Russians descend on EPT Kyiv

The EPT season was set to start in Moscow, Russia this month before the Russian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism passed an order July 20 removing poker's status as a sport in Russia.Four designated gambling zones were established on Russia soil July 1, effectively closing more than 500 casinos...

Four designated gambling zones were established on Russia soil July 1, effectively closing more than 500 casinos and slot machine halls in the capital.

Poker had been on a list of official sports in Russia drafted back in 2007 and as a result, cardrooms were allowed to continue operating.

Several casinos then jumped on board running under the guise they were poker-only establishments, forcing the Russian government to act and PokerStars to move its event to Kyiv.

Russian Team PokerStars Pro Alexander Kravchenko was one of the scant 129 players who showed up in Kyiv for Day 1a of the €5,000 PokerStars EPT Kyiv Sports Poker Championship and he said his government's move came as no surprise.

"It was not a surprise for me," he said. "I expected it because when Russia declared poker a sport, a lot of casinos carried on with their activities under cover."

For now, the 2007 WSOP Main Event final tablist says he expects poker will be forced to stay in the designated zones and he'll have to ply his trade away from home.

"I don't think the situation will change," he said. "The Russian government has allocated special places for playing poker in separate cities, similar to Las Vegas."

The designated gambling zones are all at least 1,000 kilometers from Moscow and since casino construction is not even close to completion, the rest of the Russian poker community appears to have its passports ready as well.

A whopping 54 of the 129 Day 1a starters in Kyiv were Russian.

Poker had seen a huge boom in Russia after Kravchenko and fellow Russian Ivan Demidov made the final table of the World Series Poker Main Event in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Demidov also made the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event along with fellow Russian Stanislav Alekhin, while Alexander Kostritsin won the 2008 Aussie Millions.

Catching the wave from the boom, PokerStars launched the Russian Poker Tour in 2008 with stops in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

2008 WSOP bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin won the RPT Main Event in Moscow this past May besting a field of 207.

He went on to win the 2009 WSOP $40k 40th anniversary event and final table both the $10k Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship and the $50k H.O.R.S.E. this summer.

Now it appears the Russian poker boom has been stalled, on home soil at least.

"I have been traveling a lot for last two years, playing everywhere in poker tournaments," Kravchenko said. "Now I just think I will travel even more."

A total of 93 players survived Day 1a in Kyiv and a field of approximately 170 is expected for Day 1b Wednesday.