Ilari Sahamies
Encyclopedia
Ilari Sahamies also known as Ziigmund, is a Finnish professional poker
player. He specializes in high stakes pot-limit Omaha
cash game
s. Sahamies is known for his trashtalk at the poker table, usually aimed towards his fellow pros, which has led to an online following. In an interview, however, he notes that he only trashtalks for fun, since he claims to be good friends with everyone that he insults at the poker table. Sahamies played poker live before transitioning to online poker
, where he now makes most of his money. However, he occasionally returns to live poker, playing on television shows including High Stakes Poker
and Poker After Dark
. He has won a total of $327,241 in live tournament winnings, ranking him the 20th most successful Finnish poker player.
Sahamies first played poker at the age of 15, when he participated in a home game at fellow Finnish poker pro Patrik Antonius
' home. They first met at a local billiard hall, where Sahamies spent a lot of his time. He earned two Finnish junior championships for billiards; Sahamies is also the defending Finnish watersliding champion as of 2009. When he was 18, Sahamies made his first visit to the Grand Casino Helsinki, eventually becoming a professional poker player in two years. Sahamies, who enjoys drinking alcohol
, used to occasionally play online poker while intoxicated, a habit which lost him more than US$3 million over four years, and $700,000 in a single day. He stopped doing this two years ago, however, and only drinks when playing poker live. He founded the online poker hub, Coinflip.com, with fellow Finnish poker pro Sami Kelopuro
. He is sponsored by the online poker site PowerPoker.com. Sahamies, known to be a fan of Finnish hip hop music, starred in a rap music video "Pojat on poikii", which was sponsored by Sahamies' poker site PowerPoker.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player. He specializes in high stakes pot-limit Omaha
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
cash game
Cash game
Cash games, also sometimes referred to as ring games or live action games, are poker games played with "real" chips and money at stake, usually with no predetermined end time, with players able to enter and leave as they see fit...
s. Sahamies is known for his trashtalk at the poker table, usually aimed towards his fellow pros, which has led to an online following. In an interview, however, he notes that he only trashtalks for fun, since he claims to be good friends with everyone that he insults at the poker table. Sahamies played poker live before transitioning to online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
, where he now makes most of his money. However, he occasionally returns to live poker, playing on television shows including High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker is a cash game poker television program broadcast by the cable television network GSN in the United States. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. It premiered on January 16, 2006 and ended on December 17, 2007 and it returns back on March 1, 2009 and is...
and Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark
Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first...
. He has won a total of $327,241 in live tournament winnings, ranking him the 20th most successful Finnish poker player.
Sahamies first played poker at the age of 15, when he participated in a home game at fellow Finnish poker pro Patrik Antonius
Patrik Antonius
Patrik Antonius is a Finnish professional poker player, former tennis player and coach, and model from Vantaa, Finland. He currently resides in Monte Carlo...
' home. They first met at a local billiard hall, where Sahamies spent a lot of his time. He earned two Finnish junior championships for billiards; Sahamies is also the defending Finnish watersliding champion as of 2009. When he was 18, Sahamies made his first visit to the Grand Casino Helsinki, eventually becoming a professional poker player in two years. Sahamies, who enjoys drinking alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, used to occasionally play online poker while intoxicated, a habit which lost him more than US$3 million over four years, and $700,000 in a single day. He stopped doing this two years ago, however, and only drinks when playing poker live. He founded the online poker hub, Coinflip.com, with fellow Finnish poker pro Sami Kelopuro
Sami Kelopuro
Sami Kelopuro , also known as LarsLuzak, is a professional poker player represented by Poker Icons. Sami started to play poker cash games in late 2005 when he was invited to a home sit-and-go poker tournament...
. He is sponsored by the online poker site PowerPoker.com. Sahamies, known to be a fan of Finnish hip hop music, starred in a rap music video "Pojat on poikii", which was sponsored by Sahamies' poker site PowerPoker.