2007 WSOP Event 9 - Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better $1,500

  Despite having an immensely long, colorful, and proud history, Russia is still a mystery to a lot of people who call the western hemisphere their home. If you talk to an average person on the street about Russia they will probably mutter something about bread lines, Chernobyl, or a leader with a big red blotch on their head. This sort of cultural ignorance is on par with the people who think that everyone in the United States wears a Stetson hat, or that the best way to confuse a man from Scotland is to give him a pair of pants.  The truth about Russia is that anybody who has spent time in London or Chicago would probably feel right at home in Moscow. This is an alien thought to most folks in the west - mainly because of how western media treats Russia. It is for this reason that a lot of people were surprised when Alex Kravchenko walked away with the World Series of Poker Event 9 championship bracelet.  Bryan Andrews was limping forward toward a showdown with Alex Kravchenko. Bryan had nickel and dimed his way through the six hands before the final confrontation in this Omaha event. Andrews' two pair of Aces and Queens was no match for the triplet of fours that Alex was happily clutching in his hand.  Not only did this win bring Kravchenko a rather tidy sum of money and the Event 9 championship bracelet, but it reminded folks that there is a very active and talented community of poker players who ply their craft in both live games and in cyberspace across Russia.  We congratulate Alex Kravchenko and wish him luck through the rest of the World Series of Poker campaign.PlacePlayerPrize1Alexander Kravchenko$228,4462Bryan Andrews$140,3363John Varner$92,3014JR Reiss$60,7495Bryan Devonshire$43,7966Yueqi Zhu$33,9077Jordan Morgan$25,4308Jeffrey Calkins$18,8379Richard Ashby$13,657