Jun
7
by Jake
After 115 hours of playing poker, Phil Laak has finally decided to take a nap.
With the Guinness World Record for longest poker session neatly tucked under his arm 43 hours ago, Phil Laak finally went to bed with a new world record of 115 hours! He even finished $6,766 in the black, half of which will go to the charity he was raising money for, Camp Sunshine.
Fans and supporters might be interested to know that Phil’s poker room, Unabomber Poker, is currently offering all new depositors the opportunity to get custom hoodies signed by Phil. All players need to do is open an account and earn 2,500 frequent player points within 30 days.
It was a wild ride for Phil and everyone who was there cheering him on. You can review the story of how he did through blog posts here on the Unabomber Poker Blog, on his Twitter feed as well as the Phil Laak Guinness World Record Image Gallery.
You can even watch the last hour or so of Phil before he hits 115 hours. Check it out below:
Thanks to everyone who was out there rooting for Phil. He’s probably dreaming of you all right now.
Jun
7
by Taylor Kent
100 hours and counting - Phil is still going strong.
First it was 80 hours, then 90 hours - and now our man Phil Laak has crossed the 100-hour mark in his record-shattering poker session at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Once again a crowd was gathered for another milestone moment, and again they counted down the last 10 seconds. ESPN's cameras rolled as Phil stood up on his chair ("The only time you can stand on your chair in a casino," he told the assembled poker fans) and lifted his arms as he celebrated the first triple-digit hour of this attempt. "200 hours, Phil!" shouted one fan, and everyone in the room laughed. "Don't encourage him," Jennifer Tilly said with a smile. There was no champagne toast this time around, but it's probably better that way - the less Phil does anything to slow himself down, the further he can push this record.
Logic says that Phil will eventually have to call an end to the session and finalize his world record, but at this point there's no way of knowing how long it will be. In the meantime, we watch and wait. As usual, the best way to keep up with Phil is to check out the live stream coming from Bellagio, or to follow him on Twitter.
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!