You Don't Know Swings

Isildur, the recent arrival on the highstakes poker scene (besides the fact that he's from Sweden, nobody seems to know anything about him -- not even his real name) lost 4.2 million dollars in a heads up session with Brian Hastings this evening.

Since he arrived on the scene, or more specifically since he took about $5 million off Durrrr and then redistributed it amongst other high stakes player, it's been almost impossible to follow the high stakes action. Just too much of it. The thread at 2+2 that posts HH's (amidst totally inane comments and petty bickering between posters) can have 1000 new posts within a few hours. I love that thread, but I can't give it that kind of time. So mainly now I only indulge the poker fanboy in me by checking the 'last 24 hours' results at highstakesdb once or twice a day.

http://www.highstakesdb.com/live-results.aspx

Most people who make the list tend to be up or down five figures, but the true degen's come up with some sick numbers. Today I checked it in the afternoon and Isildur was up about $1,000,000. Checked later tonight, and he's down over $3,000,000. I don't know what he's worth, but I'm fairly confident that represents a majority of it.

It's hard to understand how people who are so great at poker are still willing to put themselves in spots where a bad run of luck can wipe them out. In one fucking session! I know people will say you have to have that gamble in you to be among the greats, but that's just not true. You gotta have some gamble, of course, but you can have common sense too.

The poker internerds are predictably going nuts for Isildur. Like they think the fact he has lost all the money he took off Durrrr (and then some) somehow increases his poker greatness. What a moronic thing to think.