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Written by Stefan | Monday, April 12th, 2010
Only one day before the PartyPoker Big Game IV was scheduled to start, Swedish online poker sensation, Isildur1, has withdrawn from the event. The anonymous poker player had previously considered wearing a mask while playing to conceal his identity with the help of PartyPoker, but apparently the charade would be too much for Isildur1. Now reports are speculating that his appearance at the event was merely a publicity stunt, and he was never really even scheduled to attend.
Tony G, PartyPoker pro, said of Isildur1’s backing out of the event, “To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I have spent so much time talking to him and reassuring him recently, but he’s just not going to come.” The two players had a 50/50 staking deal going.
He went on to explain, “It has left a bad taste in my mouth. What you have to understand is that he reached out to me first and asked and then agreed to play. As far as I am concerned, I am washing my hands with him and moving on.”
The big cash game will go on as planned at 8:00 p.m. London time on Sunday at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair and will continue for 48 hours. Kara Scott, also with PartyPoker will serve as the floor reporter on the shifts that run from 7:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.
It was suggested by Tony G that “personal issues” were the reason Isildur1 had officially resigned to play and he reportedly told Tony G that the stakes of the Big Game IV were too low. Tony G said, “I know for a fact that he is soon taking his driving test.” Tony G has also confirmed that Isildur1 is from Sweden and under 21 years of age.
The mystery player is rumored to be Viktor “blom30” Blom, who really stirred things up in the 2009 WSOPE Main Event when he tangoed with high-stake royalty like Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Phil Ivey, and Brian Hastings. Last September, he appeared on the scene of high-stakes online poker under the surname “Isildur1.” By November he had profited $5 million, only to have a deficit of $2.8 million just three months later. While Isildur1 has taken $4.5 million just from Dwan, he’s given about the same amount to Hastings. So goes the saga of high-stakes online poker.
Though it was reported that Isildur1 had accepted the seat at the Big Game IV on March 30th, critics on TwoPlusTwo forum believe it was all just a hoax to begin with. A text message that Isildur1 sent to Tony G has some perplexed: “Sry for not coming, take care bud.” TwoPlusTwo user Gary LQ says, “This text message sounds totally fake to me. ‘Take care bud’ is a slang British phrase, most commonly used in the Southwest of England. I find it hard to believe it’s the sort of language a Swede would use.”
Those who will be in attendance include Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Isaac Haxtan, Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt, Neil Channing, and many others.
Matchroom Sport exec and organizer of the PartyPoker Big Game IV, Eddie Hearn, says “Obviously, it’s disappointing that Isildur1 couldn’t join us for the Big Game, but the show must go on. I spoke with him at length on Thursday night and the magnitude of the media interest surrounding his appearance is something he was struggling to come to terms with. It’s a shame, as we would have liked him to be part of the new music walk-ons and evictions that have been introduced to this series. I’m sure you will see him soon though, perhaps at a more low-key event that doesn’t reach such a vast global audience.”
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Written by Stefan · Filed Under news · |
