Patrik Antonius
Encyclopedia
Patrik Antonius is a Finnish
professional poker
player, former tennis
player and coach, and model
from Vantaa
, Finland
. He currently resides in Monte Carlo
. Antonius was mentored by poker pro Marcel Lüske
as a member of Luske's "Circle of Outlaws" and later advised by Jennifer Harman
.
Antonius is married to Maya Geller and has one child.
circuit with two finishes near the final table of a European Poker Tour
(EPT) event and a World Poker Tour
(WPT) event, 12th at the EPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, then 15th at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars event two months later, in early 2005. He went on to finish in the money in three events of the 2005 World Series of Poker
(WSOP). In September 2005 he made the European Poker Tour
(EPT) Main Event final table, finishing 3rd in Barcelona
. The next month, Antonius won the EPT event in Baden bei Wien
, taking home the €288,180 first prize when in the final hand his beat Gunnar Østebrød's on a board of . In December 2005 he finished the year 2nd in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, winning $1,046,470.
In July 2006 he placed 9th in the 143-player 8-handed World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, taking home $205,920, his biggest cash that year. In 2007 World Series of Poker
, Antonius entered numerous tournaments but he only cashed in the World Championship of Pot Limit Omaha
event, placing third and winning $311,394, making that his ninth WSOP cash and increasing his WSOP earnings to a total of $569,964. Antonius has been featured three times on NBC
's Poker After Dark
. In his first appearance he finished as runner up, losing out to fellow poker professional Jennifer Harman
, but his next attempt saw him defeat Brad Booth
in heads-up play to take the victory. In his third appearance he was runner up again, this time to Johnny Chan
. , Antonius' total live tournament winnings exceed $ 3,375,000. His 14 cashes at the WSOP account for $911,178 of those winnings.
Antonius was not able to enter the 2009 WSOP Main Event
, as he was turned away when attempting to register along with hundreds of others due to a capacity field.
He also plays in some of the highest profile online tournaments, and in September 2008 he finished 2nd in the Full Tilt Poker
$25,000 buy-in Heads-Up Pot Limit Omaha
Championship, winning $320,000.
Antonius finished 9th in the 593-player 8-handed €10,400 2011 World Series of Poker Europe
main event for a prize of €90,000.
under several nicknames, including Luigi66369, CryMeRiver9 and Finddagrind, but having become a member of "Team Full Tilt" he now plays under his real name. During his early career he also used screen names e.g. I_knockout_U, try_hrdr_fish and -ANTONIUS- on various other poker networks. Previously Antonius was one of a team of players associated with Martinspoker.com.
He is equally prolific in live cash games, and is a regular in the Big Game
, the high-stakes cash game at the Bellagio
. Antonius appeared on the third to sixth seasons of GSN's High Stakes Poker
. Patrik was involved, along with Sammy Farha, in the show's largest ever pot; it totaled $998,800. After a preflop raise and re-raise the flop came ; Antonius held for top pair and Farha held , giving him two over-cards and a flush draw. Sammy called Patrik's all-in raise instantly and the two agreed to run the turn and river four times. Though Sammy's hand was a slight favorite, Patrik won three of the four runs and collected $749,100.
In another sizable pot on High Stakes Poker, Patrik went up against Jamie Gold
. Jamie had versus Patrik's . Patrik raised to $4,000 preflop with Jamie reraising to $14,000, after declaring that his hole cards felt "like aces." The flop came out , giving Patrik an inside straight draw. Jamie bet $15,000 into a $30,800 pot, which Patrik called. The turn was the , giving Patrik a straight and Jamie a set of kings. Patrik bet $45,000 into the pot, which Jamie reraised all in. Patrik immediately called making the pot worth $743,800. The players agreed to run the river three times. Despite being a 77-23 favorite, Patrik won only the last of the three times, as Jamie hit a full house on the first two. Even after losing two times as a favorite, Patrik remained calm and showed no emotion on his face. At the time, it was the largest pot ever on High Stakes Poker.
Antonius has since lost a pot of almost $600,000 pot to Tom Dwan
on an episode of the Poker After Dark
high stakes cash game. Tom straddled the hand to $1,200 and Patrik was first to act having pocket 10's, with which he raised. Tom reraised the hand with pocket kings, and Patrik called. The flop gave him a set of tens and he bet $27,000, which Tom called. The turn was a king, giving Tom a set of kings. Patrik bet $59,000 which led to Dwan going all-in for over $200,000, which Patrik called, making the pot almost $600,000. They ran it twice, Patrik losing both. It was the largest pot in the history of Poker After Dark.
Antonius was the first player to go up against Dwan in his "Million Dollar Challenge" on Full Tilt Poker (though not the first to accept the challenge). Dwan has challenged players to high-stakes no-limit hold 'em or pot-limit Omaha at Full Tilt, playing four tables at a time heads-up for a total of 50,000 hands. Dwan has put up $1.5 million to any opponent's $500,000; the player who is ahead after 50,000 hands will win the money put up by his opponent, while retaining any winnings resulting from play in the challenge. The Antonius vs. Dwan match hasn't been finished as of July 2011, lasting longer than two years as the two pros could not free their schedule to play.
In November 2009, Antonius won the biggest pot in online poker history, $1,356,946 against Viktor Blom, who was at the time known only by his Full Tilt Poker moniker, Isildur1.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional poker
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, former tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and coach, and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
from Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. He currently resides in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
. Antonius was mentored by poker pro Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske is a Dutch professional poker player. He finished 10th in the 2004 WSOP main event and as of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000 USD...
as a member of Luske's "Circle of Outlaws" and later advised by Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman
Jennifer C. Harman-Traniello is an American professional poker player.-Early life:Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started playing poker in 1972 at the age of eight...
.
Antonius is married to Maya Geller and has one child.
Tournament poker
Antonius began making a name for himself on the poker tournamentPoker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
circuit with two finishes near the final table of a European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
(EPT) event and a World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) event, 12th at the EPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, then 15th at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars event two months later, in early 2005. He went on to finish in the money in three events of the 2005 World Series of Poker
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
(WSOP). In September 2005 he made the European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
(EPT) Main Event final table, finishing 3rd in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The next month, Antonius won the EPT event in Baden bei Wien
Baden bei Wien
-Points of interest:The town offers several parks and a picturesque surrounding, of which the most frequented is the Helenental valley. Not far from Baden, the valley is crossed by a widespread aqueduct of the Vienna waterworks...
, taking home the €288,180 first prize when in the final hand his beat Gunnar Østebrød's on a board of . In December 2005 he finished the year 2nd in the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, winning $1,046,470.
In July 2006 he placed 9th in the 143-player 8-handed World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, taking home $205,920, his biggest cash that year. In 2007 World Series of Poker
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
, Antonius entered numerous tournaments but he only cashed in the World Championship of 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...
event, placing third and winning $311,394, making that his ninth WSOP cash and increasing his WSOP earnings to a total of $569,964. Antonius has been featured three times on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's 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...
. In his first appearance he finished as runner up, losing out to fellow poker professional Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman
Jennifer C. Harman-Traniello is an American professional poker player.-Early life:Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started playing poker in 1972 at the age of eight...
, but his next attempt saw him defeat Brad Booth
Brad Booth
Bradley Booth is a Canadian professional poker player known for his appearances on the GSN series High Stakes Poker and buying in for a "cool million."...
in heads-up play to take the victory. In his third appearance he was runner up again, this time to Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
. , Antonius' total live tournament winnings exceed $ 3,375,000. His 14 cashes at the WSOP account for $911,178 of those winnings.
Antonius was not able to enter the 2009 WSOP Main Event
2009 World Series of Poker
The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event...
, as he was turned away when attempting to register along with hundreds of others due to a capacity field.
He also plays in some of the highest profile online tournaments, and in September 2008 he finished 2nd in the Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
$25,000 buy-in Heads-Up 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...
Championship, winning $320,000.
Antonius finished 9th in the 593-player 8-handed €10,400 2011 World Series of Poker Europe
2011 World Series of Poker Europe
The fifth World Series of Poker Europe takes place from October 7, 2011 to October 20, 2011. There are seven bracelet events, culminating in the €10,400 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em event. Events will be held at the Majestic Barrière Cannes and the Le Croisette Casino Barrière in Cannes,...
main event for a prize of €90,000.
Cash games
Antonius is a heads-up specialist. He is a regular high stakes player online and one of the most successful having won millions of dollars. He has played on Full Tilt PokerFull Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
under several nicknames, including Luigi66369, CryMeRiver9 and Finddagrind, but having become a member of "Team Full Tilt" he now plays under his real name. During his early career he also used screen names e.g. I_knockout_U, try_hrdr_fish and -ANTONIUS- on various other poker networks. Previously Antonius was one of a team of players associated with Martinspoker.com.
He is equally prolific in live cash games, and is a regular in the Big Game
Big Game (poker)
The Big Game refers to a famous high-stakes poker ring game played in "Bobby's Room", a cardroom named after Bobby Baldwin, at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The table features no-limit and pot-limit games with wagers up to $100,000 per hand...
, the high-stakes cash game at the Bellagio
Bellagio (hotel and casino)
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
. Antonius appeared on the third to sixth seasons of GSN's 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...
. Patrik was involved, along with Sammy Farha, in the show's largest ever pot; it totaled $998,800. After a preflop raise and re-raise the flop came ; Antonius held for top pair and Farha held , giving him two over-cards and a flush draw. Sammy called Patrik's all-in raise instantly and the two agreed to run the turn and river four times. Though Sammy's hand was a slight favorite, Patrik won three of the four runs and collected $749,100.
In another sizable pot on High Stakes Poker, Patrik went up against Jamie Gold
Jamie Gold
Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, a talent agent, and poker player, based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and currently divides his time between his activities as president of production for the entertainment company,...
. Jamie had versus Patrik's . Patrik raised to $4,000 preflop with Jamie reraising to $14,000, after declaring that his hole cards felt "like aces." The flop came out , giving Patrik an inside straight draw. Jamie bet $15,000 into a $30,800 pot, which Patrik called. The turn was the , giving Patrik a straight and Jamie a set of kings. Patrik bet $45,000 into the pot, which Jamie reraised all in. Patrik immediately called making the pot worth $743,800. The players agreed to run the river three times. Despite being a 77-23 favorite, Patrik won only the last of the three times, as Jamie hit a full house on the first two. Even after losing two times as a favorite, Patrik remained calm and showed no emotion on his face. At the time, it was the largest pot ever on High Stakes Poker.
Antonius has since lost a pot of almost $600,000 pot to Tom Dwan
Tom Dwan
Thomas Dwan Jr. is an American professional poker player who regularly plays online in the highest-stakes No-Limit Texas hold 'em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, primarily on Full Tilt Poker, where he plays under the screen name "durrrr"...
on an episode of the 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...
high stakes cash game. Tom straddled the hand to $1,200 and Patrik was first to act having pocket 10's, with which he raised. Tom reraised the hand with pocket kings, and Patrik called. The flop gave him a set of tens and he bet $27,000, which Tom called. The turn was a king, giving Tom a set of kings. Patrik bet $59,000 which led to Dwan going all-in for over $200,000, which Patrik called, making the pot almost $600,000. They ran it twice, Patrik losing both. It was the largest pot in the history of Poker After Dark.
Antonius was the first player to go up against Dwan in his "Million Dollar Challenge" on Full Tilt Poker (though not the first to accept the challenge). Dwan has challenged players to high-stakes no-limit hold 'em or pot-limit Omaha at Full Tilt, playing four tables at a time heads-up for a total of 50,000 hands. Dwan has put up $1.5 million to any opponent's $500,000; the player who is ahead after 50,000 hands will win the money put up by his opponent, while retaining any winnings resulting from play in the challenge. The Antonius vs. Dwan match hasn't been finished as of July 2011, lasting longer than two years as the two pros could not free their schedule to play.
In November 2009, Antonius won the biggest pot in online poker history, $1,356,946 against Viktor Blom, who was at the time known only by his Full Tilt Poker moniker, Isildur1.