The Online Railbird Report: Dwan and Sulsky Win $1M+; Blom's Massive Swings Continue
The past week was one of the busiest of the year for the high-stakes cash games at Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. Most of the regular nosebleed players mixed it up on the virtual felts despite the start of the EPT Grand Final in Monaco, which is offering massive high-stakes cash games for the first time this year.
Viktor "Isildur1" Blom and Ben ��Bttech86�� Tollerene have headlined the high-stakes action this year and they continued their pot-limit Omaha battles this week, but several others also got involved. Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Ben ��Sauce1234�� Sulsky, Patrik ��FinddaGrind�� Antonius, Phil "Polarizing" Ivey, Gus Hansen and Alexander ��PostFlopAction�� Kostritsyn all duked it out on Full Tilt Poker as millions of dollars changed hands by the day.
Blom began the week as the biggest earner after profiting $1 million on Tuesday against several opponents, but he lost all of it and then some the following day to Sulsky, who ended the week as the biggest winner. Sulsky was running cold entering May, dropping $2 million since the start of the year, but his seven-figure week removed him from the list of the year's five biggest high-stakes losers.
Meanwhile, Dwan also won more than a million; most of it coming during a $500/$1,000 pot-limit Omaha session against Gus Hansen, "SetoKaiba1," "DrugsOrMe," Hac "trex313" Dang, and Ronny "ronnyr36717" Kaiser on Thursday. Dwan is now among 2013's biggest winners, a distinction that hasn't been associated with his name in recent years.
Win a Million, Lose a Million
Viktor Blom is no stranger to million-dollar swings, making him one of the most entertaining players to watch. Railbirds got their share of action this week as Blom won more than a $1 million and then lost it all within 24 hours.
Late Monday night, Blom won $395,000 in just 17 minutes against Tollerene in a $500/$1000 CAP PLO game. He carried that rush into Tuesday afternoon by winning $314,500 in less than an hour versus "Sankler" at $500/$1000 CAP no-limit hold'em. He then took a seat at a $2K/$4K 2-7 triple draw table against Phil "Polarizing" Ivey, "kagome kagome" and Alex "Alexonmoon" Luneau, and grinded out a $300,000 win over 3.5 hours.
On Wednesday, Blom pressed his luck against Sulsky and suffered one of his worst sessions of the year. The two began playing $300/600 PLO and Blom darted out to a $300,000 lead, but Sulsky fought back to take the lead, prompting Blom to request that they increase the stakes to $400/800.
Over the next 12 hours it was all Sulsky. He won the four biggest pots of the match, all of which were more than $350,000. In the biggest pot, Sulsky ($200,202) raised his button to $2,400 and Blom ($239,761) called to see a flop of K?10?3?. Blom checked and Sulsky bet $3,060, at which point Blom fired back with a check-raise to $12,800. Sulsky then three-bet to $32,000, and Blom four-bet to $77,000. Sulksy moved all in and Blom quickly called, and the two decided to run it twice for a pot worth more than $400,000.
Sulsky: K?K?Q?9?
Blom: 10?8?3?3?
Both players flopped a set, but Sulsky's three kings were way out in front. Both runs went in Sulksy's favor and he scooped the entire pot.
The next largest pot began with Sulsky ($178,796) opening to $2,400 from the button and Blom ($273,167) three-bet to $7,500. Sulsky responded with a three-bet to $22,800 and Blom called to see a flop of A?10?3?. Blom checked, Sulksy bet $24,000 and Blom check-raised to $117,900. Sulsky moved all in for $38,000 more and Blom snap-called, creating a pot worth $357,592.
Sulsky: A?A?5?5?
Blom: A?J?10?2?
Blom flopped two pair but Sulsky's top set of aces was best. The two decided to run it twice, and, once again, Sulksy held up both times, increasing his lead over the Swede.
Sulksy's 24-hour profits against Blom totaled $1.3 million, and he ended the week ahead $1,366,597. He's now $900,000 in the red for the year after cutting into his losses by more than half in a single day.
Dwan Crushes $500/$1,000 PLO
The high-stakes PLO tables were busy on Thursday as many of the game's top pros were putting in long sessions. Among them was Tom Dwan, who won $527,600 across 852 hands. In the biggest pot of the session, "SetoKaiba1" raised to $2,000 from under the gun and got calls from "DrugsOrMe" and Gus Hansen before Dwan three-bet to $10,500 from the big blind. SetoKaiba1 folded and DrugsOrMe and Hansen called. On the 9?4?2? flop, Dwan led out for $29,500, DrugsOrMe called all in for exactly that amount and Hansen called all in for $17,000.
Dwan: K?7?6?4?
DrugsOrMe: Q?9?8?8?
Hansen: A?K?J?4?
Amazingly, all three players had flush draws and DrugsOrMe's pair of eights was in the lead for the moment. The turn was the 7?, and suddenly Dwan was in front with two pair but had to dodge a lot of outs to win the hand. The 6? on the river improved Dwan's hand to a higher two pair good enough to win the $110,000 pot.
After his PLO session, Dwan faced off against "Trueteller" at a $500/$1000 CAP NLHE heads-up table and won $170,000 in an hour and a half. In total, Dwan won $527,600 for the day, bringing his winnings for the week to $1,041,054.
Biggest Winners/Losers (Full Tilt Poker)
Week��s biggest winners (5/2-5/9): Ben ��Sauce1234�� Sulsky (+1,366,597), Tom "durrrr" Dwan (+$1,041,054), Kyle ��cottonseed1�� Hendon (+$628,303), Niklas "ragen70" Heinecker (+$239,435), "Odd_Oddsen" (+$217,803), Patrik ��FinddaGrind�� Antonius (+$139,652), Isaac "luvtheWNBA" Haxton (+$139,271).
Week��s biggest losers: Ben ��Bttech86�� Tollerene (-$785,586), Phil "Polarizing" Ivey (-$537,308), Sanlker (-$410,576), Denoking (-$375,905), Gus Hansen (-$320,790), DrugsOrMe (-$254,780), Alexander ��PostFlopAction�� Kostritsyn (-$169,058).
Year��s biggest winners: Alexander ��PostFlopAction�� Kostritsyn (+$3,072,026), Viktor ��Isildur1�� Blom (+$2,915,972), Kyle ��cottonseed1�� Hendon (+$2,232,658), Phil ��OMGClayAiken�� Galfond (+$2,169,847), Tom ��durrrr�� Dwan (+$2,108,924), Patrik ��FinddaGrind�� Antonius (+$2,041,706), Ben ��Bttech86�� Tollerene (+$1,534,859), ��Odd_Oddsen��* (+$1,336,989), ��SallyWoo�� (+$1,092,904), ��1Il|1Il|1il|��* (+$1,030,358), ��kagome kagome�� (+$732,099), Isaac "luvtheWNBA" Haxton (+$690,415)
Year��s biggest losers: Gus Hansen (-$3,124,456), Phil ��Polarizing�� Ivey (-$2,092,560), ��samrostan�� (-$1,404,500), ��patpatpanda�� (-$1,330,885), Scott ��mastrblastr�� Seiver (-$1,220,399), ��punting-peddler�� (-$1,099,064), ��CRAIN85�� (-$925,500), Alex ��IReadYrSoul�� Millar (-$907,332)
*Denotes PokerStars
Data, hands and replayer obtained from HighStakesDB.com
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In this Series
- 1 The Online Railbird Report: Gus Hansen Suffers $1.4 Million Downswing to Close 2012
- 2 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Profits $4 Million in Eight Days
- 3 The Online Railbird Report: Galfond & Blom Experience Million-Dollar Swings
- 4 The Online Railbird Report: Kyle ��KPR16�� Ray Biggest Winner of Week; Robl Drops $357K
- 5 The Online Railbird Report: Alex Kostritsyn Wins $1.2 Million; Gus Hansen Drops $376K
- 6 The Online Railbird Report: Shchemelev Wins $406K; Blom Week's Biggest Loser & Much More
- 7 The Online Railbird Report: Dwan Wins Over $2 Million in Six Days
- 8 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Extends Lead Against Cao in $1 Million Challenge
- 9 The Online Railbird Report: Kostritsyn Wins $1.1 Million, Ivey Up & More
- 10 The Online Railbird Report: Ben Tollerene and Viktor Blom Win $1 Million in 48 Hours
- 11 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Becomes 2013's Biggest Winner; Ivey Week's Big Loser
- 12 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Over $4 Million for 2013; Huge Week for Hendon
- 13 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drops $661,949 in Slow Week; $100K PLO Showdown?
- 14 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Wins $1.7 Million from Tollerene in Just Six Hours
- 15 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene & Haxton Win Big; Blom Drops $1,474,629
- 16 The Online Railbird Report: The Professionals Duke it Out on FTP
- 17 The Online Railbird Report: ��jama-dharma�� Takes Blom for $786,971 in Limit Hold��em
- 18 The Online Railbird Report: Dwan and Sulsky Win $1M+; Blom's Massive Swings Continue
- 19 The Online Railbird Report: The Professionals Dominate with $1.5M Wins
- 20 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene & Dang Win $1.4M & $1.2M, Respectively
- 21 The Return of the Online Railbird Report: Six Weeks of High-Stakes Action
- 22 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Takes a $1.4 Million Hit
- 23 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom No Longer the Year's Biggest Winner
- 24 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Is Week's Biggest Loser, Durrrr Challenge & More
- 25 The Online Railbird Report: "Rhje" Wins Over a Million, Blom/Hansen to Ireland & More
- 26 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene Week's Biggest Winner; Haxton Drops a Million
- 27 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Up $2 Million, Millar Crushes Blom in 10 Minutes
- 28 The Online Railbird Report: Somebody Better ��Call_911�� as Blom Drops a Million
- 29 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom & Alex ��IReadYrSoul�� Millar Win Big
- 30 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Loses $1.3 Million; Haxton Week's Biggest Winner
- 31 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Week's Biggest Winner; Polk vs. Sulsky Update
- 32 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Week's Biggest Winner; Polk vs. Sulsky Update
- 33 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Gets Back on Track; Polk Continues to Dominate Sulsky
- 34 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor Blom Wins Again, Phil Ivey Has a Setback, and More
- 35 The Online Railbird Report: "SallyWoo" Week's Biggest Winner; Tollerene Leads in 2013
- 36 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor Blom Up $2 Million
- 37 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Wins $1.3 Million in a Day; Hansen's Fall Continues
- 38 Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Tops Yearly Leader Board; Hansen Loses $1.2 Million
- 39 The Online Railbird Report: Rui Cao Week's Biggest Winner; Heinecker Continues to Roll
- 40 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Biggest Winner for Third Week in a Row
- 41 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker, Blom & Hansen Experience Million-Dollar Swings
- 42 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius & Heinecker Fly High; Cates Fires Off in Chat
- 43 The Online Railbird Report: ��samrostan�� Wins $912,000; Galfond Drops $620,000
- 44 The Online Railbird Report: "mikki696" Jumps Out to Early Lead in 2014
- 45 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Wins $800K in Three Days
- 46 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Fuels Action on Way to Top of 2014 Leaderboard
- 47 The Online Railbird Report: Kyle "KPR16" Ray Rebounds; Viktor Blom Wins Again
- 48 The Online Railbird Report: Blom and Polk Continue to Battle Online at Aussie Millions
- 49 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Returns to Top of Weekly Leaderboard
- 50 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Week's Biggest Loser Upon Return to Nosebleeds
- 51 The Online Railbird Report: Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Cleans Up on PokerStars
- 52 The Online Railbird Report: Rare Winning Week for Hansen; Tollerene Extends 2014 Lead
- 53 The Online Railbird Report: Dan Cates Wins $1.18 Million; Tollerene Opts Out
- 54 The Online Railbird Report: Galfond and Cates Lose $1.1 Million Each; Blom Capitalizes
- 55 The Online Railbird Report: Hansen Loses a Million; Amundsgard & Cates Finish on Top
- 56 The Online Railbird Report: Phil "Polarizing" Ivey Drops $945K; Galfond Wins & More
- 57 The Online Railbird Report: Niki Jedlicka Wins $1.1 Million in Return to Full Tilt Poker
- 58 The Online Railbird Report: "Trueteller," Jedlicka, & Antonius Win Big; Ivey Does Not
- 59 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Week's Biggest Winner, Ivey Loses Again & More
- 60 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Wins Again, Two Mystery Players Revealed & More
- 61 The Online Railbird Report: Ivey, Galfond, and Hansen All Grace the Loser's List
- 62 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drops Nearly a Million; Ivey Rebounds & Much More
- 63 The Online Railbird Report: Kostritsyn Wins Big, Hansen Punts, and Dwan Eats Crawfish
- 64 The Online Railbird Report: Winners & Losers of the Summer's High-Stakes Action
- 65 The Online Railbird Report: "Sanlker" Steamrolls His Way to Massive $1.4 Million Win
- 66 The Online Railbird Report: Alex Luneau Wins $1.1 Million; Viktor Blom Drops $976K
- 67 The Online Railbird Report: Mikael ��punting-peddler�� Thuritz Biggest Winner with $491K
- 68 The Online Railbird Report: Ruthenberg and Blom Win Big; Hansen's Bad Year Continues
- 69 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius, Cates and Thuritz Pulling Away on 2014 Leaderboard
- 70 The Online Railbird Report: Gus Hansen's Disastrous Year Continues
- 71 The Online Railbird Report: Ike Haxton Wins Big; Doug Polk & "Denoking" Feud, and More
- 72 The Online Railbird Report: Polk & "Denoking" Keep Things Interesting During Slow Week
- 73 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Returns with a $275,000 Win
- 74 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drives Action While Kostritsyn Wins On PokerStars
- 75 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Continues to Drive Action; Kostritsyn Big Winner
- 76 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Week's Biggest Winner Despite Losing Sponsorship
- 77 The Online Railbird Report: What's Happened to the High-Stakes Online Action?
- 78 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Second-Biggest Winner with $472,000 Win
- 79 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Follows Up Last Week's Big Win by Dropping $357K
- 80 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Rebounds with $387,000 Win and More
- 81 The Online Railbird Report: Sanlker and Kibler-Melby Battle; Ivey Wins, and More
- 82 The Online Railbird Report: Kibler-Melby Wins Big, Ivey vs. Thuritz, and More
- 83 The Online Railbird Report: Dan Cates Primed to Finish as 2014's Biggest Winner