Vladimir Shchemelev Wins Second WSOP Bracelet ($193,484)
Vladimir Shchemelev burst onto the World Series of Poker stage in 2010 when he finished runner-up in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Although he had made a WSOP final table previously, his second-place finish on the national stage in the PPC proved to be a sign of things to come for the 44-year-old banker, as Shchemelev has amassed 27 WSOP cashes since then. Among those cashes have been eight more final tables made. He won his first bracelet in 2013 and has added a second piece of jewelry with his win in Event #32: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mix.
When asked how winning his second bracelet felt in comparison to his first, Shchemelev said through a translator, "Very calm. Not as much pressure as the first time. The first bracelet was tough. It took me like nine final tables before I won my first bracelet. It was important for me to win my first bracelet, so I was kind of nervous. Today, I was very calm."
His first bracelet came in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, one of the three variants of Omaha Hi-Lo in this event, along with Limit Omaha Hi-Lo and Big O. When asked which game he felt was his best, Shchemelev (via translator) said "I hate them all," drawing huge laughs from his rail. "I am kidding. I am very comfortable with all the games."
Shchemelev bagged a modest stack on Day 1 and was 72nd in chips of the remaining 224 players entering Day 2. He cruised into the money from that point and was 7th of 29 players remaining for Day 3. He steadily ascended the chip counts and was second when the final table was reached. He and eventual runner-up Howard Smith traded the chip lead back and forth throughout the final table before the inevitable heads-up battle began. Shchemelev began at a slight chip disadvantage but quickly took the chip lead. Smith battled back to get things even, but Shchemelev scored the victory shortly thereafter.
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladimir Shchemelev | Russia | $193,484 |
| 2 | Howard Smith | United Kingdom | $119,524 |
| 3 | Nikolai Yakovenko | Russia | $81,232 |
| 4 | Igor Sharaskin | Russia | $56,187 |
| 5 | Usman Siddique | United Kingdom | $39,565 |
| 6 | Yueqi Zhu | China | $28,375 |
| 7 | Erle Mankin | Unites States | $20,730 |
| 8 | Jesse Simonelli | Unites States | $15,435 |