Vladimir Geshkenbein, a poker pro from Russia, took home the win in this weekend’s PKR Heads Up Grand Slam. He was able to come out on top despite the star-studded roster of competitors, earning himself a nifty $120,000.
How did the Tournament Play Out?
Just as it almost always happens in Heads Up Tournaments, the action was intense and fast-paced. It was hard to tell who would come out on top, although many laid their bets on the seasoned pros. Much to everyone’s surprise, however, a lot of the big names busted out just at the first round, among them were Annette Obrestad and Tom Dwan. Day 2 had seen more pros dropping out of the game, like Vicky Coren, Lex Vldhuis, and Antonio Esfandiari. The one who came out on top, beating all odds, was Vladimir Geshkenbein, a little known poker player from Russia.
But the road to the top wasn’t a smooth one, by all means. Geshkenbein had to beat Alex Keating, David Steicke, and James Sudworth – all big names – to get to the final table where he had to face Juha Helppi, who had more experience tucked under his belt. But practiced skill often folds in the face of aggressive play, and Geshkenbein’s strategy was exactly that. His moves were almost erratic, ruthless one moment and docile the next.
The two were evenly matched, but the game shifted to Geshkenbein’s side soon after they began. And it was when Helppi pulled an all-in with his AC 6S that he lost. The cards on the board were KH, 9D, KS, 3D, and 2D. Incidentally, Geshkenbein held a QD and 10D, and that gave him a queen-high full flush, earning him the pot and the title of champion for the first ever PKR Heads Up Grand Slam.
Who is Vladimir Geshkenbein?
The lineup of players for the PKR Heads Up Grand Slam might have been star-studded, but its champion certainly wasn’t. In fact, the first reaction of many people once they heard the victor’s name was a resounding “who?”. But Vladimir Geshkenbein isn’t really as much of an “unknown” as people may think. Sure, he’s not as famous as Ivey or Brunson, but he does have a couple of titles tagged to his name.
Geshkenbein was the winner of the APPT Macau High-Rollers Event where he beat Johnny Chan in another heads up game, earning himself more than $260,000. Surely, after earning everyone’s attention in this year’s PKR, we’ll be hearing a lot more about Vladimir in the coming days.
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