS Sochi Main Event in 2021 for ₽377,650 and 29th in the EPT Sochi Main Event in 2020 for ₽488,600.

Skhulukhiya's 2026 schedule has been busy, and the results show remarkable consistency. In May 2026 he cashed three times at the Merit Poker Classic Carmen Series: 160th in the $3,500 main event for $6,500, fourth in a $1,100 deepstack for $6,100, and 15th in a $1,650 bounty event for $1,400. In June he placed 14th in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Eight Max at the World Series of Poker for $27,471, and added a 207th-place cash in the Wynn Summer Classic $3,500 for $7,036.

His 2026 POY campaign has also been tracked closely: he sits 2,830rd in the Card Player Player of the Year race with more than $31,800 in POY-qualifying earnings. The numbers fit a pattern of steady, high-volume results across the Eurasian and American circuits.

Skhulukhiya is widely regarded as a tight-aggressive player who excels in deep-stack tournaments. His patience and positional awareness allow him to accumulate chips without taking unnecessary risks, and his proficiency in mixed games — particularly Omaha — makes him a difficult opponent in a variety of formats. Observers note his ability to adjust to different opponent types, shifting between a controlled, value-oriented approach and more aggressive lines when the situation demands.

As a trailblazer for Georgian poker, Skhulukhiya has inspired a new generation of players from his home country. Despite his success, he maintains a low-key public profile, letting his results do the talking. With more than 160 live cashes, $3.8 million in earnings, and a string of major titles, he remains one of the most respected players on the international circuit and a standard-bearer for the game's growth in the Caucasus region.