Kirill Gerasimov

Infobox poker player
firstname=Kirill
lastname=Gerasimov
nickname=


caption=Kirill Gerasimov at the 2005 World Series of Poker.
hometown=Moscow, Russia
wsop bracelet count="None"
wsop money finishes=21
wsop main event best finish rank=439th
wsop main event best finish year=2008
multi-year wsop winner=
wpt titles="None"
wpt final tables=1
wpt money finishes=3
ept titles="None"
ept final tables=2
ept money finishes=2

Kirill Gerasimov (born June 5 1971 in Moscow) is a Russian professional poker player.

Gerasimov worked as an insurance salesman in Moscow, and started entering poker tournaments throughout Europe in 2001. The Paradise Poker website backed Gerasimov in the World Poker Tour season 1 $25,000 championship event, where he took 2nd place to Alan Goehring to take home a $506,625 prize.

In May 2003, Gerasimov made his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) final table, finishing 6th in the $1,500 No Limit Hold-Em event and receiving a $24,000 prize. Other finalists in the tournament included eventual winner Amir Vahedi, T. J. Cloutier and Brad Daugherty.

In April 2004, Gerasimov returned to the WSOP and again made two final tables: a 5th place finish ($30,060) in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold-Em event featuring Huck Seed and Tony Bloom, and a 2nd place finish ($100,000) in the $1,500 No Limit Hold-Em shootout event featuring John Juanda, Asher Derei and Daniel Negreanu.

He also made the money 4 times in the 2005 World Series of Poker, including a 2nd place finish ($108,775) in the seven-card stud tournament, and he also made the money in the $10,000 Main Event for the first time, with his 444th place finish earning $16,055.

Gerasimov made two final tables during the second season of the European Poker Tour (EPT), finishing 5th in London and 3rd in Deauville.

Gerasimov was mentored in poker by Marcel Lüske. Gerasimov himself went on to mentor former tennis professional Yevgeny Kafelnikov in poker.

Since he became a noted player for his 2nd place finish in the WPT season 1 championship, many people have noted he has similar facial characteristics to Matt Damon.

At the 2008 World Series of Poker Gerasimov made two final tables, 5th in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys, earning $192,870 won by Phil Galfond and 6th in the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event, earning $177,111 and he slightly bested his 2005 Main Event run (444th place) when he finished in 439th place out of 6844 entries, earning $27,020.

As of 2008, Gerasimov has made over $2,000,000 in live tournament winnings. Prior to Alex Kravchenko's 2007 performance at the WSOP, Gerasimov was number one on the Russian all time winning list.

Kirill is also known in poker circles for making one of the most amazing calls in WSOP history when after thinking his opponent had checked he in turn checked and then showed his opponent his hand which consisted of a ten-high, missed flush draw. His opponent then claimed that he himself had not checked and after a floor ruling was allowed to bet. He bet all in and Gerasimov, feeling that this was a bluff, called winning the pot with his ten high.

External links

* [http://www.pokerlistings.com/kirill-gerasimov-the-rookie-from-red-square-837 Kirill Gerasimov, The Rookie from the Red Square (interview by Jennifer Young)]
* [http://www.worldpokertour.com/players/?x=profile&id=1949 World Poker Tour profile]
* [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=251 Hendon Mob tournament results]
* [http://www.cardplayer.com/cpeurope/article/16362 Card Player Europe The Steady Growth of a Likeable Russian (by Rolf Slotboom)]