The Online Railbird Report: Nosebleed Games in Full Swing During EPT Grand Final
Usually big poker festivals, like the European Poker Tour Grand Final, lead to a slowdown at the online nosebleeds. That certainly wasn't the case this week though as some of poker's biggest names, many of who were actually in Monaco for the EPT11 Monte Carlo, couldn't resist the juicy action.
In last week's Online Railbird Report, we mentioned that Viktor "Isildur1" Blom, who was one of those at the EPT, had won a million in a single day. That allowed him to top the weekly leaderboard with $893,714 in profit on PokerStars; however, Blom was also this week's biggest loser. How could that be? It's because he lost $864,653 over on Full Tilt to really give him a paltry $29,061 profit this week.
The real winner this week was Ben "Sauce1234" Sulsky, who won $691,213 in 1,157 hands over 16 sessions on Full Tilt. Toss in the $259,095 he won in 4,000 hands over 35 sessions on PokerStars, where he plays under "Sauce123." All told Sulsky won nearly a million this week.
Meanwhile, "NoelHayes," who was PokerStars' biggest loser last week after dropping $193,675, got most of it back this week after winning $165,307 in 9,590 hands over 51 sessions.
On the other end of the spectrum, "BigNittyBanker," who lost $419,950 in 2,878 hands over nine sessions on Full Tilt, was the second-biggest documented loser behind Blom. "Sanlker" (-$160,177 in 4 sessions/488 hands) also lost on the site, while "natalie724" (-$135,599 in 13 sessions/1,236 hands) finished as PokerStars' biggest winner.
Full Tilt made some major changes to their high-stakes ring games, which you can read all about by clicking here.
"NoelHayes" Cleans Up Over the Weekend; Wins $232,400 in Sunday Action
After losing $193,675 last week, "NoelHayes" rebounded over the weekend by winning $320,000, the majority of which ($232,400 to be exact) came on Sunday when he cleaned up at the pot-limit Omaha and 8-Game tables.
"NoelHayes" really shined at the $100/$200 PLO tables, which is where he took on a long list of accomplished players including Ben "Ben86" Tollerene, Ola "Odd_Oddsen" Amundsgard, and Sam "tr1cky7" Trickett, just to name a few. Here are a few of the bigger pots "NoelHayes" took down from that match.
Hand #1: In a six-handed game, "NoelHayes" ($38,780.85) opened for $700 under the gun and "JayP-AA" ($50,403.84) called from the hijack. When action reach Trickett ($54,541.09) in the small blind, he three-bet to $3,000. "NoelHayes" four-bet to $9,900, "JayP-AA" folded, and Trickett five-bet to $30,600. "NoelHayes" just called and then called off his last $8,180.85 after Trickett bet the 8♠6♠4♦ flop.
"NoelHayes": 6♣Q♣Q♠10♠
Trickett: A♦A♥9♥9♠
Trickett was ahead with aces, but "NoelHayes" had a lot of outs, including a flush draw. The 7♦ turn didn't change much, but the 6♦ river did. "NoelHayes" spiked trips and won the $78,461.70 pot.
Hand #2: In a five-handed game, "NoelHayes" ($20,000) opened for $500 from the button and "Ravenswood13" ($20,000) called from the big blind. When the flop came down A♣8♠8♥, "Ravenswood13" check-called a bet of $400 and then checked the 10♣ turn. "NoelHayes" bet $1,421.25, "Ravenswood13" check-raised to $3,883.32, and "NoelHayes" three-bet to $7,600. "Ravenswood13" made the call and then check-called off his last $11,500 on the Q♠ river.
"Ravenswood13" tabled the 10♥10♦7♦6♦ for tens full of eights, but it was no good as "NoelHayes" held aces full of eights to win the $40,100 pot.
Hand #3: With action six handed, "JayP-AA" ($16,305.25) raised to $700 from the hijack and "NoelHayes" called from the big blind to see a flop of 8♥7♦4♠. "NoelHayes" was first to act and bet $1,121.25, which prompted "JayP-AA" to call.
When the J♥ appeared on the turn, "NoelHayes" bet $2,429.37, "JayP-AA" called, and the 8♣ completed the board on the river. "NoelHayes" bet again, this time $3,438.49, and then called when "JayP-AA" shoved for $12,054.63. "JayP-AA" tabled the 9♣7♣5♦4♦ for two pair, but it was no good as "NoelHayes" held the 9♦10♠K♠7♥ for a straight. Ship the $32,710.50 pot to "NoelHayes."
In other Sunday news, Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky won $108,600 – enough to make him the day's second-biggest winner – playing PLO, 2-7 triple draw, and 8-Game on PokerStars. Of that, $75,700 came from 4.5 hours at table Glanora IV, which is where he battled players like Patrik "Fake Love888" Antonius and Elior "Crazy Elior" Sion.
Blom Wins Big, but Will He Take It to the Bank?
On Monday, May 4, Viktor "Isildur1" Blom had another great day winning $341,400 and $217,500 on PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker respectively. At the former site, most of his winnings came at the fixed-limit Omaha hi/lo (FLO8) tables, where he played for six and a half hours against players like Patrik "Fake Love888" Antonius, Phil "Polarizing" Ivey, and George Danzer, all of who were in Monaco for the EPT Grand Final.
On FTP, Blom won $215,000 playing "Kagome Kagome" for nine and a half hours at the $1,000/$2,000 2-7 triple draw tables, and then took to the $250/$500 pot-limit Omaha tables for two separate heads-up matches against Sean "Doorbread" Rafael and Ben "Bttech86" Tollerene. Against the latter, Blom won $85,000 in 30 minutes. However, things didn't go so hot against Rafael. Blom dominated the early part of the match, but by the time midnight rolled around Rafael had stormed back and was a $103,500 winner.
Despite losing in the match, Blom did win the three biggest pots of the day.
Hand #1: Blom ($107,812) raised to $1,500 and then called when Rafael ($95,792) raised to $4,500, which brought about a flop of 8♦3♣J♦. Rafael led out for $5,500, Blom called, and the A♠ peeled off on the turn. Rafael bet again, this time $14,000, and Blom came along. When the Q♥ completed the board on the river, Rafael slowed down with a check but still called when Blom bet a hefty $48,000. Blom tabled the 10♣9♥Q♣5♣ for a straight, and it was good enough to win the $144,000 pot as Rafael sent his cards to the muck.
Hand #2: Rafael ($83,204) just limped the button and then called when Blom exercised his option to raise to $1,500. The 2♦2♣K♥ flop saw Blom bet $2,500, Rafael raise to $8,000, and Blom call to see the 6♥ turn. Blom proceeded to check-call a bet of $14,500 and then checked the 3♠ river. Rafael bet $48,000, and Blom called off his last $42,812 to create a $133,624 pot. Rafael tabled the 2♥K♠5♠3♦ for a flopped full house, but he'd been coolered as Blom had flopped a bigger one with the K♣K♦Q♦J♣.
Hand #3: Blom ($59,999) raised to $1,500 from the button and then called when Rafael ($73,689) three-bet to $4,500. Blom then called a bet of $5,500 on the 4♦K♥3♠ flop before betting $12,500 after Rafael had checked the 10♦ turn. A call was made and then Rafael check-called Blom's all-in shove of $37,499 on the 8♥ river. Blom rolled over the K♠K♣5♠4♥ for the nuts, and Rafael mucked. Ship the $119,998 pot to Blom.
It's also worth noting that Ivey put in a marathon session on Monday, playing 17 hours of $1,000/$2,000 FLO8, mainly against Kyle "KPR16" Ray. Ivey managed to win $186,700; however, he also skipped out on late registering the EPT11 Grand Final Main Event. It’s not guaranteed the two are related, but it's probably a safe bet.
Blom Gives Most of It Back; Sulsky & Rafael Get Paid
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom isn't prone to hold onto his winnings long, and that was the case this week. On Thursday, May 7, Blom took to the pot-limit Omaha tables and to say he had a rough go of it would be an understatement.
First, he played Sean "Doorbread" Rafael at four tables for seven hours, during which time he lost $332,900. That stung extra bad considering he was up more than $400,000 at one point.
In the biggest pot of the day, Blom ($222,948.20) raised to $1,500 and then called when Rafael ($102,207.50) three-bet to $4,500. After the flop fell 7♣K♦10♠, Rafael check-called $5,000 and then checked the 9♠ turn. Blom bet $12,500, Rafael check-raised to $40,500, and Blom called to see the 3♣ river.
Rafael moved all in for his last $52,207.50, and Blom wasted little time in making the call to create a $204,415 pot. Rafael tabled the A♣8♣Q♥7♦, but it was no good as Blom had a straight with the Q♠J♦A♦4♣.
Blom then went on to lose $398,200 to Ben "Sauce1234" Sulsky in 105 minutes at the $250/$500 tables. Furthermore, Ben "Bttech86" Tollerene won $243,600 in 200 hands of $250/$500 PLO against Blom and Rafael, while "Kagome Kagome" won $160,700 after three hours with Blom at the $1,000/$2,000 2-7 Triple Draw tables.
Biggest Winners/Losers from April 30 – May 7
| Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $893,714 |
 Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $864,653 | |
|
Ben "Sauce1234" Sulsky | $691,213 |
"BigNittyBanker" | $419,950 | |
|
Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky | $259,085 |
"Sanlker" | $160,177 | |
|
"NoelHayes" | $165,307 |
"natalie724" | $135,599 |
Year's Biggest Winners/Losers
| Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $1,133,256 |
Phil "Polarizing" Ivey | $1,610,252 | |
|
"bbvisbadforme" | $960,979 |
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom | $1,503,209 | |
|
Ben "Sauce1234" Sulsky | $743,015 |
"Sanlker" | $697,387 | |
|
Ilari "Ilari FIN" Sahamies | $468,181 |
Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond | $470,721 | |
|
Ben "Sauce123" Sulsky | $425,589 |
"BigNittyBanker" | $417,090 | |
|
Elior "Crazy Elior" Sion | $379,882 |
"Patriktortonius" | $317,274 |
Data, hands, and replayer obtained from HighStakesDB.com
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
