Interviewed by Phil Gordon on behalf of the Full Tilt Poker Academy, Finnish favourite Patrik Antonius gives his thoughts on Isildur1 and the nosebleed stakes in general.
Patrik’s admiration for Isildur1 is clear. Despite a harsh introduction into the nosebleed stakes arena which saw the enigmatic Swede drop $600k, Antonius claims Isildur1 has revolutionised deep-stack poker with his super aggressive approach on 6-tables. Patrik notes his, ‘constant ability to keep the pressure on’, through blocker bets and 3-barrel bluffs. Such is the complexity of Isildur1’s play that Patrik feels compelled to cipher through their hand histories, and even watch the Swede as he squares off against other opponents.
When asked how he deals with the sick swings, (Antonius was stuck $1.5 million in the space of an hour on one night), Patrik claims he can cope with the shock of losing, but not the adrenaline rush of winning. Never one to tilt, Antonius claims that only external factors, like problems in his private life, can affect his poker game. When quipped on bankroll management, Antonius curiously claims that the most talented players never experience such problems. He argues that young prodigies such as Isildur1 can cope with losing in the excess of $5 million, because they have relatively low living expenses, and can easily, ‘grind $2000 up to $1 million in the space of a year’.
When asked about the specific roll required to confront $500/$1000 PLO, Patrik remains uncertain. $10 million seems to be the minimum requirement, but it is quite conceivable to lose $3-4 million in one night (as Isildur1 did to Brian Hastings), so a lot of play amounts to, ‘taking shots’ – that is dabbling in a limit too high for your bankroll in order to hit the financial jackpot. Antonius claims only a ‘$300-$500 million’ roll would offer a lifetime guarantee against bankruptcy at such intense stakes.
You can check the full length interview with Patrik Antonius here, courtesy of Full Tilt Poker.
Meanwhile PAD the Cash Game continued, with players knuckling down to some solid poker after the flipping antics of past episodes. Tom Dwan squeezed a call out of Patrik Antonius in a $51k pot with a crafty over-bet on the river. Holding K
Q
on a Q
8 J 2
Q board, Dwan fired $20k and drew a crying call from the handsome Finn who held pocket nines. Durrrr continued to pile the pressure on his opponents, re-raising Negreanu (K 3) to $11k and forcing a fold, after the Canadian PokerStars pro opened for $3.2k on the button.