Over the years, the money that’s found in poker has grown dramatically.  Not surprisingly, the people who’ve found themselves participating in the game of poker has risen dramatically as well.  And not just in the US where some of the major poker events are held either.  The game has grown to epic proportions internationally as well since most of Europe is playing poker and many Asians are hopping on board too.

But there may be no country or region that has picked up the game as rapidly and been as successful at it as Russia has been.  And for evidence of this fact, just look at all the tournament success that Russians have experienced lately when they were virtual unknowns in the poker world just a short time ago.

One of this year’s final table participants at the WSOP Main Event in November will be Ivan Demidov who sits in second place right now.  He is many people’s favorite to take home the Main Event prize as he is not only one of the more experienced players there but also is within striking distance of the lead.

Svetlana Gromenkova became one of the few women to win a WSOP bracelet this year when she took first place in the Ladies Championship and is rapidly climbing the ladder to becoming one of the most talented female poker players in the world.

Nikolay Evdakov might have had the most consistent play of all time in a WSOP as he broke the record for most cashes in a year when he placed in the money in 10 different events.  Kiril Gerasimov had plenty of cashes too as he did so 4 times for a total of over $400,000.  Vitaly Lunkin also had a good WSOP as he won a bracelet for the Russians.

It’s pretty clear that Russians are definitely improving their poker play but many people wonder what the reason for this is.  Some believe that it is because so many Russians take up the game of chess and this mathematical game is translating over to the felt.

It’s the same concept of how many good bridge and backgammon players are easily able to transition themselves to becoming successful poker players too.  But whatever the case is, it seems that the growth of good Russian poker players only looks to grow in the future.