Patrik Antonius Loses $500,000 at $6K/$12K Omaha Hi-Lo
Published by Giselle
July 19, 2019 12:37 pm
For Patrik Antonius, the summer went better than expected. That was to change in one fell swoop – in three days, the Finn lost more than $500,000 in a big $6,000/$12,000 Omaha 8 or Better game. This corresponds to the amount of money Antonius took with him to Las Vegas this summer.
After losing the money, Antonius was a little depressed. In a 6-minute video on Instagram titled “Update from Vegas. Sometimes things don’t go as planned …” (translated: “Update from Vegas. Sometimes it comes differently than planned”) he expressed his feelings and chatted a little out of the sewing box.
ANTONIUS: “IF YOU LOSE A LOT, IT’S THE BIGGEST ANTI-ADRENALIN RUSH EVER.”
In Bobby’s Room at Bellagio, it’s not unusual for high-stakes players to sit opposite each other – after all, the room is known for it. It is also not unimaginable there Mixed Games with unimaginably high Stakes run – straight in the summer if players from all parts of the world for the World Series OF Poker and other large Events to Las Vegas stream.
Unusual is the fact that only Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better has been played. The day before, Scott Seiver had reported on Twitter about a $5,000/$10,000 Omaha 8 game in Bobby’s Room that had been running for 20 hours. Players and poker fans talked about it on Twitter and in a thread on TwoPlusTwo. It’s so unusual that the poker room felt called upon to display the stakes on a plaque at the table.
A few players came to the fore; they wanted to play along – one of the brave warriors was the bracelet winner Owais Ahmed. Others joked that the rake fee of $15 per half hour was too high, or that they wanted to buy in for two big bets.
Patrik Antonius with his part of the story
As Antonius explains in the video, the game got off to a good start. After the first day, he had a plus. Then he felt sick, suspected of food poisoning. The Finn recovered quickly, went back into action and lost a few stacks.
Antonius summed up the following events discontentedly as “a few bad days”. He said he could only win one hand yesterday. In the end, he had to leave Bobby’s Room with a minus of more than $500,000; the bankroll he had taken to Las Vegas was gone.
The normally stoic-looking Antonius showed a spark of emotion after losing the money – standing after a pause to recover mentally from the devastating experience. At least for a short time.
For the vast majority of poker players, such an experience would be life-changing. In the past, however, Antonius played for pots – both live and at the online tables – where the winner won more than he had to give up now. Given the stakes that have been played, the loss of half a million isn’t entirely abstruse either. Nevertheless, Antonius (who knows better after all) has remarked that few poker players can get used to the swings at these limits.
“It always hurts to lose so much money on these stakes,” Antonius said. “If you don’t know what it feels like and want to know, winning doesn’t feel exceptionally good. It feels rather normal. If you lose a lot, it’s the biggest anti-adrenaline rush ever.”
Even for an experienced professional like Antonius, it’s not easy to get on the track after such a loss.
ANTONIUS: “WINNERS COME BACK. THAT’S THE LIFE I’VE CHOSEN. I’M STRONG ENOUGH FOR ALL THE BULLSHIT.”
“Something like that really gnaws at me, and here you find out how mentally strong you are and how quickly you can recover,” says Antonius after his bitter defeat. “It’s also difficult to have a good day afterwards, no matter whether you want to do sports or go about your social life.
Even if Antonius is in Vegas without money, a professional of his calibre should have no trouble finding a new bankroll. According to Antonius, this could well happen – but not in his current condition, which makes it difficult for him to have fun playing poker, let alone enjoy other hobbies or sports.
Antonius at least has the feeling that he will soon be mentally stronger again – towards the end of the video, he says: “Winners come back. This is the life I have chosen for myself. I am strong enough for the whole bullshit. I’ll be fine.”