Yesterday, PokerStars took the unexpected step of signing the online enigma Isildur1. The Swede gained fame by multi-tabling against the world’s best players including Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Tom “durrrr” Dwan.
The signing is atypical for PokerStars, which usually aims to ink established pros who have had a ton of television face time. This time around, they’ve gone with a player without an identity who has yet to play on television.
As part of his sponsorship deal, Isildur1 will be taking part in high-stakes heads-up SuperStar Showdown matches exclusively played at PokerStars. These matches are feature a format of 2,500 hands at stakes no lower than $50/$100. The official word from PokerStars is that these SuperStar Showdown matches will be played either as No Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha.
Poker News Daily polled a number of big names in the world of poker and asked for their impressions of the Isildur1 signing.
Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, Founder of CardRunners: “I’m definitely excited to see Isildur1 back in the spotlight. As a poker fan, I’ve enjoyed watching him play and I’ll be on the rail when he starts playing again.”
Brian “BW07507” Wilbur, instructor at LeggoPoker: “I am really glad to see that Isildur1 will be playing again. I think he is great for poker and look forward to watch some of his matches with other high-stakes PokerStars players.”
“Verneer,” coach at CardRunners: “I am surprised to hear that Isildur1 signed with PokerStars since most of the elite heads-up players are all on Full Tilt. That said, I’m excited that we’ll be seeing more of the biggest high-stakes game catalyst online on a regular basis.”
Dusty “Leatherass9” Schmidt, member of Team PokerStars Pro Online: “It looks like the high-stakes action will be heating up on PokerStars! I can’t wait to sweat what will surely be some epic high-stakes matches.”
Jay Rosenkrantz, founder of DeucesCracked: “Seems like a good move for PokerStars, creating a bit of a distraction too amidst all these legislative happenings. Watching Isildur1 play nosebleeds was better entertainment than anything on television and if they can create that kind of spectacle again, I’m sure it will be a good thing for their business and for poker. The SuperStar Showdown matches seem really gimmicky. What grabbed people’s attention was the mass multi-tabling against Dwan, Ivey, Antonius, and the like, so they need to deliver something on that level. Otherwise, it’s just another new addition to Stars’ ever-growing young squad of pros.”
John “JimmyLegs” Wray, CardRunners coach: “It seems odd that they’d want him representing PokerStars considering their squeaky clean image and the ongoing battle to convince the world that poker is a legitimate game of skill. As fun as he is to watch, Isildur1 comes across as a turbo-bonkers degenerate gambler.”
Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, high-stakes tournament pro: “Reading his signing in the headlines caught me by surprise because we are so used to seeing people get signed after making their name and face known on television. With that said, the mystery behind Isildur1 and his uniqueness is a great thing to market and will create a great buzz for online poker.”
The SuperStar Showdown promotion page is up on the PokerStars website and states that the winner is the one who shows a profit after 2,500 hands or wins all of their opponent’s match bankroll. Anyone can challenge Isildur1 to a match, assuming they have the bankroll, by sending in an e-mail. The matches will be seen inside the cash game lobby under “Hold’em,” “No Limit/Pot Limit,” and “Showdown.”
The first match Isildur1 will have will take place on December 19th at 6:00pm ET against a challenger that has yet to be announced. According to PokerTableRatings.com, which tracks No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha games, Isildur1 is down $2.59 million since the site began following him. He was also the first person ever to lose a seven-figure pot, but also won a $1.1 million pot against Ivey just two days later.
Although he is down over $2.59 million lifetime, he is up $2.4 million playing No Limit Hold’em cash games. Isildur1’s identity remains confidential, with many believing that his true identity is Viktor Blom. His last session of note was back on October 6th, when he lost about $50,000.
