Well, as you may have guessed, todays player profile of Alex Kravchenko is the first of many as we at poker vids bring you some information and introductions to the world’s most prolific poker players. Upcoming highlights will include Allen Cunningham, Tuan Lam and my personal all time poker hero- Johnny Chan! Plenty to look forward to, but for now please enjoy today’s profile- on the spectacularly talented Alex Kravchenko!

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Alex Kravchenko

Kravchenko is a highly successful businessman who hails from Russia. He was born in 1971 and resides in both the UK and Moscow. He didn’t start playing poker until 1997 and it was in 1997, the World Series of Poker to be exact, that he finished fourth in the main event and won a WSOP gold bracelet during the Omaha Hi/Lo series (a $1500 limit event)

Amazingly, Kravchenko was the very first Russian poker player to ever win a WSOP bracelet. He has also since that day, he has become the leading winner in Russia with the most cash prizes out of all the Russian players in the world.

Kravchenko is a relative unknown in the US even though he has been playing poker for so long and played in so many ranking events. Aside from entering and finishing fourth in the “Main Event” no limit heldem event in Las Vegas (The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino) He was also successful in cashing in five other major games in the 2007 series, cementing his title as the world’s most successful Russian player. Other notable wins last year include making the final table in the wsop europe competition. His favourite poker game is that of Hold’em and also stud poker, but he considers all poker games as exciting as the last, so don’t be surprised to see him in a game of more unorthodox rules.

His records are extremely impressive, especially when you consider the relatively a short time he has been playing. His total winnings to date are a staggering $2,610,000 in recorded tournaments. To say he has only ranked 1^st in one major competition, this is a hearty sum of money to take home.

Alex Kravchenko is a formidable opponent for any seasoned poker player. He still thinks of himself as only a semi-pro– I am sure many other pro poker players have quaked at the sight of him and thought otherwise…

Here he is in action at the Main event where he took fourth place:-

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Video Poker is an electronic, computerized version of the game of poker. It is a derivative of five card draw poker, where five cards are dealt to each player, and cards are swapped between rounds of betting. Video Poker is a casino game which is similar to this. If we look at Video poker as a casino game it is a great game to introduce people to the basic rules of poker.

The game of Video Poker starts with the player (it is usually a one-person vs the computer poker game), placing credit in the machine, and using it to bet (1xcredit, 2 x credit etc), which the first time, is actually to ‘deal’ the cards. The player is given 5 cards at random from the deck, and there may be another round of betting (although not usually), before the player is allowed to replace one or more cards from their hand, with an equal number randomly dealt from the remaining deck.

The hand that the player is left with is then compared with the machines payout structure, and if the player has a winning hand they are played. Usually the lowest hand to win money or credit is a pair of jacks, although this can vary and it is not uncommon for a machine to have a lower hand hold a ‘bonus win’, such as a pair of threes for example.

Standard poker rankings apply, and the payout structure for the game is usually based on both the probabilty of the hand (less likelihood means a higher payout), along with the total return percentage theoretically offered by the game and its operators.

The owners of this site will try and bring you more information on video poker- how and where to play, an in depth analysis of the variations and tips and tricks for success, so check back regularly to stay ahead of the game!

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As part of our constant updating of the site, we have now added a store to the site, where you can buy your favourite poker movies, instructional ‘how-to’ vids and other poker related products. This part of the store will give you access to a wide variety of products that you should find useful! Below is some of my own choice picks from the poker vid store!

Now, if I was recommending a good poker movie to buy and watch this weekend, it would have to be Rounders- the 1998 movie starring Edward Norton and Matt Damon. It is a really great film, Mike McDermott- played by Damon, is torn between his loyalties to his girlfriend (played by the beautiful Gretchen Mol) and his best friend (Norton), who has just come out of jail. “Worm” (Norton) convinces Mike to use his exceptional poker playing skills to help him pay off his own gambling debts. The film progresses into an action packed run through some high-stakes poker games and fleeing from loans sharks, whilst Mike’s relationship with his girlfriend Jo becomes more and more strained as he returns to the game. If you haven’t seen it, buy it now- its a really fun film with some great acting and it has a lot of smart poker-play, as well as some sound advice:-
Mike McDermott (Damon):

Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.

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