3 of the Biggest Cash Pots in Online Poker History

Since the poker boom that started in 2003 the game, and the way it is played, has changed dramatically. Some of the most decorated stars in the game such as 13-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth have been forced to adapt and reinvent their tactics amid the influx of new and exciting talent. The modern game is awash with poker pros raised on an internet diet of fast hands and advanced play, where the pre-flop minimum raise is now standard rather than seen as a donk move. It is only natural that this new generation that like their poker hard and fast have accumulated some impressively high pots in their time. Here, we take a look at three of the biggest pots in online poker history.

Players: Isildur1 v Patrik Antonius

Pot Total: $1,360,000

How it Happened:

In a busy week of poker history, the world record for largest online pot was broken again and again. Indeed, this was not the first time revered professional Patrik Antonius and online legend Isildur1 – or Viktor Blom as he’s known among the day walkers – had broken the record in their intense series of online heads-up encounters.

The game was Omaha and the pre-flop action saw the pot escalate to just over $160,000 before delivering a 4-5-2 rainbow flop. Antonius flopped the low straight with his A-3-K-K whilst Isildur1 had a big wrap with his 6-7-8-9. Antonius led out for $91,000 and Isildur1 re-raised to $435,000. By the time Antonius shoved, Isildur1 was already pot-committed and called as a marginal underdog. A 5 on the turn didn’t help, in fact giving Antonius a draw to the nut flush killing some of Isildur1’s outs, and as a blank river fell the Finn scooped the whole lot.

Players: Trex313 v Patatino

Pot Total: $610,000

How it Happened:

You may not have heard of this pair of online high stakes gamblers but they briefly held the record for largest online cash game pot ever. Also at the table were online legend Phil ‘OMGClayAiken’ Galfond and Tow ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, but they took a back seat for this $610,000 ride – and the hands in question were really not that special.

It was actually OMGClayAiken that took the early betting lead, raising to $5,000 pre-flop and then leading out for $9,200 on the flop after Hac ‘Trex313’ Dang and Patatino called his original raise. From here, Patatino (rumoured to be Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté) re-raised to $35,000 and Trex313 went on to make it $88,000 at which point OMGClayAiken called it a day. Patatino then went all in and Trex313 called on a T♦ 6♦ 8♣ flop. You could be mistaken for assuming it was a case of set over set, but the actual hands were far inferior. Patatino was holding Q♦ 2♦ for a queen-high flush draw, but remarkably that was enough to make him a firm favourite. Trex313’s J♦ 9♦ left him with just an up and down straight draw, his flush draw now irrelevant. The turn was an offsuit 2, and river was a blank leaving Patatino to net well over half a million dollars in a single pot with bottom pair.

Players: Urindanger v Durrrr

Pot Total: $723,000

How it Happened:

Nowadays most poker enthusiast are familiar with Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan. His unique style, not just his hyper-aggressive play but his general persona and freaky stare down technique, is certainly enough to create a lasting memory. He is never afraid of calling down an opponent lightly if he believes he is in the lead – just take a look at this call with 9-high to see what we mean. Naturally, this has led to Durrrr being involved in some monster pots over the years, and when he locked horns with Di ‘Urindanger’ Dang he entered an unforgettable hand.

In contrast to Durrrr’s maniac style, the hand more or less played itself out. After some pre-flop flirting that saw the pot total $90,000, the rather innocuous-looking 5-9-4 flop quickly saw both players shoving all of their chips onto the green felt. Durrrr showed K-K but ones suspects he may have already known what was awaiting him as his opponent flipped the pocket rockets. The turn and river offered no change to this cooler and Urindanger’s aces earned him nearly three quarters of a million dollars.