This summer season, Patrik Antonius stood in entrance of a crowd on the World Collection of Poker in Las Vegas and thanked them as he was inducted into the Poker corridor of Fame. With greater than 20 years of enjoying the very best stakes on his resume, he was a simple alternative for the residing Corridor of Fame members who forged votes this summer season.
May or not it’s that Antonius is simply getting began?
This weekend, Antonius received a career-best $5.13 million on the $210,000 buy-in Triton Tremendous Excessive Curler Invitational in Monaco, the place he makes his residence.
“I’m residing my dream life,” Antonius stated. “And I wish to maintain residing like this.”
Particular format attracts whales
The particular invitational occasion introduced in 80 gamers who put up the insanely-high buy-in that pitted the professionals towards what Triton organizers name VIPs — poker aficionados who additionally occur to be extremely loaded.
In different phrases, whales.
And the way do you get 40 of the richest novice poker gamers to indicate up and face one of the best high-stakes match gamers on this planet? You modify the foundations.
Triton invited 40 of principally whales and requested them to ask one professional every (there was a poker participant or two in that group). Consider it as a form of Sadie Hopkins dance for funding gurus and billionaire patent-holders. After all, Triton made positive that the majority of their regulars and champions like Chris Brewer, Jonathan Jaffee, and Stephen Chidwick obtained invitations — and so they all confirmed up.
To additional entice the whales, the match was break up into two a the beginning. For the primary eight ranges, the whales performed towards the whales, whereas the professionals confronted their very own species earlier than the sector was mixed in stage 9.
The highest 17 have been paid not less than $320,000, with the highest six gamers cracking the million-dollar mark. The distinction between fourth and first was whopping $3.5 million or so — and almost ten-times the quantity between ninth and the highest spot.
Whereas WSOP Essential Occasion champion Espen Jostad (2022) made it to 3 handed, profitable $2.255 million, the story of the ultimate desk revolved round Estonian newcomer Vladimir Korzinin, 69, who took up poker a few 12 months in the past. He seemed each little bit of eccentric billionaire or Lord of the Rings wizard, and he performed just like the love-child of each, giving Antonius a check heads-up.
That is Antonius’ seventh seven-figure match money — and 4 of these have been value $2 million or extra.
“I simply got here to play. So long as I’m rested, I play hand-by-hand. I’m conscious that it’s by no means straightforward,” he informed Triton reporters after. “You by no means win immediately all of the palms. I’m sort of pleased the way in which I targeted. Clearly it feels actually particular at residence. A bit surreal.”
Which isn’t a nasty approach to describe Antonius’ life.
“I adore it. I’m nonetheless getting began. I’m planning on a very long time enjoying. With out the eagerness, I wouldn’t be enjoying a lot.”
