Top 10 Stories of 2018, #5: Jake Cody Puts it All on Black, Goes Viral

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Top 10 Stories of 2018, #5: Jake Cody Puts it All on Black, Goes Viral

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Chris Brice may have won the UK Poker Championships Main Event in February, taking home £187,500 ($262,881). But it was the ebullient Jake Cody who once again proved that his poker career is really just a feelgood movie we all happening to be playing bit parts in.

One of our most popular stories this year wasn't so much about a poker victory as a single spin of a silver ball on the roulette table. When the person for whom the money was on the line is PokerStars Team Pro Jake Cody, however, there's always more to the story.

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After taking down the UK Poker Championships £2,200 High Roller event back in February, Cody decided that his £42,000 winnings (a few cents short of $60k) weren't going directly into his bankroll. Instead, he fancied risking the entire winner's payout - and the trophy itself - in an all-or-nothing bet with Dusk Till Dawn owner Rob Yong.

"It was kind of a one-off," he told PokerNews shortly after the event. "People that know me, know I play a bit of table games – blackjack, a bit of craps – but I'm not some wild gambler. In general, I want to gamble with an edge. I want to play poker, have some sportsbetting friends I'll follow if I think there's a good bet with an edge."

There was no edge this time. Having won the largest slice of a £200,000 guarantee, all of Cody's winning were at risk as he allowed club owner Yong to spin the ball and set his fate. With cameraphone's whirring, Cody's 'roulette rail' stood with their man, cheering him on.

There were several people filming the action on their phone. Antonius Samuel uploaded the following video to Facebook:



"It was insane," Cody said. "It just landed on black perfectly, too. It just stopped dead, it looked a little bit rigged actually."

Black 22. Cue pandemonium and a viral video that went around the world and was viewed almost a million times.

"It was completely absurd," he said. "I couldn't believe how big it got, it was crazy."

Rob Yong was a graceful 'loser' on the night, if there was a loser. Cody thought it all worked out well for both the venue and his own popularity.

"The fact I won and it gained so much social media attention too, it honestly couldn't have worked out too much better," he said.

In a year where Jake Cody cashed just three times, his epic attempt to adapt PokerStars' 'spin-and-go' idea to live tournament celebrations was admirable, if a little crazy. It represented the moment of the year for fans of the popular poker player from Rochdale.


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Top 10 Stories Since 2011

Top 10 Stories of 2011

  1. Black Friday
  2. Full Tilt Poker
  3. PokerStars Back to Business After Black Friday
  4. Phil Ivey
  5. The Year of Seidel
  6. Ben Lamb Makes His Mark
  7. Grospellier and Cody Complete Poker's Triple Crown
  8. Forming the Epic Poker League
  9. Second Place Goes to — Phil Hellmuth
  10. The Big One for One Drop

Top 10 Stories of 2012

  1. PokerStars Acquires Assets of Full Tilt Poker
  2. Phil Hellmuth Wins Two Bracelets, Including WSOP-E Main Event
  3. Howard Lederer Breaks Year-Long Silence in the Lederer Files
  4. The Big One for One Drop
  5. #5a, Greg Merson Wins the WSOP Main Event and POY Award
  6. #5b, Dan Smith Dominates
  7. Greg Raymer Wins Four Heartland Poker Tour Titles
  8. Marvin Rettenmaier Wins Back-To-Back WPTs and Much More
  9. Baumann and Hille Bubble WSOP Main Event Final Table
  10. Phil Ivey Returns in a Big Way

Top 10 Stories of 2013

  1. The Launch of Regulated Online Poker in the U.S.
  2. Daniel Negreanu's Massive Year
  3. German Domination
  4. Full Tilt Poker Repayment in the U.S.
  5. Drama Involving Past WSOP Main Event Champs
  6. Controversial "First Card Off the Deck" Rule
  7. World Series of Poker Circuit Grinders Dominate
  8. The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $10 Million Guarantee
  9. Canada Crushes at the WSOP
  10. Ivey, Kagawa, Smith, and Others Face Legal Trouble

Top 10 Stories of 2014

  1. PokerStars Acquired By Amaya and Makes Significant Changes
  2. Phil Ivey Endures More Legal Drama
  3. Christian Lusardi and the Borgata Counterfeit Chip Scandal
  4. Daniel Colman's Massive Success and Controversial Year
  5. Passing of Strassmann, Brown, Korfman, Sartori, Elvis Joe
  6. Vicky Coren Mitchell Becomes First Two-Time EPT Champ
  7. Yong, Phua, Others Involved in World Cup Betting Scandal
  8. Ultimate Poker Closes in New Jersey and Nevada
  9. Tony G Leaves Poker for European Parliament
  10. Darren Elias Wins Back-To-Back World Poker Tour Events

Top 10 Stories of 2015

  1. Online Poker Changes at PokerStars and Full Tilt
  2. Negreanu’s Run and McKeehen’s Dominance in WSOP Main Event
  3. WSOP Highs and Lows; Colossal Records, Heads-Up Controversy
  4. The Loss of David Ulliott, Chad Batista, and Others
  5. Ivey Wins 3rd Aussie Millions $250K, Is Online's Top Loser
  6. Old Guys Still Got It - Hellmuth, Juanda, Seidel Score Big
  7. Andy Beal Returns to Vegas to Face Todd Brunson
  8. GPI Player of the Year Race Comes Down to the Wire
  9. PokerStars Approved to Operate in New Jersey
  10. GVC Buys bwin.party, Ourgame Buys WPT

Top 10 Stories of 2016

  1. Qui Nguyen Wins the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event
  2. Once-In-a-Lifetime Heater for Fedor Holz
  3. The Mercier Bracelet Bets That Shook the Poker World
  4. Big Changes at PokerStars
  5. William Kassouf Dominates ESPN
  6. Prop Bets Grab Headlines
  7. Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer Return
  8. Online Gaming Marketplace Consolidates
  9. GPL Holds Season 1
  10. Big One For One Drop Open to Recs Only

Top 10 Stories of 2017

  1. Chris Ferguson Wins World Series of Poker POY
  2. John Hesp Reignites Poker Excitement During WSOP Main Event
  3. Doug Polk Wins One Drop and the Internet
  4. PokerGO Changes the Way WSOP is Consumed
  5. Online Poker Advances in the U.S.
  6. Fedor Holz and the Germans Continue High Roller Dominance
  7. Phil Ivey Loses $19 Million in Court Battles
  8. partypoker's Resurgence
  9. Australia Loses Fight for Legalized Online Poker
  10. Computer Beats Poker Pros in 'Brains vs. AI'
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