Unofficial Russian Poker Championships in 'Korona' Casino: 2004-2007

The unofficial Russian Poker Championships held in the 'Korona' casino from 2004 to 2007 were not official events, as the Poker Federation had not yet taken control of the newly recognized sport.

The championships were held annually on October 9th in the 'Korona' casino, creating a tradition with the same organizers and location each year. The 2004 winners included Mikhail Smirnov, Evgeny Kafelnikov, Sergey Feklisov, Albert Minnullin, Yakov Nepomnyashchiy, Vladimir Polischuk, and Finnish player Jukka Juvonen. The 2005 winners included Vladimir Kichigin, Alexander Kuzmin, Oleg Frolov, Viktor Lebekh, Yakov Nepomnyashchiy, and Anna Kopeykina, who won the women's championship. The 2006 winners included Nikolai Evdakov, Sergey 'Asma' Ozhin, Alexander 'Dve Pary' Denisov, Vladimir Sokolov, Viktor Lebekh, Vladimir Polischuk, and Valery Ilikyan.

The 2007 championships saw the participation of many online poker players, who actively discussed and documented the events. Ilya Gorodetsky won the first tournament of the series, earning $7,930. Oleg Dikarev won the second tournament, earning $7,865. Vladimir Makeev won the third tournament, earning $9,425. Vladimir Kochelaevsky won the fourth tournament, earning $18,740. Ilya Gorodetsky won the pot-limit Omaha high-low tournament on October 13, earning $6,895. Anton Vishnevsky won the final tournament on October 14, earning $23,715.