5 Biggest Cash Game Pots In Online Poker History

Poker tournament players often find themselves in the limelight and hogging the headlines due to the very nature of the game. Tournaments crown a champion, the last player standing who usually turns a small investment into a much larger sum. While that is true, cash is king when it comes to making regular money from poker despite cash game players often flying under the radar.

Massive cash game pots are won and lost every day in casinos around the world, but these tend to go unnoticed as live high stakes games are often private. Online poker, however, is a different story as you can watch the action unfold in front of you.

There was a golden spell in the online poker world during 2009 that saw some ridiculous hands take place. A then-unknown player called “Isildur1”, who we now know to be Viktor Blom of Sweden, appeared from apparently nowhere and took on some of the world’s elite players at nosebleed stakes at Full Tilt Poker, now owned by PokerStars.

Five of the biggest cash game pots in online poker history involved Blom and all were played on heads-up pot-limit Omaha tables with blinds of $500/$1,000. Here is how those massive hands went down.

Patrick Antonius vs Viktor “Isildur1” Blom – $1,356,947

The biggest ever online poker cash game pot weighed it at an incredible $1,356,947 and it went to Finnish superstar Patrik Antonius. At the start of the hand, Blom had a stack of $678,473 with Antonius was sat with $1,259,450.

Blom was on the button and raised to $3,000 holding 9s-8h-7d-6d. Antonius responded with a three-bet to $9,000 holding Ah-Kh-Ks-3s. Blom four-bet to $27,000 and then called when Antonius five-bet to $81,000.

With $162,000 already in the pot, the flop fell 4s-5c-2h, gifting Antonius a straight. Antonius fired a bet of $91,000 only to see Blom raise to $435,000 leaving himself a shade under $163,000 behind. Antonius raised to $870,000 and Blom called off the remainder of his stack to create the huge $1,356,947 pot.

Antonius was a very slight 54.63% to 45.37% favorite to win the monster-sized pot, odds that increased to 77.50% on the arrival of the 5h turn because the Finn now had the nut flush draw in his arsenal, taking away some of Blom’s precious outs. The river was the 9c and the pot slid to Antonius, stacking Blom and sending railbirds wild.

Phil Ivey vs Viktor “Isildur1” Blom – $1,127,955

Blom was involved in another seven-figure pot two days after breaking the record. Again, it was on a $500/$1,000 PLO heads-up table, although this time the Swede had locked horns with the legendary Phil Ivey.

Ivey started the hand with $563,977 and Blom $638.457. Ivey opened with a raise to $3,000, Blom put in a raise to $9,000 before calling Ivey’s four-bet to $27,000. Both players checked the arrival of the Js-Ks-Jd flop. Ivey then led for $41,000 into the $54,000 pot when the Td landed on the turn. Blom raised to $177,000 and was called.

The river was the 5d and Ivey checked again. Blom bet $408,000 and Ivey called off his remaining $359,977 only to muck his hand when Blom turned over Kd-Kc-5h-4d for a flopped full house.

Patrick Antonius vs Viktor “Isildur1” Blom – $878,959

Antonius and Blom clashed a week before the biggest cash game pot of all time in a hand that saw the Finn scoop $878,959.

The hand started with a raise to $3,000 from Blom and a call from his opponent. Antonius checked the 5h-7h-Qs flop and Blom made a continuation bet of $5,000. Antonius check-raised to $21,000 and Blom put in the calling chips.

Antonius led for $48,000 on the Ad turn, Blom made it $192,000 to go and Antonius jammed all in for $416,479. Blom called and turned over As-Ks-Qd-Th for top two pair, with Antonius revealing Ah-Qc-9s-6h for top two pair, an inside straight draw and a flush draw, making him a narrow favorite as the most likely result (62.5% chance) was a split pot. That did not happen because the river was the 8d, completing Antonius’ straight. Ouch.

Phil Ivey vs Viktor “Isildur1” Blom – $832,940

The fourth biggest online cash game pot involved Ivey and Blom and weighed in at $832,940. It was a classic middle set versus flush draw scenario that saw $54,000 in the middle of the table before the Ac-6c-4d flop was dealt.

Ivey checked the flop, Blom fired a $42,000 bet, Ivey made it $180,000 to go and then called when Blom moved all in for $389,470. Blom showed 6h-6d-3s-3h for a set of sixes, with Ivey turning over As-Qc-7s-3c for top pair and a flush draw.

The turn was a blank but the river was the king of clubs, completing Ivey’s flush and awarding him another huge pot.

Phil Ivey vs Viktor “Isildur1” Blom – $827,960

Ivey may have seen that last pot as sweet revenge for this hand, the fifth biggest in online history, as it happened 90-minutes before.

Ivey raised to $3,000 and called when Blom three-bet to $9,000. Blom continued for $15,000 on the 9s-2h-6s flop and Ivey opted to call. All the chips went into the middle on the 8d turn. Blom started it with a $42,000 bet that was raised to $157,000 by Ivey. Blom pushed his $389,980 stack into the middle and Ivey called.

It was Tc-8c-7s-3s for Ivey that had improved to a straight with a flush draw, and Qh-Jh-Td-9c for Blom for nothing but top pair with an inside straight draw, giving him exactly 20% equity in the hand. Amazingly, the 7c landed on the turn to give Blom a better straight and an $827,960 pot.

Matthew Pitt

If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.

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