Viktor Blom popularly known as "Isildur" is one of the biggest online high-stakes poker players of all time. He's known to play some of the most epic high-stakes poker hands against players like Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius and Tom Dwan. This is a poker documentary about Isildur1's incredible story and how Viktor Blom became one of the online poker legends.
Victor Blum was born on September 26, 1990, in Gothenburg, Sweden, as the youngest of four children with two older sisters and an elder brother named Sebastian. Victor and Sebastian started playing poker together when he was only 14 years old. Their game of choice was no-limit Texas Hold'em. Victor longed for more competition, so he taught his friends how to play. Soon his love of poker spread throughout his school, and many of his classmates were eager to play on school grounds to get their hands on some extra cash. One lunch period, in particular, 25 students gathered around to play. Although some of the students were older than Victor, he was easily able to defeat all of them before the period ended.
Victor decided to deposit some of the money he had won over the past year into an online poker site. At this point, Victor created an online poker screen named Blom 90, and within a few weeks of the game, he was consistently playing at $500 USD setting goes. After a couple of months of the game, Victor Blom's net worth was in excess of two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. At that time, he was barely 15. From this stage onwards, Victor became a professional poker player. It was at this time that he began playing high stakes and started exhibiting excessive gambling streaks. After winning the two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, he withdrew the entire amount and deposited it in one site. He took on hired by in cash games as well as sitting goes. Unfortunately for him, he lost all his money at one go.
He didn't give up, though. He began building his bankroll all over again and deposited three thousand dollars. At the same time, he started playing high by in setting goals and started making more winnings and increased his bankroll. Victor Blum built his bankroll to $250,000 and started playing $300 seven goes regularly. Unfortunately, he lost everything again. During this time, his schooling suffered, and he was often reprimanded for skipping classes after yet another all-night poker session. Eventually, he had to appeal to his parents for cash as he had blown his school maintenance grant. They agreed to help him as long as he quit poker, and they also wanted him to move. He eventually got them to agree that he didn't need to move home, and he wouldn't play poker anymore. This was a promise he simply couldn't keep. He knew that he could earn a living at poker; he just needed to work out how to do it.
His big breakthrough came when he decided to give poker one last go and strapped together $2,000 to play No Limit Hold'em cash games. After taking about a year off, Blum came back full force, reactivating his account at Party Poker. It only took him two days to multiply his deposit of two thousand dollars into over $200,000, and at the two-week mark, he had reached 1.7 million dollars in total profit. After those initial two weeks, though, he didn't have a lot of success, so he left to find a new site.
By now, which is early 2009, something of a buzz was beginning to circulate on the forums about the new player to the high stakes scene who went by the name Blum 90 on the iPoker Network. He seemed to be winning at an unprecedented rate, but nobody could understand why. The words "fish" and "a heater variety news" as many experienced players could detect huge fundamental leaks in Blum nineties play. What he lacked in fundamentals, however, he more than made up for with his intuitive understanding of game flow and spotting his opponent's weaknesses.
In 2010, Blom made headlines once again by winning over $1 million in a single day, playing against Isildur1 on Full Tilt Poker. However, he also experienced significant losses, including a $4.2 million loss to Brian Hastings in one session. Despite these setbacks, Blom continued to be a force in the online poker world, with his fearless and aggressive playing style earning him a reputation as one of the game's most exciting players.
In 2012, Blom joined PokerStars as a sponsored pro, becoming the face of the online poker giant. He continued to play at the highest stakes and participated in some of the biggest tournaments in the world. However, he also faced criticism for his lack of success in live tournaments, with many questioning whether his success was limited to the online world.
Despite these criticisms, Blom remains one of the most successful and influential players in online poker history. His aggressive and unpredictable playing style changed the way the game is played, and his impact on the world of poker is still felt to this day.
See more: The legends of online high stakes poker: Tom "durrr" Dwan, Online poker players during poker boom
FAQ
Q: Who is Victor "Isildur1" Blom?
A: Victor Blom is a professional poker player from Sweden who gained notoriety in the online high stakes poker scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Q: What made Isildur1 stand out in the online poker world?
A: Isildur1 was known for his fearless and aggressive playing style, which often resulted in him either winning big or losing big in a single session. He also had a mysterious identity, as he played under the screen name "Isildur1" and kept his real name and face hidden for a long time.
Q: What were some of Isildur1's most famous moments in online poker?
A: Isildur1 had several famous moments, including winning $6 million in just a few days in November 2009, losing $4.2 million to Brian Hastings in a single session in December 2009, and winning $1.2 million in a single hand against Tom "durrrr" Dwan in January 2010.
Q: Did Isildur1 ever reveal his true identity?
A: Yes, Isildur1's true identity was finally revealed in January 2011 when he signed with PokerStars as a sponsored pro. He was revealed to be Victor Blom, a relatively unknown Swedish player.
Q: How has Isildur1's career progressed since his early online poker days?
A: Isildur1 has continued to play poker both online and live, and has had some success in major tournaments. He won a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) event in 2017 for over $1 million, and has also had several deep runs in live events such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and European Poker Tour (EPT).
Q: What is Isildur1's legacy in the poker world?
A: Isildur1 is considered to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable players in the history of online poker. His aggressive playing style and willingness to take on any opponent made him a fan favorite and helped popularize high stakes online poker.
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