Patrik_Antonius
Introduction
Patrik Antonius, the Black Lotus or The Finn, as he is nicknamed, was born in Finland on the 13th December 1980. He is a Finnish professional poker player and has a few other achievements to his name. He is also a former tennis player, coach and a model for Vantaa Finland.
Patrik Antonius Discovers Poker
Patrik had never set out to become a professional poker player as he had a promising tennis career that he was pursuing. However, due to a severe back injury, his life led him to the green felt becoming a successful poker player. He stumbled upon Poker at 17, and as soon as he turned 18, he found his way into a local casino with his game of choice being Pot-Limit Omaha.
In 2003 Patrik discovered online Poker, a moment that truly defined his poker career. Moreover, he deposited $200 into his online account and has never looked back. He turned that $200 into $20 000 within a couple of months. His most significant cash came in 2012 when he finished as the runner up to Phil Ivey in the $250 000 Aussie Millions Challenge earning $1.2 million which was his second 7 figure score.
HighStakes DB stated that between 2008-2013 Patrik accumulated winnings over $11 million on Full Tilt and PokerStars playing a FinddaGrind. He won in the region of $6 million between 2007-2016. Furthermore, Antonius holds the record for the most prominent online poker pot win in poker history.
Conclusion
Patrik Antonius has no WSOP bracelets, but it’s because he focuses most of his energy on good cash games globally. Anyone who has seen him in action when playing High Stakes Poker or Poker After Dark knows he has the ability. His opponents know what they are up against when The Finn takes a seat.
Rounders is a movie that stars Matt Damon as a genuinely gifted Poker player and New Attorney. It’s about compulsive gambling and how the hero gambles away his tuition money, his law degree, his girlfriend and almost his life. Yet amidst all of this, he seems to be a happy gambler.
As a Poker movie, it is entertaining and knowledgeable and takes place within the pro poker underground of New York and Atlantic City. The ensemble of players are known to one another, and Mike McDermott (Damon) ventures into this world of cutthroats where he meets the poker genius of the Russian American mob who tries to reform McDermott. However, he lands up taking him down a destructive path of compulsive gambling which the movie depicts in a humorous light.
About Rounders
Rounders is all about the places McDermott & Worm visit and the dangerous people they encounter while trying to win a lot of money. The movie buys into the seedy glamour of Poker, almost romanticizing a game that consists of exhausted players who risk everything they own to enjoy those sudden bursts of adrenalin.
The best scenes in Rounders is where they contrast the personalities of Mike and Worm. Mike wants to win by playing a good game of Poker, whereas Worm wants to hustle. He is, however, a card mechanic who takes outrageous chances and his intoxicating personality leads them both into trouble. The one defining moment is when they find themselves in a high stakes game with many State Troopers in the room.
Conclusion
John Dahl directed Rounders. It’s mostly a movie based on a Sport which in this case is Poker and depicts the talented hero winning and facing disaster time and time again. However, he gets back up and continues playing until he has nothing left to lose.
Zeljko Ranogajec, aka John Wilson, comes from a family of Croatian immigrants. He was born in Hobart Australia on the 22 May 1961 and is a professional gambler and entrepreneur. Before becoming a professional gambler, Zeljko studied Commerce and Law at the University of Tasmania where his interest in card counting in Blackjack was tweaked when playing at the Wrest Point Casino.
He met his wife at the Casino as she worked there full time. He then decided to relocate to NSW and transferred his studies to the University of NSW. However, he dropped out to pursue his passion in advantage gambling.
Gambling Career
Zeljko started making frequent trips to Vegas and winning substantial amounts. However, he encountered problems getting his winnings back to Australia so hid it in strangeplaces. He eventually formed a card-counting team with three of his college friends. However, this came to an unfortunate end when one of the trios died in a motor vehicle accident. He was back to playing solo as the team then split up.
Amongst the Blackjack Fraternity Zeljko was regarded as one of the most prolific and innovative advantage players of all time. Eventually, the Australian Casinos banned him, but he had already anticipated that happening and had started branching out into other areas of advantage play. Namely Keno and Horse Racing where he has earned over a $1 Billion on average per annum.
Summing it Up
Zeljko Ranogajev is remarkable for so many reasons. He is one of the top gamblers worldwide. Still, more importantly, he donates millions of his winnings to a variety of different charities and one, in particular, is The Humpty Dumpty Foundation which purchases medical equipment for Children’s Hospitals.
Nowadays he is known as The Loch Ness Monster due to him being a reclusive person.