Jun
6
by Taylor Kent
This ship isn't sinking just yet.
When Phil Laak sat down on Wednesday to begin trying to break the Guinness world record for the longest continuous session of poker, his stated goal was to play for three days and eight hours. When he hit 80 hours, he decided he was going to try to continue going until 90 hours. Now that mark has come and gone, and Phil has officially surpassed the four-day mark by playing for 96 hours straight.
What can you do in four days? Professional baseball teams can play a full series against each other in four days. Folks with day job can complete 80% of their work weeks in four days. And a driver in an automobile can go from Los Angeles to New York and back again in four days. Now imagine doing any of those thigns without sleep - and you've got an idea of where Phil is right now.
When will he stop? Honestly, your guess is as good as ours. He says he's on a sinking ship, but it looks like the bilge pumps are keeping the boat afloat for the time being.
Jun
6
by Jake
Here's the footage of Phil Laak's ten second countdown to breaking the world record for longest poker session. You can read Phil's account of how he's feeling at hour 87, about 15 hours after this video was shot. Considering the mental strain he must be under he seems surprisingly lucid, if not a touch poetic.
You can also listen to an audio log from Phil that gives additional insight into how he's feeling and what he's thinking. Check it out here: Phil-Laak-Poker-Endurance-Audio-Log.m4a (923.26 kb)
As of this writing, Phil is still going strong at hour 96 - that's 24 hours beyond the previous Guinness World Record! You can follow him via live video stream as well as through his Twitter account.
Amazing job Phil, we're rooting for you!
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!
Jun
5
by Taylor Kent
Phil Laak, the new poker endurance world record holder
After keeping up with Phil’s exploits last night via the live stream, I dropped by Bellagio again this morning and didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the room. There’s no doubt that 72 hours is a long time to stay awake, much less to do something that requires the kind of concentration that playing poker does. Would I find Phil slumping and struggling to make it? Or would he be the same Phil Laak I talked to yesterday, pushing the limits of the human body while maintaining a mental orbit just slightly outside the zone the rest of us occupy?
Turns out it was the latter. Phil was very animated, standing up often and chatting with the table during the hands he was playing even more than he usually does. Part of that was because standing up makes it easier for him to fight off fatigue, as he explained to me yesterday, but part of it was surely because of the crowd gathered around the table in anticipation. Like many top poker pros, Phil draws energy from having an audience around him - and at this point energy was in short enough supply that having 20 or 30 people gathered in the small high-limit area of the Bellagio’s poker room was like having a critical recharge for a drained battery.
As the record time grew closer the sense of anticipation in the room was palpable. And when there were ten seconds remaining, the entire room began counting down. Phil’s sense of accomplishment was evident - he raised his arms in the air, fists clenched in a champion’s pose, and he had a huge grin plastered to his face. “There’s a new sicko in town!” he exclaimed as the official Guinness world record mark came and went, and the room broke into applause. The crowd that had gathered began snapping pictures, and the other players at the table pulled out their cell phones and began doing the same.
The record breaks - and the room celebrates
So, the record of 72 hours and 2 minutes has fallen. As for what the number attached to the new record will be, that’s still up in the air - Phil is still going strong with his 80-hour goal firmly in his sights.