Alexander Kravchenko's High-Stakes Poker Hand Analysis: A Missed Opportunity

Alexander Kravchenko played in a high-stakes poker tournament with a $10,000 buy-in at the 'Korona' casino in October 2008. The tournament had 31 players and was part of the Russian Championship of No-Limit Hold'em on short tables.

Kravchenko had a significant stack of 80,000 chips when the hand in question occurred, with blinds at 400-800 and an ante of 100. Andrey Mitropolsky raised 2,000 from the button, and Kravchenko called with Kx Kx on the small blind. Mikhail Shut made a re-raise of 7,000, and Mitropolsky responded with a 4-bet of 25,000.

Kravchenko ultimately folded his Kx Kx, believing he was up against stronger hands like Ax Ax or Qx Qx. Mitropolsky had Ax Tx, and Shut had Qx Qx, meaning Kravchenko would have won if he had gone all-in. Kravchenko finished the day with 4 players remaining and a stack of 110,000 chips, eventually placing 3rd with a prize of around $40,000.