♠️ Frozen

Hi grinders,

In this week's newsletter, we cover the action at EPT Cyprus, celebrate Maria Konnikova's first WSOP bracelet, and revisit the nail-biting moment from Patrick Antonius' biggest-ever online pot.

THE HEADLINES

• Businessman. Belarusian entrepreneur Mikalai Vaskaboinikau took the title and $601,397 after triumphing in the EPT Cyprus $50,000 High Roller event. Earlier this year Vaskaboinikau won the Triton Montenegro Main Event for $4.7 million.

• EPT Champ. German pro Oliver Weis won the EPT Cyprus Main Event, earning $1,030,000. This marks his second EPT trophy of the year, following his victory in the EPT Paris €10,300 High Roller, where he took home €970,200.

• Bracelet! Author and poker pro Maria Konnikova claimed her first WSOP gold bracelet after winning the $888 buy-in online event for $68,477. 

THE STORY

Patrick Antonius is a true legend in the poker world. His longevity and consistent success at the highest-stakes cash games, both live and online, place him among the elite few in the game’s top echelon.

In a Finnish documentary series called Last Call, Antonius shared a now-humorous story about the biggest online pot he ever played. His opponent was none other than Viktor Blom, also known as Isildur1.

The hand occurred on Antonius' most profitable day online—a day where he finished $3 million richer than he had started.

Now, on to the hand. 

The game was Pot Limit Omaha, of course. The blinds - $500/$1,000. Both players were sitting with over $650,000 each.

The action escalated quickly, leading to a 5-bet preflop with over $160,000 already in the pot when the players got to the flop which came down 5♣ 4♠ 2♥. Antonius, holding the second-nut straight, cbet for $91,000.

Isildur1 responded with a raise to $435,000, effectively putting himself all-in, with just over $162,000 left behind. Antonius called, and the massive $1.3 million pot was up for grabs. 

But just as the chips were about to fly, Antonius' computer froze. All he could see was the flop—in a $1.3 million hand.

“My computer froze for like 10 seconds. Which had never happened before,” Antonius recalled.

When his computer reconnected to the Full Tilt Poker software, he saw both the turn and the river at the same time. 

Antonius held A♥ 3♠ K♠ K♥, giving him a straight on the 5♣ 4♠ 2♥ board, while Blom had 6♦ 7♦ 8♥ 9♠. The turn was another 5♥, and the river brought the 9♣.

“When I saw Isildur1's hand, I thought I had lost the pot,” said Antonius.

To his relief, the pot was pushed his way, cementing one of the most memorable moments of his online poker career and adding to the legend of his $3 million winning day. But not without a sweat.

STRATEGY CORNER

For this week's strategy corner, we’re revisiting a Q&A session with none other than Phil Galfond, focusing specifically on emotional control at the poker table.

One piece of advice from Phil that stuck with me—and that I've applied in my own play—is to be mindful of the emotions I'm experiencing, whether it's frustration, entitlement, or even fear.

For example: “I lost 2 big flips in a row. I feel sad and frustrated.”

What has truly helped me handle frustrating situations at the tables is not just acknowledging the emotions but also providing an objective context to them. This can be done by asking yourself questions like:

• Does it matter?

• Is what I'm feeling objectively true?

• Should this affect my overall strategy? 

In a lot of instances, this will help you bring rational thinking back into play. 

But I'm curious - what has helped you deal with negative emotions during your sessions?

ICYMI

This week, we're going to review the hands that we played in our Home Game sessions. Tune in on Wednesday at 9PM ET to take part!