After a slow start in terms of tangible, positive storylines, the 2007 World Series of Poker was hitting paydirt. Allen Cunningham had won a bracelet for the third consecutive year, and Phil Hellmuth was in the process of taking down the race to eleven. Lost in between was the emergence of a new powerhouse.
Alex Kravchenko cashed six times in the 2007 WSOP. The result that will likely be best-remembered is his fourth place finish in the main event, but that final event bookmarked nicely with the other big result of his WSOP; a bracelet victory in event 9 - $1,500 Omaha hi/lo.
A pro for ten years, Kravchenko stuck to European tournaments until 2006, when he finally hopped the Atlantic to attend WSOP. He managed two small cashes that year, but that small taste was enough to inspire further American play. A 13th-place finish at the WPT event held the week before WSOP at Mandalay Bay trumpeted what was to come.
Kravchenko entered the final table of the 690 player tournament with the fourth-smallest stack, but built himself up to second early on. He lost a large pot to Brian Devonshire that left the Russian licking his would, but he still had enough to have second-stack when the table went down to three; Devonshire held the lead over Alex and small stack John Varner.
Kravchenko went on a monstrous run that left him the 2-1 chip leader even when Devonshire took out Varner. Devonshire fought Alex’s onslaught off in the heads-up portion by chopping five of six pots, but it was ultimately not enough. With the board 4c-Qh-Qc 4s 8d, Bryan showed As-Ac-8s-5c; Kravchenko showed Ad-10s-9d-4h, with the four giving him three fours and the title.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
