Russell “rdcrsn” Carson is one of the featured instructors at PocketFives training site. With nearly $5 million dollars in online tournament winnings, 3 Triple Crown titles and a highest achieved player ranking of #2, he is one of the most decorated poker instructors out there. In addition to becoming an instructor, Russell has recently been bitten by the golf bug, and fears his new obsession might end up costing him a lot of money by keeping him away from the poker tables.
Russell is based in Canada, playing out of Powell River, Ontario. He started out playing in a $10 weekly game with college friends and steadily moved up the ranks while building his bankroll, until becoming a professional in 2006. In 2008, after switching his focus to NLH MTTs full-time, he had an incredible run taking down the PokerRoom Grand, a 3rd at the FTP $1 million GTD and winning the $200 PS Rebuy, amassing over $270,000 in winnings in the space of a few weeks. And as they say, he’s never looked back.
Some of Russell’s biggest cashes include:
- Party Poker $300K (win, $65,000)
- FTP $100 & $200 Rebuys (he’s won both and had several other final table finishes)
- FTOPS $2.5k buy-in (3rd)
- FTP “Million” (4th)
- Mansion $500k (1st)
- Absolute $100K (1st)


