Jun
2
by Taylor Kent
Outside it’s a typical June day here in Las Vegas, with the sun beating down and the desert wind kicking up dust. Inside the crowded Bellagio poker room it’s business as usual as well, with one small exception - our man Phil Laak is trying to break the Guinness record for the longest individual poker playing endurance marathon in world history.
To put it lightly, this attempt is an extreme test of endurance. Phil’s going for 80 hours of poker, and he’s allotted just five minutes of break time for every consecutive hour of poker that he plays. That adds up to just 6 hours and 40 minutes of break time over the course of three and a half days. He can build them up and use them all together (e.g. he could take a 30-minute break after playing for six straight hours), and he can use the break time for anything he wants - using the bathroom, grabbing a meal, or even sleeping.
However, there are some limitations - for instance, he can’t build up a bunch of break time and then tack it on at the end as part of the marathon record. Every accounted minute of the record attempt has to be spent at the poker table. The good news is that the use of those break minutes is at his discretion - which means there will be some strategic issues to consider. Is it better to take frequent, short breaks to stay fresh? Or is the best method to grind out a long string of hours and then catch a few Z’s?
Phil got his world record attempt started at 12:04pm PT today. If he can make it to the end, he should break the record around 7pm PT on Saturday evening. He’s playing full-ring $10/$20 no-limit hold’em with a table full of grinders, and just an hour in there were already a few interested observers hanging around. And the players hanging around the periphery of the Bellagio poker room waiting on games are talking about him - they don’t all seem to know exactly what this whole thing is all about, but they definitely know who Phil is and they know he’s up to something special, since there are cameras recording his every move to document the attempt for Guinness.
It’s far from a guarantee that he’ll break the record - but if anybody’s got this kind of feat in them, it’s Phil Laak. Whether he makes it or not, I’ll be checking in on him the entire way, so make sure to keep an eye on this blog for more updates from the Bellagio. And be sure to check out Phil's Twitter feed, as well as the live stream that's following his every move.
May
31
by Jake
As we mentioned earlier, Unabomber Poker is sending three poker players to Las Vegas for the chance to take on Phil Laak in a heads-up cash game while he attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest poker session.
Congratulations to Gytis Bernatavicius who Unabomber Poker will be flying in to Vegas from his home in Lithuania. Gytis will be staying at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino where Phil’s poker endurance contest is taking place.
Good luck at the poker table in Vegas Gytis.
Phil starts his record breaking attempt this Wednesday at noon local time. Stay tuned to the Unabomber Poker Blog for regular updates.
May
28
by Jake
We have our first winner in our contest to send three people to Vegas to stay at the Bellagio and take on a sleepy Phil Laak.
Unabomber Poker is sending three people to Vegas for chance to play in a cash game against Phil Laak as he attempts to break the Guinness World Record for longest poker session ever played. The first winner has just been picked. Congratulations to Unabomber Poker player Daryl Waite!
Daryl will be flown down to Vegas and provided with a room at the Bellagio as he gets to take a crack at some heads up cash game action with Phil Laak in his sleep deprived state.
Daryl won the writing portion of the contest with a jaunty little poem he wrote. His winning poem is posted below.
Hello there Phil, my name is Waite.
It sounds to me like this challenge will be great.
Here is why in your semi-conscious state
you will remember me as your finest table mate.
While breaking the record will be a huge beat,
your heads up play I will mightily defeat.
I will pour you some coffee to keep you awake
while you call your backers and ask for a stake.
80 hours is more than three days,
so you'll have plenty of time to count all the ways
to re-build your roll after sitting with me
when I tear you apart for being so nit-tee.
You may not recall but we've played once before,
last year in Shelton, a town near the shore.
I outplayed you then and I will once again,
but it's not my main goal to cause you great pain.
The good news for you is the record you'll slash,
and once it's all done and I have all your cash,
and I'm out at the clubs with my friends enjoying some booze
you'll have plenty of time for a much needed snooze.
So I look forward to our match as I'm sure you do too.
Nothing short of a new record for the big book will do.
Jen will be so proud of her man for his feat,
and with my new winnings I'll buy a World Series seat.
Dec
14
by Chad Holloway
As some of you may know, I write Fantasy Poker articles for Poker Pro Magazine and the European publication, Online Poke Pro. This has been a great experience and has allowed me to contribute to one of poker’s highest quality magazines. Another benefit from this experience is that my editor and fellow University of Wisconsin Alum, Johnny “Quads” Wenzel, informs me of some great opportunities in the poker world. Most recent he told me of an upcoming online tournament they are holding for a great cause, to honor the armed services. Not only that, the winner of the freeroll tournament will win a seat to the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event plus $2,000 for expenses. I’m looking forward to that and to learn more you can always pick-up a copy of Poker Pro Magazine (plus you’ll get to read some of my articles on Fantasy Poker).
In other poker news, I’ve decided to grind it out at some low stakes Sit & Gos here on UnaBomber. I’m usually playing some sort of ring games, but after scrolling through the lobby, I noticed UnaBomber offers some pretty decent Sit & Go options. My plan is to just grind those out for awhile and see how I do. I’m actually having a good time playing the “Double or nothing” tournaments. I’ve decided to avoid Pot Limit Omaha unless it’s the micro stakes, because it seems no matter what I do, I can’t beat that game.
My other poker plans include a trip to New Orleans in February. I’m going to visit some old friends and live it up at Mardi Gras, but I’m looking forward to putting a session or two in at the poker room in Harrah’s. I used to play there almost every day when I lived in NOLA, and I loved it. It’s a great room and it’s right off Bourbon Street. The 2009 WSOP Winter Bayou Poker Challenge is going on right now and I hate to miss it. Just the same, I can sit home all day playing online poker and avoid the 5 degree weather here in Wisconsin.
I’ll also be glued to the internet checking updates on the WPT Doyle Brunson Classic. I know the Unabomber himself will be playing, so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed. Speaking of Mr. Laak, he seems to be addicted to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. I can’t say that I blame him. I’m not the video gamer I used to be (thanks to internet poker) but even I can’t put down C.O.D.2. It is by far the best first-person shooter I have ever played and it is so much fun. You might see me on X-Box live playing under “Hollowayism.” If I’m not there check UnaBomber and I’ll probably be playing under the screenname “LuckBox07.”