Kirill Gerasimov is a Russian professional poker player. He is best known for his appearance in the WPT episode during season 1.
Born in 1971 in Moscow, Soviet Union, worked as an insurance agent before he entered the poker world. He learned the basics of poker by reading Doyle Brunson's Super System and learned more later after being mentored by Marcel Lüske.
Gerasimov started entering poker tournaments throughout Europe in 2001 and won the World Heads-Up Poker Championship in Vienna in 2002, winning the €60,000 first prize. He also won the Rookie of the Year in the 2002 European Awards.
He exploded onto the poker world when he took second place in the WPT $25,000 season 1 championship event in 2003, earning $506,625. He impressed a lot of people with his aggressive play at the final table when he got heads-up at the end with Alan Goehring. He got into trouble on a couple of hands and went all-in to save himself twice. The veteran Goehring recognized this pattern and changed his style and beautifully trapped Kirill when he flopped a set with pocket Queens and slowplayed it. Since this tournament he has made several WSOP final tables and cashed in many major tournaments, and, up until 2007, was the highest-earning Russian player. It was during the broadcast of this tournament that it was first pointed out that he looks like Matt Damon
In 2003, Gerasimov made his first WSOP final table, finishing 6th to eventual winner Amir Vahedi in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold-Em event, earning $24,000.
In 2004, Gerasimov made 2 more WSOP final tables: a 5th place finish in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold-Em event for $30,060 and a 2nd place finish in the $1,500 No Limit Hold-Em shootout for $100,000.
At the 2005 WSOP, he cashed 4 times, including a 2nd place finish in the seven-card stud tournament for $108,775, and cashed in the main event for the first time.
He made 2 final tables during the second season of the European Poker Tour (EPT), finishing 5th and 3rd.
At the 2008 WSOP he made 2 more final tables, 5th in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys, earning $192,870 and 6th in the $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em event, earning $177,111. He also cashed in the main event again.
At the 2009 WSOP, he finished 2nd in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event, earning $391,369.
Gerasimov is also known for making an amazing call in the WSOP. After thinking his opponent had checked, he in turn checked and then showed his opponent his hand which consisted of a ten-high, missed flush draw. His opponent then claimed that he himself had not checked (which was confirmed) was allowed to bet. He went all-in and Gerasimov, thinking that this was a bluff, called with his ten high and won the pot.
Kirill has cashed in 3 WPT events, 1 WPT final table, 24 WSOP cashes (in only 9 years!) and total live tournament winnings (as of 2009) exceeding $2,500,000. He hasn't won a bracelet but has three 2nd-place finishes at the WSOP. Despite his high-profile appearance on the WPT, he still hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves.
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