PokerNews Exclusive: Isildur1 Speaks About Playing The Big Games on Full Tilt Poker
Yesterday we exclusively brought you the first-ever interview with international mystery man "Isildur1" where he discussed his $4.2 million losing session with Brian Hastings. Today we reconvened to talk about why he played so high, his thoughts on some of the opponents, and more.
Tell us about when you first decided to play at Full Tilt, and what you were playing prior to getting involved on Full Tilt.
It was in October that I first played on Full Tilt. Prior to that, I primarily played $200/$400 no-limit hold'em on a number of other sites.
You had a lot of success in the early goings, were there any players you felt you had a particularly big edge over?
Out of all the players I faced, I felt as if I had the biggest edge over "durrrr." He tends to make some stupid plays, and I was able to take advantage of them.
Who was the toughest opponent at these stakes?
Phil Ivey was tough for me as he only likes to play two tables at a time. But for me two tables is not enough action, and I had to play others at the same time.
Did you ever sell any of your action, or were you ever staked?
Recently, I have never sold a piece of myself. When I was younger, I would sell like 5% or something to some friends, but on Full Tilt Poker I always played for 100% of myself. A few times if I had a friend over when I was playing, I would give him like 1% or something for fun.
If you had a friend beside you, did your friend ever have any input on the decisions your were making in the game?
No, they never helped me.
Do you regret not playing more cautiously, and trying to hang on to some of your winnings?
Honestly, I don't think about it so much anymore. It's been like that all my life. When I start playing a new level, I feel like I am taking a shot. I usually lose at first, but I always come back. I learn so much playing, that I feel like I will win in the long run. I think it was really good playing durrrr as he does so many good things and I learned a lot from him. It's OK, even though I lost so much money. I was really down for a while, but it was not a big problem.
Talk to us about the other mysterious Swedish player "Martonas."
Martonas is honestly my enemy in poker. I did win about $400k off of him last month on various sites not including Full Tilt.
So the rumors about you being Martonas, or being very close friends with him are false?
Yes, they are 100% false.
Are you currently broke?
No, I still have a bankroll and will be back. My problem is I play every game available, even if I am not as good at some of them. That is why I lose. Also, playing 15 hour sessions without eating or sleeping has not helped me.
What game are you the least experienced in?
I only have been playing pot-limit Omaha for eight months. Before that I didn't even know the rules for it. I honestly think pot-limit Omaha is so much luck.
Will you be playing again on Full Tilt Poker?
Yes, I just did recently. I played a small number of hands with durrrr. I had no money on Full Tilt Poker, but I got staked by a friend for $50,000. It was mostly just for fun.
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At the conclusion of the last question, Isildur1 let us know he had to get off the phone to go buy some Christmas presents. Hopefully some holiday cheer will have him back in action in the big games by the New Year.
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