Jun
6
by Taylor Kent
It's now overtime at Bellagio.
On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, Phil Laak sat down at a $10/$20 No-Limit Hold'em table at the Bellagio poker room in Las Vegas. His goal was to set a new world record for the longest individual poker playing endurance marathon in history, and then to pass that number by continuing to play for 80 hours - and now, 83 hours in, his session is officially in overtime and there's no sign of him stopping.
A proud Jennifer Tilly congratulates Phil on setting a new world record.
Phil's girlfriend Jennifer Tilly was on hand for the record-breaking moment. The former WSOP ladies' event champion's happiness and pride in Phil's accomplishment were evident as she held him close and the two smiled warmly for the cameras.
Joy Miller of BluffMagazine.com interviews Phil right after he breaks the record.
All sorts of poker media were on hand to capture the moment and interview the man of the hour. Card Player, PokerNews and Bluff were all there to document poker history, as were numerous photographers and videographers.
Old friends celebrate a unique accomplishment.
While Phil played he was joined by a number of notable poker pros, including Scotty Nguyen, Andrew Robl, and his good friend Antonio Esfandiari. It was Antonio who helped to turn the session profitable just before Phil passed Paul Zimbler's unofficial world record time of 78 hours and 45 minutes, when he lost some $20,000 in a single pot by running into Phil's pocket aces.
A toast.
Phil continued to play while doing his interviews, but once they were complete the entire table paused to raise a glass of champagne and toast this unique moment in poker. Then Phil got right back down to the task at hand: thoroughly crushing the previous record by shooting for a new mark of 90 hours. He continues to post on Twitter, and the live stream is still running as well, so you can follow him and see just how far into overtime he can go.
Congratulations, Phil!