Get to Know Chun Lei Zhou (AKA "samrostan" & "patpatpanda")
Earlier this year, PokerNews confirmed that Macau high-stakes player Chun Lei Zhou was the man behind the legendary “samrostan” online account, formerly known as “patpatpanda.” It was one of online poker's biggest mysteries, but now that he has stepped out from behind the computer screen, he's been venturing to some live events around the world.
While Zhou wasn't expected to make the trip to the World Series of Poker, he showed up in Vegas a couple weeks back. Now he is in the Event #46: $50,000 Poker Players' Championship field trying his luck against some of the game's best. But how will someone used to playing no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha do in an eight-game mix?
“It’s OK. Before I only played no-limit hold’em games. Sometimes no one played me, so I learned other ring games and I lose a lot of money. I love to play poker,” Zhou previously told PokerNews in regards to learning other games. “My favorite game? I like all games — Omaha, 8-game, mixed games. I don’t want to play no-limit hold’em.”
Zhou, who claims to have played for 40 hours straight one time, may be a lesser-skilled player in the eyes of many, but he has earned the respect of the game’s best, including Phil Ivey who he met while playing the Big Game in Macau.
“I like to play online because it’s fast and you can play more tables,” Zhou says when asked if he prefers playing online or in the Big Game. “Live game is boring, but the live game is easy — lots of bad players.”
As for whether or not Zhou sold action into this tournament, don't count on it. “I always play 100% of myself. I still lose a lot, always lose,” Zhou said previously of his tournament play. “When I lose a tournament, I always have nut-nut, but I always get bad beat (laughs).”
For more on Zhou, check out his full interview with PokerNews by clicking here.