The Online Railbird Report: What's Happened to the High-Stakes Online Action?
For the past month the online high-stakes action on has been slow on both Full Tilt and PokerStars. When once there were weekly high-six-figure swings, now the bigger winners and losers are barely breaking the six-figure mark at all.
Are players becoming disconcerted with online poker? There are certainly those who are beyond upset by the recent changes by Amaya over at PokerStars, which includes the introduction of a new currency exchange rate and rake increases coming Nov. 4.
“My initial reaction to the rake increase is that Pokerstars has completely gone from treating their regular daily clients to the best of their ability in order to maximize take through that avenue and is now trying to increase rake and push a percentage of pros out the door,” Mike “Pipedream17” Dietrich told PokerNews. “The increased rake effects every poker player directly, in my opinion, as they are directly pulling players’ dollars out of the community as a whole. As a tournament player and cash-game player, it doesn't affect me as much as the hyper turbo and heads-up guys. I do think it diminishes the brand as a whole and to what degree I don't know yet. It's a very tricky situation as Pokerstars has, to some degree, a monopoly of the online poker market.”
Whatever the case, things have certainly slowed at the nosebleeds.
In last week’s Online Railbird Report we reported that Viktor “Isildur1” Blom had been driving the action — which he’d been doing for weeks — but that wasn’t the case this week; in fact, this week's biggest winner was “bbvisbadforme”, who erased last week’s $51,903 loss by winning $123,718 in 1,390 hands over eight sessions on Full Tilt. He was the only six-figure winner of the week.
Others who won, albeit on PokerStars, were Vladimir “GVOZDIKA55” Shchemelev (+$98,576 in 31 sessions/4,603 hands) and Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky ($37,629 in 8 sessions/685 hands). On the flip side, Elior “Crazy Elior” Sion was the week’s biggest loser after dropping $68,648 in 621 hands over four sessions, while German pro “Sanlker,” who has been the biggest losers the three previous weeks with losses of $576,753, $429,774 and $400,854, lost again, though it was a much more modest $54,580 in 125 hands over three sessions.
“bbvisbadforme” Gets It Done at 2-7 Triple Draw
On Saturday, Oct. 25, German pro “bbvisbadforme” and Alexander “PostflopAction” Kostritsyn sat down at the $500/$1,000 2-7 triple draw tables. After 20 minutes where “bbvisbadforme” won $36,700, they upped the stakes to $1,000/$2,000 and played for another 80 minutes. During that time the Russian pulled out to a $37,000 lead of his own, but then “bbvisbadforme” hit his heater. Eventually the two ended the match with “bbvisbadforme” up $101,700.
Here’s a look at three hands from that match:
Hand #1: At the $500/$1,000 stakes, Kostritsyn ($39,493.50) raised to $2,000 from the button only to have “bbvisbadforme” ($60,483.50) three-bet to $3,000 from the big blind. Kostritsyn responded with a four-bet to $4,000, “bbvisbadforme” called, and then the former drew one and the latter two.
“bbvisbadforme” check-called a bet of $1,000, and then drew two while Kostritsyn took one. “bbvisbadforme” checked, Kostritsyn bet $2,000, and “bbvisbadforme” woke up with a check-raise to $4,000. Kostritsyn called and then called a bet of $2,000 after both players stood pat on the third draw. “bbvisbadforme” tabled a 7♦6♣5♥4♣2♠ low, and it was good enough to win the $22,000 pot at Kostritsyn mucked.
Hand #2: Kostritsyn ($124,949.50) raised to $2,000 from the button, “bbvisbadforme” ($34,993.50) called, and then both players drew three. “bbvisbadforme” check-called a bet of $1,000 before drawing three more, and Kostritsyn drew one. “bbvisbadforme” checked, Kostritsyn bet $2,000, and “bbvisbadforme” check-raised to $4,000. Kostritsyn three-bet to $6,000, “bbvisbadforme” called, and then both players drew one.
“bbvisbadforme” bet $2,000 and Kostritsyn called only to muck when his opponent rolled over a 10♥9♥5♣4♣3♦ low. Ship the $22,000 pot to “bbvisbadforme.”
Hand #3:
Kibler-Melby vs. Luneau
Even though there were no huge winners and losers on the week, there was an interesting game early in the week between Cort “thecortster” Kibler-Melby and Alex “Alexonmoon” Luneau, who squared off at the $2,000/$4,000 2-7 triple draw tables.
According to HighStakesDB, it began Sunday morning when Kibler-Melby won $5,000 in just 36 minutes. Later that afternoon, the two went at it again, and Kibler-Melby won an additional $43,000. Then, on Monday, the two played a nearly three-hour session in the early morning that resulted in Kibler-Melby winning $22,000 more, which he followed up by winning $181,200 later in the day. All told he was up more than $230,000 on Luneau over the two-day period.
Unfortunately for Kibler-Melby, he didn’t hold onto the profit long as the duo returned to the tables on Tuesday, Oct. 28. They played 865 hands over three sessions — which took about six hours — and Luneau won back $102,900.
As if that wasn’t good enough, Luneau moved over to the $500/$1,000 2-7 triple draw tables to take on Alexander “PostflopAction” Kostritsyn. It took Luneau just 453 hands to win $61,400, which allowed him to finish as the day’s biggest winner with $149,100 in profit.
Cao Banks $77,700 in Tuesday Action
In other Tuesday action, Rui “PepperoniF” Cao was busy playing $50/$100 heads-up pot-limit Omaha on PokerStars. It was there he won $47,000 against “R_1_C_H_1” and then followed that up by winning $41,400 from “Maroonlime.” The day’s biggest pot came from the latter match, and you can see it below:
Biggest Winners/Losers from Oct. 23-30
Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
---|---|---|---|---|
“bbvisbadforme” | $123,718 |
Elior “Crazy Elior” Sion | $68,649 | |
Vladimir “GVOZDIKA55” Shchemelev | $98,576 |
“Sanlker” | $54,580 | |
Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky | $37,629 |
“Kingsp00k” | $29,800 |
Year's Biggest Winners/Losers
Winners | Profit | Losers | Loss | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dan “jungleman12” Cates | $2,827,606 |
Gus Hansen | $5,522,853 | |
Mikael “punting-peddler” Thuritz | $2,562,379 |
Phil “Polarizing” Ivey | $2,469,753 | |
Patrik “FinddaGrind” Antonius | $1,754,449 |
Viktor “Isildur1” Blom | $1,395,340 | |
Isaac “luvtheWNBA” Haxton | $1,299,576 |
Elior “Crazy Elior” Sion | $1,232,374 | |
Doug “WCGRider” Polk | $1,110,009 |
Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond | $1,232,374 | |
Alex “joiso” Kostritsyn | $801,988 |
“Sanlker” | $1,071,686 | |
Christoph “Tight-Man1” Vogelsang | $663,177 |
Paul “MalACEsia” Phua | $823,325 |
Data, hands, and replayer obtained from HighStakesDB.com
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
In this Series
- 1 The Online Railbird Report: Gus Hansen Suffers $1.4 Million Downswing to Close 2012
- 2 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Profits $4 Million in Eight Days
- 3 The Online Railbird Report: Galfond & Blom Experience Million-Dollar Swings
- 4 The Online Railbird Report: Kyle “KPR16” Ray Biggest Winner of Week; Robl Drops $357K
- 5 The Online Railbird Report: Alex Kostritsyn Wins $1.2 Million; Gus Hansen Drops $376K
- 6 The Online Railbird Report: Shchemelev Wins $406K; Blom Week's Biggest Loser & Much More
- 7 The Online Railbird Report: Dwan Wins Over $2 Million in Six Days
- 8 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Extends Lead Against Cao in $1 Million Challenge
- 9 The Online Railbird Report: Kostritsyn Wins $1.1 Million, Ivey Up & More
- 10 The Online Railbird Report: Ben Tollerene and Viktor Blom Win $1 Million in 48 Hours
- 11 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Becomes 2013's Biggest Winner; Ivey Week's Big Loser
- 12 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Over $4 Million for 2013; Huge Week for Hendon
- 13 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drops $661,949 in Slow Week; $100K PLO Showdown?
- 14 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Wins $1.7 Million from Tollerene in Just Six Hours
- 15 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene & Haxton Win Big; Blom Drops $1,474,629
- 16 The Online Railbird Report: The Professionals Duke it Out on FTP
- 17 The Online Railbird Report: “jama-dharma” Takes Blom for $786,971 in Limit Hold’em
- 18 The Online Railbird Report: Dwan and Sulsky Win $1M+; Blom's Massive Swings Continue
- 19 The Online Railbird Report: The Professionals Dominate with $1.5M Wins
- 20 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene & Dang Win $1.4M & $1.2M, Respectively
- 21 The Return of the Online Railbird Report: Six Weeks of High-Stakes Action
- 22 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Takes a $1.4 Million Hit
- 23 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom No Longer the Year's Biggest Winner
- 24 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Is Week's Biggest Loser, Durrrr Challenge & More
- 25 The Online Railbird Report: "Rhje" Wins Over a Million, Blom/Hansen to Ireland & More
- 26 The Online Railbird Report: Tollerene Week's Biggest Winner; Haxton Drops a Million
- 27 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Up $2 Million, Millar Crushes Blom in 10 Minutes
- 28 The Online Railbird Report: Somebody Better “Call_911” as Blom Drops a Million
- 29 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom & Alex “IReadYrSoul” Millar Win Big
- 30 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Loses $1.3 Million; Haxton Week's Biggest Winner
- 31 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Week's Biggest Winner; Polk vs. Sulsky Update
- 32 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Week's Biggest Winner; Polk vs. Sulsky Update
- 33 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Gets Back on Track; Polk Continues to Dominate Sulsky
- 34 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor Blom Wins Again, Phil Ivey Has a Setback, and More
- 35 The Online Railbird Report: "SallyWoo" Week's Biggest Winner; Tollerene Leads in 2013
- 36 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor Blom Up $2 Million
- 37 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Wins $1.3 Million in a Day; Hansen's Fall Continues
- 38 Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Tops Yearly Leader Board; Hansen Loses $1.2 Million
- 39 The Online Railbird Report: Rui Cao Week's Biggest Winner; Heinecker Continues to Roll
- 40 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Biggest Winner for Third Week in a Row
- 41 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker, Blom & Hansen Experience Million-Dollar Swings
- 42 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius & Heinecker Fly High; Cates Fires Off in Chat
- 43 The Online Railbird Report: “samrostan” Wins $912,000; Galfond Drops $620,000
- 44 The Online Railbird Report: "mikki696" Jumps Out to Early Lead in 2014
- 45 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Wins $800K in Three Days
- 46 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Fuels Action on Way to Top of 2014 Leaderboard
- 47 The Online Railbird Report: Kyle "KPR16" Ray Rebounds; Viktor Blom Wins Again
- 48 The Online Railbird Report: Blom and Polk Continue to Battle Online at Aussie Millions
- 49 The Online Railbird Report: Viktor "Isildur1" Blom Returns to Top of Weekly Leaderboard
- 50 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Week's Biggest Loser Upon Return to Nosebleeds
- 51 The Online Railbird Report: Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Cleans Up on PokerStars
- 52 The Online Railbird Report: Rare Winning Week for Hansen; Tollerene Extends 2014 Lead
- 53 The Online Railbird Report: Dan Cates Wins $1.18 Million; Tollerene Opts Out
- 54 The Online Railbird Report: Galfond and Cates Lose $1.1 Million Each; Blom Capitalizes
- 55 The Online Railbird Report: Hansen Loses a Million; Amundsgard & Cates Finish on Top
- 56 The Online Railbird Report: Phil "Polarizing" Ivey Drops $945K; Galfond Wins & More
- 57 The Online Railbird Report: Niki Jedlicka Wins $1.1 Million in Return to Full Tilt Poker
- 58 The Online Railbird Report: "Trueteller," Jedlicka, & Antonius Win Big; Ivey Does Not
- 59 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Week's Biggest Winner, Ivey Loses Again & More
- 60 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius Wins Again, Two Mystery Players Revealed & More
- 61 The Online Railbird Report: Ivey, Galfond, and Hansen All Grace the Loser's List
- 62 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drops Nearly a Million; Ivey Rebounds & Much More
- 63 The Online Railbird Report: Kostritsyn Wins Big, Hansen Punts, and Dwan Eats Crawfish
- 64 The Online Railbird Report: Winners & Losers of the Summer's High-Stakes Action
- 65 The Online Railbird Report: "Sanlker" Steamrolls His Way to Massive $1.4 Million Win
- 66 The Online Railbird Report: Alex Luneau Wins $1.1 Million; Viktor Blom Drops $976K
- 67 The Online Railbird Report: Mikael “punting-peddler” Thuritz Biggest Winner with $491K
- 68 The Online Railbird Report: Ruthenberg and Blom Win Big; Hansen's Bad Year Continues
- 69 The Online Railbird Report: Antonius, Cates and Thuritz Pulling Away on 2014 Leaderboard
- 70 The Online Railbird Report: Gus Hansen's Disastrous Year Continues
- 71 The Online Railbird Report: Ike Haxton Wins Big; Doug Polk & "Denoking" Feud, and More
- 72 The Online Railbird Report: Polk & "Denoking" Keep Things Interesting During Slow Week
- 73 The Online Railbird Report: Heinecker Returns with a $275,000 Win
- 74 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Drives Action While Kostritsyn Wins On PokerStars
- 75 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Continues to Drive Action; Kostritsyn Big Winner
- 76 The Online Railbird Report: Blom Week's Biggest Winner Despite Losing Sponsorship
- 77 The Online Railbird Report: What's Happened to the High-Stakes Online Action?
- 78 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Second-Biggest Winner with $472,000 Win
- 79 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Follows Up Last Week's Big Win by Dropping $357K
- 80 The Online Railbird Report: Phil Ivey Rebounds with $387,000 Win and More
- 81 The Online Railbird Report: Sanlker and Kibler-Melby Battle; Ivey Wins, and More
- 82 The Online Railbird Report: Kibler-Melby Wins Big, Ivey vs. Thuritz, and More
- 83 The Online Railbird Report: Dan Cates Primed to Finish as 2014's Biggest Winner