The Estonian Who Disappeared After Winning €7.5M
And the Paradox That Could Transform Your Trading Mindset
In November 2024, the poker world was stunned when Vladimir Korzinin—a self-proclaimed Estonian with patents in financial trading systems—won €7.5 million over a single weekend in Monte Carlo.
With his distinctive Dumbledore-like appearance and unconventional, carefree playing style , he became an instant legend before mysteriously vanishing from the spotlight.
While I’ve never been particularly drawn to poker (outside of the occasional friendly game), this story caught my attention when it dominated the Estonian news cycle. What intrigued me wasn’t the money or the eccentric character—but the cryptic note he left behind in his hotel room after refusing all media interviews:
“You cannot lose if you don’t want to win.”
Why “Wanting to Win” Makes You Lose
At first glance, it sounds contradictory. But for traders, this phrase captures one of the most powerful—and most overlooked—truths about sustainable success in markets.
Most traders fail because they approach the market with desperation rather than discipline.
- They trade to “be right” – needing validation from every position
- They trade to “make money today” – forcing trades when edges don’t exist
- They trade to “prove themselves” – turning P&L swings into emotional rollercoasters
This leads to:
- Revenge trading (doubling down after losses)
- Overtrading (taking low-probability setups)
- Ignoring risk management (“This one has to work!”)
The harder you need a trade to win, the more you sabotage your strategy.
The Professional Trader’s Mindset
Winning traders think differently:
- They focus on process, not profits
- They accept losses as data, not failure
- They let probabilities play out over hundreds of trades, not one session
This is what Korzinin’s phrase really means:
“When you stop needing to win, you remove the emotional traps that make you lose.”
Common Examples in Trading
- Scalpers who force trades out of boredom → blow up
- Swing traders who move stops “just this once” → ruin their edge
- Investors who panic-sell dips → lock in unnecessary losses
The moment you need a trade to work, you’ve already lost.
How to Apply This Mindset
- Trade small – Remove monetary pressure until your process becomes robotic
- Journal your decisions – Track why you entered a trade, not just the outcome
- Redefine “winning” – A good trade isn’t necessarily a profitable one—it’s one that followed your edge
- Meditate or exercise – Build emotional resilience outside the markets
The Paradox of Detachment
The traders who care least about individual wins often win most over time.
Why?
- They don’t fight the market’s randomness
- They don’t sabotage their own rules
- They let edges compound naturally
→ The market doesn’t give you what you want—it gives you what you deserve based on your process.
Scaling and Anchoring: A Hidden Psychological Trap
When you start thinking too much about winning and losing, you begin to anchor your stakes to tangible objects.
It might be easy to trade with €200 stakes. But when you increase that to €2,000, suddenly you’re thinking:
“That’s a new phone,” or “That’s rent,” or “That’s a flight to Bali.”
This kind of anchoring makes it nearly impossible to trade without emotion.
And trading with emotion?
Big no-no.
What We Teach at WTAtrades
At WTAtrades, we teach you exactly when to enter and exit the market without attaching yourself to outcomes.
Winning and losing become irrelevant when you have a proven edge.
But to fully internalize that, you have to be:
- Humble
- Hungry
- Smart
Most traders go: Hungry → Smart → Humble (if at all)—and that path leads to arrogance.
→ I have yet to meet an arrogant trader who can make it work long-term.
Final Thought
Trading profitably isn’t about how high your IQ is—it’s about how well you can manage your impulses.
Next time you place a trade, ask yourself:
- Am I doing this because I see an edge?
- Or because I need to win today?
A trader should see themselves as a humble servant to the market, helping others take their positions by providing liquidity.
Coming Up Next
In the next post, I’ll explore:
- Why trading is so counterintuitive
- How your brain constantly lies to you
- And the real reason very smart people often struggle to make trading work
See you then,
— U.
