What is probably the biggest poker prize in Russian gambling history was paid out this week to a 27 year old Moscow-based professional player who won the first Party Poker.com St. Petersburg Open poker tournament in Russia.
The media were describing Peter Vlasenko as Russia’s Poker Tsar after the young professional hit an $84,000 jackpot at the event, held in St. Petersburg’s Golden Garden Casino which, over an action-filled four days, generated an incredible prize pool of more than $500,000.
Although the tournament attracted a number of top international players, the final table consisted of 5 Russians and a Brit. None of the final table contestants qualified by Internet satellites.
“This is the first time I have won such a large amount of money in a single day,” said the elated poker champ, who was closely chased by Mark Vronskiy, a 43-year-old poker pro from St. Petersburg at the end.
PartyPoker.com spokesman Warren Lush said: “We’re delighted to be involved with an event that boasted the biggest prize in Russian poker history and congratulate Peter on his win. For the first time in a long time none of the internet qualifiers made the final table. This alone suggests that Russia could be a poker superpower in the future.”