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The Steady Growth Of A Likeable Russian

“Master of the Short Stack” Kirill Gerasimov & his constant achievements – plus the stories behind some of his amazing comebacks

By Rolf “Ace” Slotboom

Kirill & his amazing comebacks

The first time that I saw Kirill Gerasimov was in Petersburg, five or six years ago. Together with my fellow countrymen Marcel Lüske, Rob Hollink, Ed de Haas, Rolf Schreuder & Kosta Anastasyadis, I was there to represent my home country The Netherlands in the European Nations Cup Challenge. I believe it was in one of the side events when I first noticed this charismatic young Matt Damon look-a-like that everyone in the poker community was talking about. His name: Kirill Gerasimov, who in no-time had built a reputation of the strongest and most successful Russian player. And in this event that I watched, it didn’t take me too long to see exactly why he had this reputation.

At the final table of this event, Kirill had lost a big pot, and was down to just one chip now. And with “one chip” I don’t mean one big chip, or even one random chip – no, by this I mean he was down to the lowest denomination chip in the tournament. In fact, in the pot he lost, the dealer was about to simply hand over all his chips to the winner of the pot, but Kirill stopped her and said: “Please count the pot again. I don’t think my opponent covers me.” And when the dealer recounted, it indeed turned out that Kirill one chip more than his opponent – and thus was still in the event.

The look on the dealer’s face that seemed to say “Gee, why all the fuzz about this one chip” didn’t disturb the young Russian at all. He said: “Hey, one chip is one chip. Even with just one chip, I still have a shot at winning.” And of course – in the end, this is exactly what he did.

This was not the only time that I saw Kirill make an amazing comeback. Also at the final table of the €220 limit hold’em event at the Master Classics of Poker a few years ago, he was down to just two or three times the big blind. And yes, he won that event too! In both tournaments, I saw a likeable young man with an amazing perseverance, and an unparalleled unwillingness to ever give up.

So, what are his secrets – are there any?

When Kirill & I sit down for a chat during the World Poker Tour in Paris, I ask him if he uses any special strategies, or if all this is based on just one simple thing – his excellent mentality. He explains: “Well Rolf, for me things are like this: When you have chips, you still have chance. Occasionally, you may get lucky that some people will let you keep your blinds, buying you some extra time. A few years ago, this was quite common, and it helped me tremendously those times when I needed to survive. Nowadays, this has become much more difficult because people play much more aggressively and actively go after the shorter stacks. However, because people nowadays are sometimes overaggressive with hands that don’t warrant it, you can employ a patient, waiting game and still be successful. However, I have also tried to change my game in such a way that I am not just a good survivalist, but also someone who is capable of aggressively taking charge. Quite frankly, I have tried to combine the survival style of Garry Bush and the aggressive, “always steal & bluff” style of Marcel Lüske into one balanced overall strategy.”

“However, this doesn’t mean my game plan always works. On one of those occasions where I really tried to run over a table, I can say that it backfired quite a bit. I am certain that many people will remember it – it was in 2003 during the $25,000 World Poker Tour at the Bellagio. At the final table, it was the strong Alan Goehring who had a huge chiplead. I busted one guy, then Alan busted two, I then busted Phil Ivey – and before I knew, Alan & I were heads up for the title. Things had gone so quickly, and this being the first time that I had been in front of all the lights and the TV-cameras, I was feeling pretty nervous. In fact, I had probably gotten caught up in the action a bit too much, because unlike my regular, rather conservative style, I had been playing very aggressively this time – with many bluffs & huge overbets. However, these bluffs had always been in pots that were already fairly big. But at the heads up stage of this match, I made a big blunder: I went for a massive bluff in a pot that was just very small. Alan had a monster, and easily busted me. Despite the fact that I had fought so hard and so well to get back in this event, I gave it all away in one hand where I simply hadn’t thought things through well enough.”

No big wins overseas just yet

When Kirill & I think back about how things were five or six years ago when all these Russians started traveling the circuit, we agree that it is quite surprising that many of the Russian stars back then are still big right now – while in these five or six years time, not all that many young, new Russian faces have come to take their place. This in contrast to the entrance young Kirill had made back then. After an incredibly successful run in his home country the first year of his professional career, he showed Europe what he was capable of in 2002, when he took the first ever World Heads Up Championship in Vienna. This despite his limited experience abroad, and despite a very tough draw.

“In the first round, I was up against Erik Sagström. Low on chips, I fought my way back into the match to win it, only to find that in round 2 I had another big name up against me: Surinder Sunar. In the semi-finals I was faced with Tony G., and obviously this is not someone that you like to play heads up. But I won that match too, and then in the final I won against – well, against who actually? Haha, I guess I forgot who it actually was. And despite the fact that with just a €60,000 win, the prize money was fairly moderate, it did put my name on the European poker map.”

“Nowadays, I don’t play all that many tournaments anymore, however I do go to the U.S. to play in the big events like the WPT and the WSOP. So far, I have booked many decent results and a few second places, but no wins just yet. And in my book, second places don’t count. It is about winning events, and so far I have not been capable of doing that, unfortunately. However, I hope that soon I will be able to show the Americans that I am also capable of winning events.”

One more remarkable play

“One of the – at least in the eyes of some – most remarkable plays of mine did take place in America, though. It was at the $1,500 no-limit hold’em shoot-out at the 2005 World series. Ten players at a table, where you need to beat them all to go to the next level – ah well, you know how it works. Anyway, I play my regular strategy and we end up heads up, where my opponent & I both have even stacks of about 7,500 each. I have Th6h. On a flop with two hearts, my opponent bets and I call. The turn goes check / check, and then the river is a blank. The final board is AhJxKhxx and with just about 2,000 in the pot, I don’t feel like going for the big bluff. So, when my opponent checks, I simply check it back, showing my Th6h for a busted ten-high flush draw.”

“Now, this is when things get strange. My opponent starts making a whole scene that he hasn’t checked and that he wants a floorman for a ruling. I think: “Why call the floorman for such a small pot; why all the fuzz for a nothing pot to begin with?” Anyway, a ruling is made that he is still allowed to bet, and he then bets all-in. Now, quite obviously with my mere ten-high I would only beat maybe ten combinations, including hands like 75 or 74 or so. And the pot being so small, and knowing that if I simply let this pot go I would have an excellent chance of beating this player anyway, it would seem silly to call such a huge bet with a mere ten-high. However, for all the world this looks like a total bluff to me, and I know that if I don’t call I will feel bad afterwards. So, I call the 6,500 river bet and sure enough, I am right. My opponent has been trying to take advantage of this situation, attempting to buy the pot with a 72 – so my ten high scoops a massive pot.”

Goals for the future

While Kirill had an amazing first year as a poker pro, where especially in Russia he seemed to reach the final three in just about every tournament he played, nowadays he rarely plays in his home country anymore. The only game that he still plays occasionally is the big $50-100 blinds pot-limit Omaha high game in Moscow – but more often that not, he can simply be found online. He is very successful there, especially in the PLO games. (Laughs: “Yeah Rolf, and that with a VP$IP of 41% - that must be at least three times as many hands as you play, haha!”)

By consistently playing at a very high level, Kirill is one of the most steady poker pros around. In the future, he will continue to play especially online, slowly trying to move up in limits even more. “You know Rolf, in poker, things are simple. You cannot allow yourself to stay at the same level; you need to move up, and continue to tackle new games, apply new strategies etc. So far during my career, I have not even had a single losing month, and every year has been better for me than the year before. Now, this is something that I am very proud of. However, I hope that I will also be able to win a major televised event soon, either in the US or in Europe. My guess is that it’s about time now – don’t you agree?”

Right after this interview, Kirill went on to Vegas where he played in almost all WSOP events. With some excellent results like a ninth place in one of the no-limit events (for a $35,532 prize) and a third place at the $5,000 pot-limit Omaha / 8 (betting him $112,095), he was one of the best performing Europeans. However, he again couldn’t reach his ultimate goal – coming home with a bracelet.

KIRILL GERASIMOV: FACTS, FIGURES & QUOTES

Full name: Kirill Gerasimov
Date of birth: 04-05-1971
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia
Current residence: Moscow, Russia
Marital status: Married, one child (almost 4 years old now)
Education: University in Moscow
Languages: Russian, English
Former jobs: Insurance man
Turned pro in: 2001
Got involved in poker: By just coming to the casino and starting to play – being prepared just a little bit after reading Doyle Brunson’s “Super System”
Regularly plays: Tournaments, Buy-ins of €3,000 to €5,000 (“like in the EPT”).
Cash: $300-600 limit hold’em or Omaha / 8, $50-100 blinds pot-limit Omaha high (“That’s the live game in Moscow – online I also play smaller.”)
Favorite game Cash: Pot-limit Omaha
Tournament: No-limit hold’em
Least favorite game: “Limit hold’em – I guess I just don’t play it that well.”
Online / Live: “When in good company: Live. For the money: Online.”
Tournaments / Cash: Cash
Strengths: Remembering people well / Having a good understanding of things that have happened and that can be used to advantage later / Not steaming, but playing the same win or lose
Weaknesses: “Maybe sometimes my table selection. I see that I am at a table full of good & experienced players, yet instead of going on and finding a more profitable game elsewhere, I still try to beat them & learn.”
Biggest win ever: “Of course, the $506,000 at the Bellagio, when I finished second to Alan Goehring. In the online cash games, a $25,000 win would be big for me. I rarely make monster scores, and a $10K or $15K win is already more than OK. For instance, in the $10-20 blinds PLO games online, there are some players who are capable of winning $60K in just one session – but I am not one of them.”
Biggest loss ever: “$25,000 tournaments where I did not get in the money. Cash I have lost $50,000 a couple of times online, but always as part of what can be considered a “normal” downswing.
Most influence on career: “I guess all the big names have had some influence. However, as big as these names seemed to be, sooner or later I would see flaws in their play anyway. But then I would see another player with specific qualities that would help my game – and so on. Nowadays Rob Hollink is a good friend, and he thinks about the game in an interesting way. Good man, Rob.”
Online nick / handle: kirillg
Sponsor: Metropolitan (“They have a great site, with some excellent software.”)

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