Wed, 01/12/2011 – 23:56 – PokerPages Staff

#5 – Vadim Markushevski
In at number five is a young economics graduate from Belarus.  A televised show of the European Poker Tour in 2009 set his poker juices flowing, and Vadim Markushevski has been playing very ably ever since.  He’s now a Team PokerStars Sponsored Pro and has earned a total of $94,712 in poker winnings.

#4 – Max Lykov
With $916,969 in total poker winnings to his name so far, Max Lykov steals our number four slot. He’s had a fabulous two-year run on the international tournament poker circuit, winning $70,000 at Egypt’s Red Sea Poker Cup in 2009 and his biggest single win to date – $473,390 – when he finished first at the PokerStars Kyiv Sports Poker Championship of the 2009 European Poker Tour.  He, too, is now a Team PokerStars Sponsored Pro.

#3 – Alexander Kravchenko
Bounding energetically into the third place is another Team PokerStars Sponsored Pro – 36-year-old Moscow-based businessman, Alexander Kravchenko.  He’s the very first Russian player to have won a WSOP bracelet, and has amassed a tidy poker fortune of $3,415,740.

#2 – Vitaliy Lunkin
Our runner up is another poker master from Moscow.  38-year-old business manager Vitaliy Lunkin has two WSOP bracelets to his name and $4,075,829 in total poker winnings.  His most spectacular win to date was at the 40th WSOP No Limit Hold’em Event, when he finished first and took down a prize pot of $1, 891,012.

#1 – Ivan Demidov
Seizing our first place by a mile is another youthful Muscovite, 27-year-old Team PokerStars Sponsored Pro Ivan Demidov.  After a scintillating performance at the 2008 WSOP No Limit Hold’em Championship, he finished second and returned to Moscow $5,780,024 richer.  His total poker winnings presently amount to $6,672,412 – not bad for a guy who only started playing in 2006.

Wed, 01/12/2011 – 22:58 – PokerPages Staff

The US Poker Championship series is held annually at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.  The events of the US Poker Championship attract the best professional poker players, such as Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, TJ Cloutier and John Juanda, each year.

Check out these US Poker Championship tournaments airing on ESPN:

1998 US Poker Championship
The 1998 series had six events of Hold’em, Omaha and 7 Card.  In the No Limit Hold’em event, 160 players posted the $300 buy-in, making the total prize pool $48,000.  Taking the tournament was Peter Vilandos, earning $19,200.

1999 US Poker Championship
Poker greats Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu and TJ Cloutier were participants in the 1999 US Poker Championship events.  Negreanu and Cloutier had multiple money finishes in the events in 1999.

2003 US Poker Championship
In the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event, the total prize pool reached $970,200 with 99 runners.  The top three finishers were Toto Leonidas, Erik Seidel and Phil Hellmuth, earning $388,080, $223,146 and $116,424.

2004 US Poker Championship
With the prize pool nearly doubled from the previous year, the No Limit Hold’em – Main Event brought 177 entrants to the field vying for a piece of the 1.7M.  In the end, John Aglialoro would grab his second career 1st place finish and $691,095.

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