Poker Blog and Poker Gossip

The way Isildur1 plays, it almost seems like he doesn’t care.  Last week, he was up 2.1 million on his Pot Limit Omaha skills.  This week however, his bankroll took a giant $1,790,744 hit, and most of it to the man who took $4.2 million from him last year.

Isildur1 was up $845,000 at the close of the weekend, but then sat down at the table with Brian Hastings.  The two have a long history (4.2 mil last year to Hastings; Isildur took some of his 2.1 last week from Hastings), and when they start playing usually a lot of money switches hands.  Isildur1 was down $150,000 in the first 1500 hands of $500/$1000 PLO, and over the next 1200 hands Isildur1 dropped $1.6 million to Hastings.  But he wasn’t done yet.

Isildur1 sat down with Ilari Sahamies and while initally looking good and wining %65,000 on $200/$400 stakes, when they made the switch to $300/$600 stakes Isildur1’s cards ran cold and he dropped $350,000 to his opponent.  At this point Isildur1 dropped down in stakes and played Cole South on the $25/$50 tables, and again was bested.  This time for a paltry $30,000 (i’m kind of being sarcastic there…30,000 is what a lot of people live on in a year…that blows my mind.)

With his total losses nearing 2 million, i’m wondering if we’re going to see another hiatus for Isildur1.  When he lost his 4.2 million last year, he disappeared from the tables for a while.  If he does take a break, i’m sure it wont be for long.  The man likes to throw his money around.

I dont want to mislead anyone, Isildur1 hasn’t exactly left the tables.  After taking a Five Million dollar hit in the highly publicised few weeks when he was playing anyone and everyone who wanted a piece of the action, Isildur1 had kind of faded.  Little to no news of his wild swings, or taking a pro down a few pegs.  That has changed today.  And it has changed on Pot Limit Omaha.

Over the last two days playing the highest stakes tables at PLO (pot-limit Omaha) Isildur1 has taken more than 2.2 Million from the very pros who were lining up when he started to run bad a few months back.  His first victim was Cole South.  They started at the $100/$200 PLO table, but with Isildur1 never dropping below his buy in, they quickly moved up the $300/$600 tables.  South blinked after losing more than $700,000 to Isildur1 before calling it quits. Isildur1 then upped the stakes and went after Brian Hastings.  At the $500/$1000 table Hastings dropped $500,000 before calling it a night. 

Isildur1’s identity is still a mystery, however it is well known that he hails from Sweden.  In the past, NLHE has been his game of choice, so it’s nice seeing him switch up his games and having so much success!  Isildur1’s fame rose when he played Tom “Durrr” Dwan over multiple days in the “nosebleed” section of Full Tiit Poker’s high stakes tables.  Isildur1 seemed unstoppable…until he was stopped…repeatedly by a line-up of seasoned pros that were able to take him apart piece by piece. 

I wonder how this new run of luck / skill will play out for the Sweed?

With AJ Benza getting unceremoniously canned from High Stakes Poker, GSN has been a bit coy about rumors of a female replacment co-host.  Until today.  It was announed on Pokernew.com that Kara Scott would fill the role for the upcoming season. 

Kara will work with Gabe Kaplin, analyzing hands and being the poker “Expert” on the show.  And she is not without the experience.  She has written articles for “Flush” and Poker Player Magazine, while simultaniously hosting “Poker Night Live.”  In 2007 and 2008 Kara hosted the European Poker Tour.

After placing 104th in the 2008 World Series of Poker ($10,000 buy in main event) Kara announce that she would be leaving her job at Sky Poker to concentrate on a career as a poker professional.  While she is the sescond woman to cash in consecutive WSOP main events, the whole concentrating on being a poker professional must not have worked out so well for her. 

I’m not sure what prompted AJ Benza’s firing, but High Stakes poker was one of my favorite shows, with some of the best insight and hand analysis out ther.  I hope that going in this direction (after 5 successful seasons) wont damage the show’s watchability!

GSN has decided to start uploading some videos to youtube now!  The best part of the video is when Barry Greenstein says: “math is idiotic” as he battles it out with Tom Dwan.

If you missed Season 5 Episode 4 you can catch it here:

Tom “Durrrr” Dwan has started off the new year by putting out a crazy challenge that has the high stakes poker world buzzing.  He will risk $1.5 Million of his own money to win $500,000 of anyone else’s!

Possibly Durrrr hadn’t recovered fully from his New Year’s partying when he made this challenge, but he is pretty confident that he is THE BEST POKER PLAYER out there.

“I’m making this heads-up challenge to the world. Anyone can accept. Four tables, minimum of $200/$400, and I’ll put up $1.5 million to their $500,000. We play 50,000 hands minimum and if they end up a dollar after rake they keep the side money or whatever. So basically, if you and I played and you won a dollar, you would get my $1.5 million and if I won a dollar I would win your $500,000.

“So I’m giving a million dollars free if anyone thinks they can do it.”

Don’t let the funny hats fool you, Dwan knows what he is doing at the poker table!

If and when these games go down, you can be sure that they will be played over at FullTiltPoker.com.

I didn’t know whether to title this post “How to play 64 offsuit out of position” or “Are Full Tilt Pro’s Psychic” or maybe “How to win 100k playing online poker”, but with hands like this, all I can say is Mr. Degenyamine, you are a sicko!

Check this hand out (with added thought bubbles) where David Benyamine takes well-known high stakes player, Genius28 for a ton o cash over at Full Tilt Poker!:

Full Tilt Poker Game #8467634589: Table Quimby (deep hu) – $300/$600 – No Limit Hold’em – 2:23:55 ET – 2008/10/13
Seat 1: Genius28 ($71,948.50)
Seat 2: David Benyamine ($48,049)
Genius28 posts the small blind of $300
David Benyamine posts the big blind of $600
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Genius28 raises to $1,800 (Crap he raised me and I only have 64 offsuit)
David Benyamine calls $1,200 (Well, my 6 high is probably the best hand, so whats another $1200)
*** FLOP *** [Qd 2h 5c]
David Benyamine checks
Genius28 checks
*** TURN *** [Qd 2h 5c] [3d]
David Benyamine bets $2,400
Genius28 has 15 seconds left to act
Genius28 raises to $7,800 (OMG OMG OMG – He is reraising my nuts!)
David Benyamine has 15 seconds left to act
David Benyamine has requested TIME
David Benyamine raises to $16,800
Genius28 has 15 seconds left to act
Genius28 has requested TIME
Genius28 calls $9,000
*** RIVER *** [Qd 2h 5c 3d] [Kh]
David Benyamine has 15 seconds left to act
David Benyamine has requested TIME
David Benyamine bets $29,449, and is all in (Time to overbet and make it look like a bluff!)
Genius28 has 15 seconds left to act
Genius28 has requested TIME
Genius28 calls $29,449 (Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
David Benyamine shows [6s 4s] a straight, Six high
Genius28 mucks
David Benyamine wins the pot ($96,097.50) with a straight, Six high (This should keep Erica with me for one more week)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $96,098 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Qd 2h 5c 3d Kh]
Seat 1: Genius28 (small blind) mucked
Seat 2: David Benyamine (big blind) collected ($96,097.50)

Full Tilt really needs to rethink that slogan “Learn with the pros” if this is the kind of poker they are trying to get their pros to teach!