Mike McDermott Has Nothing on Vladimir Geshkenbein

Mike: "Y'have it?" he asks me. "Sorry John, I don't remember." I got up and walked straight to the cashier. I sat with the best in the world, Knish, and I won.

The above is a famous quote from the iconic 1998 poker movie Rounders where the main character (Mike McDermott) describes sitting with, and beating, the great Johhny Chan.

If you're looking for a real life Mike McDermott, then Vladimir Geshkenbein comes close to it.

The Russian is best known for winning EPT7 Snowfest but a couple of years before that, he recorded his first major cash by winning the KH$88,800 buy in High Roller event here at the APPT Macau. Who do you think he beat heads up to win the HK$2,067,200 first prize? You guessed it, Johnny Chan.

Rumour has it that Geshkenbein didn't play the Main Event that year and only played in the High Roller after going on a sick heater in the high roller Blackjack room. He supposedly parlayed the winnings into the tournament and created a great story by beating Chan heads up. Geshkenbein has been sat to the right of Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang in the Main Event today.