RPT St Petersburg: From zero to $300,000 hero

When you begin a last table because the short stack, you've two real choices: show no fear and opt for the win, regardless of how unlikely, or exert minimal risk and hope to climb a couple of cash positions.

Oleg Suntsov was in precisely this sticky spot yesterday, starting the general table of the inaugural Russian Poker Tour event in St Petersburg so behind the pack he was in peril of being cast adrift.

Oleg Suntsov

In fact, so short was he that his 64,000 chip stack had to double, double again - after which once more before he could rise up to the dizzy heights of chip leader Dimitru Gaina, from Moldova, who had greater than 500,000 in front of him.

Yet Oleg have been chip leader after day one, a undeniable fact that implied he do not have been content to chill on the final table with a purpose to cash a little extra so as to add to his bankroll.

And so it proved: he wanted the win, and he wanted it bad. Hours, and 8 defeated players later, he had got his prize - the large prize of greater than 10 million Russian rubles. That's about $300,000 to you and I.

Impressive stuff, then, from the young Russian, who's an ordinary player at the tournament scene in his home city of St Petersburg.

Suntsov, right, collects his bumper prize

This was a good destination to kick off the PokerStars-sponsored Russian Poker Tour. In total, 201 players forked out $5,000 to play - way above expectations - including PokerStars qualifiers, Team PokerStars Pros Alex Kravchenko and Vanessa Rousso, and Ivan Demidov, the PokerStars-sponsored player who final tabled the WSOP Main Event just months ago.

Such was the interest that esteemed tournament director Thomas Kremser and his staff ran an inventory of alternates with a view to squeeze everyone in.

Here's how the general table looked after they sat down:

1. Dimitru Gaina, Moldova, 501,0002. Sergey Popuk, Russian, 302,0003. Sergey Solntsev, Russia, 256,0004. Vadim Markushevsky, Belarus, 256,0005. Anatoly Ozhenilok, Russia, 203,0006. Bulat Bikmetov, Russia, 181,0007. Evgeny Zaytsev, Russia, 178,0008. Alexander Pantukhin, Russia, 76,0009. Oleg Suntsov, Russia, 64,000

First out of the door was Evgeny Zaytsev. He pushed all-in with J-J against Bikmetov's Q-Q, but neither of his two outs arrived to save lots of him.

Soon after, Suntsov got the primary of his necessary double ups - against chip leader Gaina. Gaina then completed his riches-to-rags story when he busted, pushing with an open-ended straight draw but running into Vadim Markushevsky's nut flush draw, which filled up at the river.

Dimitru Gaina

Out in seventh place was Ozhenilok, unluckily with As-Ks against Bikmetov's Q-8. The flop was 8s-4s-9x giving Bikmetov the pair, but Ozhenilok the nut flush draw. The turn, Qs, filled his flush and put Bikmetov behind with two pair - however the river was another 8, filling Bikmetov's full house.

Next out - and in addition very unluckily - was Sergey Popuk, who should have thought his A-A was safe against Alex Pantukhin's K-Q. Nope! The board came K-Q-5-8-7 and Popuk was collecting his coat.

Out in fifth was Bikmetov, who ran his A-8 into Markushevsky's A-J (the turn was a jack and so, in a single of these completely unnecessary moments, was the river!). Markushevsky then dominated for a period - and got lucky to eliminate Solnstev in fourth place, calling with A-5 against 8-8, and waiting until the river to peer an ace win him the hand.

Vadim Markushevsky

It was that man Markushevsky again who accounted for the third-place finisher, Pantukhin. This time Markushevsky called with Q-J to 7-7 - and hit a jack at the flop.

Suntsov were quieter while Markushevsky was on his wrecking-ball run, but he had still moved as much as 800,000 when the pair got to heads-up - not far in need of Markushevsky's 1.2 million.

Suntsov picked up a couple of small pots to edge himself into the chip lead and then, as so often happens, one sledgehammer hand finished the three-day tournament off.

Markushevsky raised to 60,000, Suntsov called. The flop came 6-9-3, and both players parted with another 100,000. At the turn - a five - Suntsov bet 220,000, Markushevsky moved all in... call! Markushevsky had K-9, Suntsov the dominating Q-Q, and the harmless two at the river meant Suntsov took the crown.

The event were a super success, and next the RPT moves to Moscow, where the primary event starts on February 25.

If St Petersburg was anything to move by, it'll be a cracker.

For fuller coverage of the St Petersburg event, you will have to learn how to read Russian. Once you've done that, head over to our Russian blog, and enjoy.

But for now, you'll be content with a parting picture of the city...

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Russian Poker Tour]