Jun
20
by Phil
Since the Enduro Challenge that I put myself thru I have noticed a great many changes in myself. All positive. All amazingly positive.
Before the enduro challenge if I ever gave advice to a friend it would be for them to go to Scandinavia (specifically Denmark and Sweden), South America (specifically Brazil), or to Asia (specifically Viet Nam, and Laos). But now things are different. Now I have lived life after the enduro challenge and I see that it is better than I had it before. So now my new advice would be to stay awake for 100 hours or so. Just do it. Trust me. You will be the better for it.
It crushes whatever you might get out of traveling to exotic and interesting different travel destinations.
Being awake for 4 days and 19 hrs straight was interesting in of itself but it is nothing compared to the experiences that I have had since.
From the outset I did my best to approach this whole thing as a Man of Science. Out of the gate I was happy to be my own human guinea pig in my own little experiment. But I never expected such a remarkable difference in my day to day living post challenge. What I expected was this. Become massively tired on my way to beating the record, beat the record, go a little bit more, then go to sleep, and wake up refreshed sometime later and return to my life as usual.
But what happened was so much different. First of all, I never anticipated feeling so strong at 80 hours, and clicking along for as long as I did, and secondly I never expected to feel so awesome in the weeks to follow.
Since the moment I woke from the challenge and straight thru to this very moment here is how things have been different for me.
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Confidence - Higher than ever, and does not seem to be waning
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General Love for Mankind, the Universe and all things... - Higher than ever before.
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My Poker Game - Improved (and I believe greatly!) I have won 7 of the last 8 sessions. I feel as if another door of the matrix has opened... I am seeing way more than I saw before. It is hummingly trippy on so many levels. I am fairly sure that this version of me would have huge edge over the version of me that was playing a mere month ago.
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Empathy Levels - Super high. While on the 'life cycle' at the gym this week I was watching a show about the life and times of "Pink" the singer/song writer. Pink shared a sad moment and it really hit me. I started to cry. I was sad so I cried. I didn't catch myself and remind myself that I was at the gym nor did I see this as something to be embarrassed about. I was sad so I cried. It was simple. Part way thru my cry I realized that this was for sure a new behavior for me. I don't recall ever crying in a public place (movie theater's, funeral's and wedding's excluded). And certainly not at the gym watching a TV show on the life cycle. In the past if I was crying I was most likely alone or with at most one person.
10 or so seconds into the cry I found myself happy that I was not finding it at all embarrassing. The 'old' Phil would have his directionals on and not let this happen at the gym, at home maybe, but not at the gym. But here I was: I did not care one iota that I was on a life cycle machine at the gym crying. I felt like I had taken a step closer to being self-actualized and it felt wonderful.
On the same thought thread.... I saw Karate Kid this week (the new one). There were many moments designed to evoke emotion. And I let myself get swept away in each and every one. I must have teared up or cried 4 or 5 times in that flick. From experience I think a movie like that might have got at most one or two moments of 'tears' from me. But the 'new' Phil was emotional then the old one and found himself crying at the very moments the director would have hoped for.
The newer and more sensitive Phil that I have been living with is, I believe, a better Phil. I love this guy. I want to hug him. So score one up in the sensitivity department as I have more of it.
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Patience for stuff - Off the charts. Never mind the poker stuff. It goes without saying that patience can really help a guy in a tough cash game, but that is not what I am talking about. Just regular stuff. My patience now seems to be infinite. It feels super human, and I love it.
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Athletics - Crazy improvement. I am hungry for the gym. When I get there, I can't seem to get enough. I have been playing Michael Binger in racquet ball for about 2 years now and have never beaten him. The most points I think I ever got against him was 7 or 8 points. But this week I felt like that was going to change, and it did. The last three games went....
15 - 11 him
15 - 13 him
15 - 12 ME!!! I did it, I finally cracked it. I went from never having a shot against this machine to finally doing it! Amazing.
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Happiness - I know it has only been two weeks, but for sure I have been happier overall. I was always fairly good about this. After all, it is not that hard. Happiness is a choice after all. However, that being said, something extra has found its way into my life. Hard to put my finger on it, but it is real, and I am living it. I only hope that it keeps on ticking well beyond just these two weeks.
A distinctly powerful and solid feeling of happiness and well being has enveloped me since the challenge, and it feels great!
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My over all passion for everything - For sure has increased.
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I can only hope that whatever changed in me stays with me forever. I have had some crazy lucky turns in my life, but this really takes the cake.
Phil Laak
The Happiest Degen to Have Ever Lived!
b37b174e-26cc-422c-ac77-938fb3c38339|41|5.0
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Jun
15
by Taylor Kent
It’s been better than a week now since our man Phil Laak broke the world record for the longest continuous poker session. Phil’s record may not stand up forever, but memories of his mammoth marathon session are certain to live on for many years with two poker players in particular: Darrel and Gytis, the two men who won contests to travel to Bellagio and take part in Phil’s record attempt.
Both Darrel and Gytis stayed at Bellagio and got the opportunity to play in the game with Phil. Darrel, from Washington, wrote a poem to become the first contest winner - you can check it out here. He had actually played with Phil one time before - a fact he referenced in his contest-winning verse - so he was comfortable at the table with the man of the hour.
Phil and Darrel at Bellagio during Phil's record-breaking session
Meanwhile Gytis, from Lithuania, won an 18-man freeroll tournament for the biggest trip of his life. The 26-hour journey from Vilnius to Las Vegas gave him his first opportunity to visit the United States, which would have been exciting enough on its own. But it also turns out that Phil is one of his favorite poker players.
“I like his style, how he plays and how he entertains the table,” Gytis said of Phil. “It’s fun to watch. He’s entertaining at every table on High Stakes Poker, Poker after Dark and the National Heads-Up Championship.”
Gytis and Phil at the 34-hour mark.
He said his time at the tables with Phil was “the most epic moment of my trip.” Normally Gytis plays $1/$2 no-limit hold’em, so Phil agreed to stake him for 90% so that he would be able to play as if it were his normal game. “In a $1/$2 game you play ABC, but unfortunately it was much harder to beat those regulars with huge chip towers who make fancy plays. But it felt amazing sitting there next to Phil all the cameras pointed at me and playing the highest stakes in my life. It was an awesome experience.”
Just as impressive as the Bellagio experience was the city of Las Vegas itself. “Vegas is awesome,” Gytis told me. “You see it on TV, in videos, but you have to be here yourself. When the plane was landing it was nighttime and I saw all the lights, it was so crazy! And then I went out of the airport, and the air - you feel so alive. You have to come here to feel it.”
Between the spectacle of the city, the atmosphere at Bellagio and historic moments at the table with Phil Laak, it’s a sure bet that neither Gytis nor Darrel will forget their time in Las Vegas during Phil’s record-breaking session.
Jun
15
by Chad Holloway
Congratulations to Phil Laak for demolishing the poker endurance world record. I actually had the opportunity to stop in and see the record-breaking attempt at around Hour 40. Laak looked strong and sociable, with no sign of slowing down. The set up was also pretty cool. There were cameras broadcasting everything live. The whole poker room at the Bellagio had a strange vibe, like everyone was there rooting for Phil; in fact, I heard there were a number of players in the cash game who tried staying up right alongside Phil. What he accomplished is simply amazing and I can only imagine how well he slept once he hit his bed. Now that it’s done, I look forward to seeing Phil in action at the World Series of Poker.
Speaking of the WSOP, it has been hectic. As you know, I am working as a blogger/field reporter for PokerNews. This means incredibly long hours, but it is a blast. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan made a final table last week and the buzz around the Rio was electric. Dwan had so many bracelet bets with some of poker’s biggest names (I.e. Negreanu, Matusow, Brunson, etc.) and stood to win millions if he took down a bracelet. Players were eliminated one by one from the final table, yet Dwan remained. He got heads-up against Jason Dewitt, but he couldn’t seal the deal. Many in the poker community breathed a collective sigh of relief when Dwan was eliminated. It wasn’t that they didn’t want him to win a bracelet, they just didn’t want him to win one this year. Regardless, the atmosphere in the Rio that night was awesome.
In other WSOP news, a number of notables have won bracelets thus far. For example, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi captured the $50,000 Player’s Championship; Praz Bansi won a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event; Men “The Master” Nguyen won his seventh bracelet by taking down the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship; and Matt Matros won his first bracelet by winning the $1,500 Limit Hold’em event. Numerous big name pros have been making final tables, so it’ll be interesting to see who ends up with a bracelet in the coming weeks.
In Fantasy Poker news, I am currently in sixth place in the 2010 ESPN Fantasy League. For those of you who don’t know about this league, check out Andrew Feldman’s ESPN article at http://espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/5215225/espn-fifth-annual-fantasy-poker-draft. Not too shabby considering it’s my first year, but a few in the pack seem to be pulling away. I’m going to need a strong showing from my team if I’m going to compete. Here are the standings after the first 20 events:
Lederer: 257
Bradley: 176
Seif: 164
Negreanu: 149
Smith: 103
Holloway: 95
Wise: 76
Feldman: 66
Lee: 36
Phillips: 20
Baldwin : 15
Chops: 7
That’s it for now. I have to get back to covering the $1,000 Event. I plan on blogging as often as possible from the series, so check back soon. Also, if you’re interested in hearing about a specific event, player, etc. at the WSOP, let me know by leaving a comment and I will try to mention something about it in the next blog.
Jun
14
by Phil
Some Random Stuff:
A lot of people asked me how much did I sleep when it was all over. The answer is this. I got home, laid down to bed, and a few minutes later I was out! I slept for a bit and woke up thirsty. Thinking it had been about 2 hrs or so I went to the kitchen for something to drink and planned on getting back to bed as I still felt a bit tired. Only very thirsty! I was amazed to learn that my first bit of sleep was a hard 12 hours.
Knowing that my body probably needed more rest I went back to bed. 4 hours later I woke again. This time it felt like 4 hours. I then puttered about the house a bit, taking a 2 hr nap sometime later.
The next day I went to play some racquetball. On the way to the courts I began to think that I was going to play amazing, make lots of ace shots and finally beat my opponent (who I have yet to beat). For some reason I felt unstoppable. We had a lot of fun. It was great to get my blood moving around again. But alas, I still lost every game we played. Apparently playing that super demon sesh of poker did not increase my skills at the courts. Ho humm.
Another question I have been getting a lot is this. How did the session go, did you win? or lose?
I took a lot of notes during that sesh and one thing I paid particularly close attention to was the hourly updates on my stack. Here are the key highlights!
Hour 0 0 (Bought in for 4,000) (In 4,000)
Hour 37 -4000 (Felted for 4000) (Reload for 800) (In 4,800)
Hour 38.5 -4,800 (Felted for 800) (Reload for 800) (In 5,600)
Hour 39 -5,600 (Felted for 800) (Reload for 4,400) (In 10,000)
Hour 40 -10,000 (Felted for 4,400) (Reload for 90,000) (In 100,000)
Hour 58 +13,200
Hour 78 -17,500
Hour 79 +5,500
Hour 115 +6,766
After the first 51 hours of play Phil was ahead in only 6 of those hours.
Between hour 40 and hour 58 Phil won $23,200.
Between hour 58 and hour 78 Phil lost $30,700.
Phil averaged $58.83 per hour of play. (He won about 3 bb/hr)
Of the $6,766 he won half was donated to CampSunshine.Org.
If you would like to make a $10 donation text 'Sunshine' to #20222.
That is a whole lot of swings for a 10 20 game.. but to be fair we had the straddle on for about 40 of the 115 hours and there were a lot of big stacks playing over that time period.
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Since the record I have been thirsting for poker like never before. I told my girl for the rest of the series I planned on only a few things. Sleep, gym, and poker. I have played two sessions since the Challenge and they both went amazing. I have been on point, making very good reads (called a guy for 10,000 with just a pair of 10s on the river in a 25 50 game, and made a 3rd pair call for 6k in same game). And have been winning lots.
The first session was 9 hours all together. 2 hours at 10 20 nlh, and 7 hours at 25 50 (100 ante on the bb). I won $9,210, and $23,400 respectively.
The second session was 36 hours all together. 2.5 hours at 10 20 nlh, and 33.5 hours at 25 50 (100 ante on the bb). I lost $740 in the 10/20 and won $26,400 in the 25/25 game.
I felt great the whole time for both sessions. Since the Challenge my passion for playing my A game has been off the charts. I never planned for the 2nd session to go for so long, but the game went from avg to amazing and I planned on playing till it dried up a bit. I got a bit tired from time to time, but it was amazingly nice to be able to doze off between hands and be jostled back to being awake.
During the 115 hr enduro challenge I was not allowed to doze off and get jostled back to 'awakeness' by anyone. So it was rather nice to let myself slip from time to time at the table during that recent (longish) cash session.
I have not been to the rio yet this year. I think I will play the event that starts tomorrow (today) at noon. It is a 2,500 six max nlh event. My brain is especially addicted to playing well right now so I am going to give the tournament thing a spin. Though I just can't seem to stop myself from playing the nlh cash games at the Bellagio. Considering that I woke about 4 hours ago, I think that I will just go to the Bellagio now, and then from there at 1130 or so go to the Rio.
What else. Not much. Guess that's it for now.
Later boys and girls!
Phil Laak
Degen for Life
ed8c264e-a330-4268-bd1c-5e69910b5a1b|21|4.8
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