Swings and Roundabouts

June 29, 2011, Posted by Ali.Masterman

The high stakes online world lost the majority of its star names on April 15^th, 2011. Long gone are the days of $500/1000 action running on Full Tilt, and the million dollar pots we grew accustomed to salivating over are history, for now at least. However there has been one constant bright light shining since Black Friday, one knight of the online felt, carrying the expectations of railbirds the world over.

That knight is Viktor Blom AKA Isildur, possibly the most talked about online poker player of all time. Blom is a hero to the online journeymen. He represents the notion that nothing is impossible, but at the same time shows his vulnerability through lack of emotional management. His talent is unsurpassed, yet he epitomises the struggle with poker’s demons that we all confront from time to time.

Since Isildur’s signing with Pokerstars we’ve seen a crazy amount of action. Any game, any time, he is there. He fears nobody but himself. Seemingly invincible in his superstar showdown challenges, week after week we’ve seen VB spunk his winnings, only to make a remarkable comeback, then get crushed again. This is poker voyeurism, a story unfolding like a Greek tragedy in front of our eyes. Every tragic hero is fundamentally flawed, and Blom is no different. His flaw is tilt and bankroll mis-management but boy does he keep the audience entertained.

Isildur’s results graph may resemble a Japanese earthquake monitor, but he’s on an upswing lately. Last night we witnessed an epic heads up duel with Ben ‘Sauce123’ Sulsky at the PLO tables on Pokerstars. Playing $25-50 with what seemed a mandatory 4-bet preflop, stacks were flying everywhere and carnage ensued. Isildur was on the right side of variance this time, booking a win somewhere in the region of $200,000.

Here’s the biggest pot of the match. Just a 20 buyin pot…

Sauce123 (BTN/SB): $49361.00

Isildur1 (BB): $51506.50

Pre Flop: ($75.00)
Sauce123 raises to $150, Isildur1 raises to $450, Sauce123 raises to $1350, Isildur1 raises to $4050, Sauce123 raises to $12150, Isildur1 calls $8100

Flop: ($24300.00) 9h 6h 7h (2 players)
Isildur1 checks, Sauce123 bets $8888, Isildur1 calls $8888

Turn: ($42076.00) 8c (2 players)
Isildur1 checks, Sauce123 bets $28323 all in, Isildur1 calls $28323

River: ($98722.00) Qc (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $98722.00
Sauce123 shows Ac Kc 2h As (a pair of Aces)
Isildur1 shows 8s Th Td Qs (a straight, Six to Ten)
Isildur1 wins $98721.50
(Rake: $0.50)